If you have been trying to conceive for 12 months or more, it is defined as infertility or sub-fertility. This can occur when you are trying for your first baby (primary infertility) or for a second child after having a successful pregnancy first time round (secondary infertility). The ability to conceive depends on many different factors, but it is essential that both partners are in optimum health to enable this to happen.
Reflexology can be really helpful during this time as it
- gets the body (and hormones) back into a state of equilibrium
- reduces levels of stress, and allows a state of deep relaxation
- works the reflexes relating to the reproductive organs to balance and clear congestion
- boosts blood circulation to the reproductive areas
- encourages all the systems of the body to function efficiently
These are all essential factors in conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.
Statistics show that both men and women can be affected by infertility, although it is often the woman who initiates further investigation and lifestyle changes. Male infertility is involved in approximately 25% of cases, while female infertility is connected to about 40% of cases. In 15-20% of cases, where there is no specific cause or obvious reason for infertility, it is termed as ‘unexplained infertility’.
It is often at this stage that couples start looking at other lifestyle factors which might be affecting their fertility, such as:
Stress & anxiety – at work or at home
Stimulant intake – alcohol, caffeine, nicotine
Nutrition – balanced diet or too many processed foods
Weight & BMI (body mass index) – too overweight or too underweight
Exercise – too much or not enough exercise
Stress & fertility
Stress plays a huge part in fertility problems. Sexual intercourse can become functional instead of spontaneous, and the longer it is taking to conceive, the more all-consuming it becomes. This usually leads to one or both partners being in a permanent state of stress, which over a long period of time will lead to exhaustion. Once at this stage, most of our body’s energy is spent on survival, maintenance and essential repairs and non-essential things, like reproduction, take a back seat until the body is back to a balanced state. If the body is under too much stress, it produces too much adrenaline from the adrenal glands. Adrenal deficiency in turn leads to low thyroid function. Common symptoms of low thyroid function can include no ovulation and a short luteal phase, meaning that any fertilised egg is not sustained in its early phase for long enough. Read more
Hormonal imbalances & fertility
Hormonal imbalances can also seriously hamper your chances of conceiving, and can contribute to the following conditions:
- PCOS (Poly cystic ovarian syndrome)
- Endometriosis
- Lack of periods (amenorrhoea) or irregular periods
- Painful periods (dysmenorrhoea) or heavy bleeding (menorrhagia)
- Recurrent miscarriage
I use a reflexology technique called the ‘endocrine balance’ which balances all the endocrine glands and the hormones they produce. This is especially relevant for the fertility hormones (luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, oestrogen and progesterone), the stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) and the thyroid hormone (thyroxin). Reflexology often helps in regulating the length of menstrual cycle, flow, and even bringing back periods which have been absent for some time.
Fertility treatments & reflexology
There are several different forms of infertility treatments (IVF, IUI, and ICSI) or ART procedures (GIFT or ZIFT) as well as drug treatments (clomid) or egg/sperm donation. I have experience of working with clients going through various different fertility treatments. It can be a very stressful and emotional time, and can be draining both physically and mentally. The calming and balancing qualities of reflexology can help enormously and can also compliment the medical procedures. It will help to prepare the body to be in optimum health before the treatment is started. Please let me know in advance if you are undergoing fertility treatment.
