“We must let go of the life that we planned so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”
Joseph Campbell
Hypnosis for Fertility
If you and your partner are having trouble conceiving and there is no known medical reason for this, hypnotherapy can help to support you on your journey. Often, the reason for difficulty in conceiving is physiological. However, even when the physical cause of infertility has been identified and treated, psychological factors like stress and anxiety may play a role.
There are obvious changes you can make in your lifestyle to help support successful conception, including weight loss, becoming more relaxed and having sex for fun, not just to try to conceive - something that often gets lost when making a baby becomes your all-consuming passion. Hypnosis can help in all these areas.
The link between stress and reduced fertility has been proven in previous research and hypnotherapy can support you by giving you the tools you need to gain the most from your sessions.
Stress can inhibit the reproductive system from utilising progesterone. In women, progesterone levels rise in the ovaries before ovulation takes place and then subsequently plays an important role in the placenta in maintaining pregnancy. Progesterone in men is the precursor for the production of testosterone, essential for the formation of sperm. If the body is stressed, progesterone is used by the adrenal glands in the production of cortisol - thereby reducing fertility in both sexes.
In addition, stress can trigger the production of high levels of prolactin by the pituitary gland, which acts to inhibit ovulation and can result in a poor quality uterine lining, reducing the change of a successful embryo implant.
When you are stressed or anxious, adrenaline and cortisol are released from the brain into the body. Too much of these hormones can make it more difficult to conceive because they affect the part of your brain that controls other hormones - not just female hormones but testosterone levels and semen quality, which can have negative implications for male fertility.
Sometimes the desire to have a child becomes all-consuming and you find yourself spiralling into negative thought patterns, struggling to share the joy of new mums or new mums-to-be and feeling lonely and misunderstood.
“Hypnotherapy can help with fertility issues by helping you to feel calmer, more relaxed and more in control. This then reduces stress and anxiety. It’s not just about relaxation - it’s about changing a mindset, dealing with implications of previous traumas or barriers.”
The mind has enormous power over the body - there is much that we still have to learn about the mind-body connection but we do know that we can influence how our body behaves through our emotions, thoughts and beliefs. There are many reasons for infertility but the way that we feel and the way that we think can have an enormous impact on our hormonal system which controls ovulation, sperm production and pregnancy.
How can hypnotherapy help?
Each treatment plan is tailored to each individual but may include:
Establishing your emotional and physical health and, through a series of solution focused questions, finding out what your goals are.
Teaching deep breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, which stimulates the vagus nerve and helps to induce relaxation.
Unblocking any fears and phobias around pregnancy, childbirth or your relationship using guided imagery and positive reinforcement.
Preparing for pregnancy, whether you are undergoing any form of IVF treatment or are trying to conceive naturally, I will help you to prepare mentally for pregnancy.
Supporting you as you prepare for any medical treatments.
Supporting you if fertility treatment fails and enabling you to move on in a new but positive way.
Helping you to develop communication channels with your partner so that you can make the best decisions around what is best for you both.