A discussion on the merits and disadvantages of using alternative therapy for infertility problems
Studies into hypnotherapy and detox diets have shown to increase a person's fertility dramatically, even when IVF has failed, suggesting there is definitely a place for alternative medicine in treating infertility.
After I had failed to get pregnant and then suffered a miscarriage after months of trying, we turned to alternative therapy. My herbalist told me the encouraging story of a woman who had failed at IVF after repeated attempts over 10 years, and was turned away by the medical profession. She then started taking the remedy, Saw Palmetto, and successfully carried and gave birth to a baby boy against all odds.
Encouraged by this story, I took the remedy and 3 weeks later I was pregnant. The pregnancy was successful and my daughter Lucia was born. She is now 7.
Years later, when donating eggs to Care Fertility, I was handed a leaflet stating that their sucess rates had been reduced recently and they thought it was because of alternative therapies. Women's herbal remedies were impairing drug responses. They advised all women undergoing IVF to avoid alternative therapies.
Government bodies have been trying to restrict herbal medicines and vitamins for years, saying they are unlicienced medicines - yet they bring benefit to many who try them - there's just no benefit to the drug companies who don't make money from herbalism or vitamins.
So who is right? Well, I think herbal remedies may interact with the IVF drug process, so if couples are embarking on IVF they should stick purely to that drug schedule and use vitamins etc as a separate treatment.
Other non-invasive alternative therapies can be used safely with IVF, such as hypnotherapy and accupuncture, and don't have the same potiential for interacting with the drugs, giving the couple the greatest chance for a baby.
