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I have firm beliefs about the connection between body, mind and spirit. So when it came to falling pregnant (and sustaining the pregnancy) with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), there were no ends, however strange, to which I would not go to have a child.
The alternate routes of treatment included often spending copious amounts of money on some rather odd healing techniques as well as working to free myself from any blockages or psychological wounds that were manifesting in my body.
Here are some of the things I tried:
Extreme supplementation
My endocrinologist, Dr Fleming, pinpointed an underactive thyroid, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance and total biochemical burnout. She put me on a strict diet of supplementation with natural substances. I ended up taking eltroxin for my thyroid and glucophage for my insulin levels, which I’m still on today. This was what initially motivated me to drop my stress levels (by taking on less work) and prioritise my wellbeing above all else.
I also visited medical intuitive and pharmacist David Arthur who initiated more supplements for me and got me thinking about where I was putting my energy. He also suggested exercising more and being in the sunlight for 20y minutes per day: so, I took up Powerplate and Pilates and took a walk each afternoon around the block.
Burning herbs
I was led to the talented healer Dr Pete Mckendry, a man who specialises in Chinese medicine including acupuncture and herbal remedies to bring the body into balance. He used a burning herb—moxibustion—to encourage the Chi points in my body to unblock. I went for this treatment every two weeks and also imbibed many foul-tasting Chinese herbs.
I give much credit to Dr Mckendry for preventing me from having a second miscarriage by stopping the bleeding in week 7 which is when I had suffered my first miscarriage. By the way, studies have proven that patients undergoing acupuncture at the same time as conventional fertility treatment have higher rates of success.
In therapy
Irit Oshry provided wise and invaluable metaphysical counseling which helped me unpackage my fears about becoming a parent. They were very much related to my own mother and the unconscious messages that I had received about parenthood.
Conventional talk therapy with Vivienne Budlender also encouraged me to vent my anxieties in a safe and non-judgmental space.
Healing massage
A large part of falling pregnant was about learning to relax and trust the process as well as being connected to my own body. Warren Gishen’s healing masseur hands and Linda McGregor, a travelling reflexologist treated me blissfully once a week.
Mindpower
Meditation is an important tool for relaxation and connecting with cosmic energy. I did 15 minutes of meditation twice each day. I also practiced visualisation techniques that included imagining already having a baby and even walking around with a picture of a baby in my pocket. Crystals featured too…
Among others, two books that were very useful to me during this time were Louise L Hay’s famed tome You Can Heal Your Life and Dr Christina Northrup’s Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.
The stranger stuff
Various healers worked on my body including Frenchman Patrick Desplace for whom I had to strip naked and lie on a table. Jo Oosthuizen saw me once every few weeks to ‘re-tune my vibrations’ me with the amazing SCIO machine which was particularly accurate—even telling me that I was pregnant before I had found out that I indeed was!
The end result
Despite all of the above, I still found myself at the Vitalab clinic in order to conceive Eva Rose but I continued with most of the above treatments in tandem.
My alternate fertility journey was one of discovery and deep healing that, in retrospect, I am most grateful for. I am a better parent and a more whole person for having gone through it.
Would you try any of these alternate fertility treatments?
The alternate routes of treatment included often spending copious amounts of money on some rather odd healing techniques as well as working to free myself from any blockages or psychological wounds that were manifesting in my body.
Here are some of the things I tried:
Extreme supplementation
My endocrinologist, Dr Fleming, pinpointed an underactive thyroid, insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance and total biochemical burnout. She put me on a strict diet of supplementation with natural substances. I ended up taking eltroxin for my thyroid and glucophage for my insulin levels, which I’m still on today. This was what initially motivated me to drop my stress levels (by taking on less work) and prioritise my wellbeing above all else.
I also visited medical intuitive and pharmacist David Arthur who initiated more supplements for me and got me thinking about where I was putting my energy. He also suggested exercising more and being in the sunlight for 20y minutes per day: so, I took up Powerplate and Pilates and took a walk each afternoon around the block.
Burning herbs
I was led to the talented healer Dr Pete Mckendry, a man who specialises in Chinese medicine including acupuncture and herbal remedies to bring the body into balance. He used a burning herb—moxibustion—to encourage the Chi points in my body to unblock. I went for this treatment every two weeks and also imbibed many foul-tasting Chinese herbs.
I give much credit to Dr Mckendry for preventing me from having a second miscarriage by stopping the bleeding in week 7 which is when I had suffered my first miscarriage. By the way, studies have proven that patients undergoing acupuncture at the same time as conventional fertility treatment have higher rates of success.
In therapy
Irit Oshry provided wise and invaluable metaphysical counseling which helped me unpackage my fears about becoming a parent. They were very much related to my own mother and the unconscious messages that I had received about parenthood.
Conventional talk therapy with Vivienne Budlender also encouraged me to vent my anxieties in a safe and non-judgmental space.
Healing massage
A large part of falling pregnant was about learning to relax and trust the process as well as being connected to my own body. Warren Gishen’s healing masseur hands and Linda McGregor, a travelling reflexologist treated me blissfully once a week.
Mindpower
Meditation is an important tool for relaxation and connecting with cosmic energy. I did 15 minutes of meditation twice each day. I also practiced visualisation techniques that included imagining already having a baby and even walking around with a picture of a baby in my pocket. Crystals featured too…
Among others, two books that were very useful to me during this time were Louise L Hay’s famed tome You Can Heal Your Life and Dr Christina Northrup’s Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.
The stranger stuff
Various healers worked on my body including Frenchman Patrick Desplace for whom I had to strip naked and lie on a table. Jo Oosthuizen saw me once every few weeks to ‘re-tune my vibrations’ me with the amazing SCIO machine which was particularly accurate—even telling me that I was pregnant before I had found out that I indeed was!
The end result
Despite all of the above, I still found myself at the Vitalab clinic in order to conceive Eva Rose but I continued with most of the above treatments in tandem.
My alternate fertility journey was one of discovery and deep healing that, in retrospect, I am most grateful for. I am a better parent and a more whole person for having gone through it.
Would you try any of these alternate fertility treatments?
