Case Studies
Pippa
Severe PMS symptoms
Pippa wanted to address her PMS symptoms before starting to try for a baby. For seven days of every month she felt dreadful. She was irritable, bloated, tearful, thinking irrational thoughts, retaining fluid, and very short-tempered. Once her period started she experienced severe abdominal cramps.
Treatment, diet and nutritional advice
At her initial consultation we spent a lot of time exploring her symptoms and how they affected her. We looked at the stress factors in her life and discussed her diet and nutrition.
We treated Pippa with reflexology thoughout an entire menstrual cycle, recommending some changes to her diet and suggesting vitamins and minerals that would help. Her PMS symptoms reduced and her general well-being improved enormously.
A straightforward pregnancy
3 months later, Pippa rang to say she was pregnant, she continued with reflexology treatments throughout her pregnancy, and after a very straightforward pregnancy and delivery had a beautiful little girl.
Lucy
Amenhorria consultation
Lucy had been trying to conceive for 9 months. Her menstrual cycle was sporadic, ranging from 40–80 days, and menstruation was scanty. She had been trying to keep fit and healthy and was exercising 5 days a week, and also had a very active work-life. Whilst Lucy was taking lots of exercise she wasn’t very good at managing to eat healthily, and was skipping meals.
We made gradual changes to her lifestyle and diet, reducing her levels of exercise, slowly eliminating caffeine, and suggested alternative ways to manage stress.
It took 6 months to regulate Lucy’s cycle and improve her overall health and wellbeing. During that time she had a laparoscopy (exploratory surgery to assess the reproductive organs), and was on her way to have IVF for ‘unexplained infertility’.
Thankfully, before they got to start IVF, she conceived naturally, and is now expecting her first child.
June and Chris
Irregular Menstrual Cycle
June and Chris had been trying to conceive for 10 months and were beginning to feel anxious that all was not well. They completed a pre-conceptual questionnaire and arrived for their first consultation feeling nervous but hopeful, not quite sure what to expect.
We discussed their circumstances at length, looking for what might be the key issues we needed to address. June’s cycle was very irregular, and she worked long stressful hours, suffered with IBS, and occasional asthma.
Both Chris and June had already made some changes to their diet, and were taking some multi-vitamins. We made some more recommendations to help them both on their way to becoming parents.
Successful conception
June fell pregnant within her first menstrual cycle after just two reflexology treatments! She has also continued with treatment throughout her pregnancy.
Zoe and Jack
IVF/ICSI
Zoe and Jack had a complex history. They had been trying to conceive for five years and were about to try another attempt at IVF/ICSI. They came to us wanting some additional help alongside their treatment to improve their chances of success.
Five previous attempts at IUI and three attempts at IVF/ICSI had been unsuccessful. They were despondent but determined.
Initial consultation
We began with a comprehensive medical history to identify what their fertility issues might be. We discovered a number of interesting points. Zoe had an irregular menstrual cycle ranging from 22-28 days. It also seemed clear that she was suffering with a progesterone deficiency as she was spotting late during her cycle before her bleed began. She also experienced repeated bouts of cystitis.
Jack had always produced poor semen analysis results, with motility and morphology issues. He drank coffee, beer and cycled everywhere! Jack was referred for further detailed semen analysis with an andrologist.
Treatment, diet and lifestyle changes
We recommended some gradual changes to lifestyle and diet for both Zoe and Jack. Stopping the cycling, exchanging beer drinking for small amounts of good quality red wine, and eliminating the coffee (slowly!). We also made some changes to the vitamins and minerals that they were taking, ensuring the best quality supplements.
They both attended for weekly reflexology treatments. We focused on protocols to improve Jack’s semen analysis results and the regularity of Zoe’s menstrual cycle, alongside their general health and wellbeing.
A first natural conception
Five weeks later, Zoe conceived naturally for the very first time! Sadly, the pregnancy was not stable and they lost they baby at five weeks. We worked very carefully to re-establish Zoe’s cycle as they had already booked themselves in to have IVF/ICSI. Their cycle of IVF began two weeks later, and we worked very closely alongside this to enhance its success, using Reproflexology™ techniques.
Success after 5 years!
To their delight and amazement, they conceived again – this time with twins! Zoe sailed through her pregnancy, giving birth naturally, to a boy and a girl.
Lisa and Alex
Meeting the couple
Sarah met Lisa in September 2022 after she had been had been trying for a baby for almost two and a half years with her husband Alex. In the pre-consultation Sarah established they had been waiting for a long time for basic NHS fertility testing which they had 5 months previous to meeting Sarah. The initial tests suggested Alex had a low sperm count and that Lisa should have no difficult conceiving.
NHS and private testing
After multiple unsuccessful attempts to conceive naturally, the couple decided to visit a private clinic to undergo further tests. This time the results suggested Lisa had high FSH which could complicate conception and possibly also indicate poor egg quality. The results also showed that Alex’s results were extremely low, in fact so low he would have to undergo surgical sperm extraction if they opted for IVF.
Alex already had a child from a previous relationship so the couple would not be eligible for treatment with the NHS and would need to find the money for an IVF cycle if they decided to take that route.
The couple were shocked and upset by the results and by the way they were treated at the private clinic. The clinic gave them no information about supporting themselves and improving their chances of conceiving naturally. They were told IVF was their only option.
Consultation and therapy with Sarah
Sarah talked at length to the couple, gathering a range of medical, dietary and lifestyle information to help her build up a complete picture of their situation.
Alex was gym enthusiast and drank lots of coffee, so Sarah recommended he reduce his caffeine intake and take it a little easier with his exercise regime. She also recommended a male supplement, Proxeed, to protect his sperm as they developed.
In line with Reproflexology™ protocols, Sarah supported Lisa with regular reflexology treatments and recommended she practice hand reflexology techniques five times a day in between her sessions. She also suggested Lisa take a supplement that supports the female microbiome and reproductive system and to limit herself to light exercise only.
Lisa began charting her temperature throughout her menstrual cycle over three months, which helped Sarah to analyse changes in her reproductive cycle and identify what could be done to support it. Lisa was experiencing erratic temperature changes and unstable progesterone levels during the luteal phase of her cycle and as each luteal phase was very short, it made it difficult to pinpoint when ovulation was taking place. However, the charts were showing that Lisa was ovulating, as even with the unstable temperatures each cycle showed a definite rise in at least the last 10 days.
A happy outcome
Alongside Lisa’s regular Reproflexology™ treatments and making the lifestyle and dietary changes Sarah recommended, the couple conceived naturally in November 2022. Lisa and Alex were overjoyed with the news! Lisa continues to visit Sarah for regular reflexology sessions to support her during her pregnancy.
Reproflexology™ gave Lisa and Alex an opportunity to make appropriate changes to their lifestyle and diet to give themselves a stronger chance of conceiving.