Infertility can take it’s toll on your emotional, mental and physical health. It can be frustrating, upsetting and overwhelming.
If someone is unable to become pregnant naturally after one year of trying (earlier if the female is over 35) it will be deemed as infertility. According the the World Health Organisation, 8-10% of couples around the world experience infertility. In the UK alone, one in seven couples have difficulty conceiving.
What are the causes of infertility?
Of course there are many issues that can effect fertility, both physiological and psychological which can afflict men and women alike. Common physiological causes of infertility in women include lack of regular ovulation (the monthly release of an egg), blockage of the fallopian tubes and endometriosis. In men, the most common cause is poor quality of semen and then there are the 25% of couples, where the cause is unexplained.
Depression, stress, and anxiety significantly affect infertile people and so it stands to reason that there is also a psychological component to fertility treatment also, and it should not be overlooked.
Can hypnotherapy help with fertility?
A question I am asked often.
Hypnotherapy can help with fertility issues by helping both women and men feel calmer, relaxed and more in control, and therefore reducing stress and anxiety. When we are relaxed the brain produces endorphins which helps restore hormone balance, regulate the nervous system and promote a healthy immune system.
Applications of clinical hypnosis for IVF and fertility are wide-ranging, for instance;
Clients learn how to get into a deep state of relaxation quickly and easily so as to reduce stress which is often associated with failure to conceive. It’s used to help prepare mentally, emotionally and physically for IVF treatment. This preparation can range from positive lifestyle changes, changing limiting beliefs to eliminating fears and phobias.
A 2004 study presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, hypnosis had effectively doubled the success of IVF treatments. The study was conducted by Professor Eliahu Levitas and his team at Soroka Hospital in Israel to determine if hypnosis could improve the success of the embryo transfers stage of IVF. The study of 185 woman found that 28% of the women who were hypnotized for the IVF treatment became pregnant, compared to 14% of the women in the control group.
Professor Levitas studied the effects of hypnosis for the IVF treatment and embryo transfer only, because prior studies that demonstrated the stress of the procedure created small contractions of the uterus that prevented the successful implantation of the fertilized egg. The professor indicated that tranquilizers had been used in prior studies, but nothing worked as well as hypnosis. “Performing embryo transfer under hypnosis may significantly contribute to an increased clinical pregnancy rate,” Professor Levitas told the conference in Berlin.
Hypnotherapy is an aid to relaxation, a way in which to help change negative beliefs and feelings and to release emotional blocks that may be interfering with fertility. And while we can not say hypnotherapy is a cure for infertility, it has been proven to lower stress and anxiety, which can affect hormone levels and create a mental block to conception.
If you or someone you know would like to know more about Clinical Hypnotherapy for fertility, get in touch today
www.gailmarrahypnotherapy.comÂ
Buy the book Health Wealth & Hypnosis on Amazon and at all good bookstores
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gail-Marra/e/B08F2PJV9Q%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share