Conceiving a child is a very special, although often unconscious, event. For others it may be problematic. With two decades of clinical experience and research, Claudette can support you on your journey to parenthood. Talk to Claudette about the best, scientifically researched, nutritional supplements, herbal medicines, and medical testing for overcoming fertility problems or preconception care. Together you can profoundly improve your chances of a healthy, successful conception, pregnancy, birth and baby.

Common treatment areas:

• Preconception health care for anyone wishing to conceive
• Infertility – difficulty conceiving, recurrent miscarriage, irregular ovulation, older mums & dads, low libido, low sperm count, poor sperm morphology & motility, poor egg quality
• IVF support – to achieve optimal nutrition and reduce stress without interfering with your IVF treatment
• Premature ovarian failure
• Hormonal imbalances – endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, ovarian cyst, thyroid imbalances and antibodies
• Genitourinary Infections – PID, prostatitis, candida
• Nutritional deficiencies, stress management
• Miscarriage support
• Pregnancy Support & remedies
• Birth preparation
• Post-natal care for mothers & breastfeeding support
• Post-natal care for babies including colic, nappy rash, excessive crying, sleep disturbances & reflux
• Children’s health

What’s Involved?

Review of your test results so far and referral for further medical investigations that are relevant to you
Tests may include genitourinary infection checks, miscarriage antibodies, sperm DNA fragmentation and antibodies, chromosomal abnormalities, heavy metal screening, vitamin deficiencies, trace mineral deficiencies, hormone levels
A comprehensive Naturopathic treatment plan is devised including diet, lifestyle advice, herbal medicines, nutritional supplementation, stress management
Comprehensive printed material to cover all of these aspects
Counselling to assist the understanding of issues & stressors of fertility problems
Referral to allied health practitioners specializing in fertility as relevant to your needs such as GP, reproductive specialist or gynaecologist, acupuncture, counselling, obstetricians, osteopathy, physiotherapy, etc

How long does it take to produce and mature sperm and eggs?

Sperm can take up to 116 days to develop and mature, during which time they are vulnerable to damage. Likewise the egg takes approximately 100 days to mature before ovulation.

Poor nutrition, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, environmental pollution, lack of exercise, stress, oral contraceptives, genito-urinary infections, and other infections eg Candida, allergies, child bearing at an older age and stress are all important factors which may be harmful to sperm, eggs, health of the male and female reproductive organs, general health of both parents, and in turn the health of the baby.

What if I am already doing IVF?

Naturopathic treatment is available together with IVF treatment. In fact, nutritional support and stress management are vital for those undergoing assisted conceptions, e.g. IVF. No supplement that has a hormonal effect is given to interfere with the IVF drug regime and no herbal medicines are used during IVF. Emphasis is placed upon boosting your nutritional requirements, improving egg, sperm and embryo quality and reducing stress. Claudette will work in conjunction with your doctor to help integrate your treatment and for you to achieve the best possible outcome.

However, Natural Fertility treatment is ideal prior to undertaking IVF as it can resolve or reduce some of the underlying causes of the infertility and thereby increase the success rate of IVF. A recent study in the UK showed IVF success rates more than doubled when preceded by a period of preconception health care. IVF often may not be able to address the underlying causes e.g. auto-immunity (e.g. sperm antibodies, thyroid antibodies), poor egg or sperm quality and therefore, IVF has a higher than normal rate of miscarriage, birth defects and low birth weight babies.

What about older couples wanting to conceive?

Many of Claudette’s clients have been above 40 years of age and it is imperative that time is not wasted for older couples wishing to conceive so 4 months of preconception care is not a realistic option. Obviously age cannot be reduced nor the number of eggs increased but factors that affect hormonal balance as well as the health and quality of eggs and sperm can be addressed to some degree. Some of the risks associated with older parents have been shown to be associated with greater nutritional deficiencies due to a longer life span. However, Claudette will discuss your individual circumstances with you so that you have realistic expectations.

What if there is “no reason” for my infertility?

This may be due a number of reasons which Claudette investigates to uncover and treat: nutritional deficiencies that are not medically tested, other health issues in either partner which indirectly affects fertility, infections not typically tested for fertility, heavy metal or chemical toxicity, auto-immune antibodies. These are addressed with a combination of natural and medical testing and therapies.

Can I do Natural Fertility if I’m single?

Yes of course, although the program is more advantageous when both parents are involved. Claudette has worked with patients using both sperm and egg donors.

Is Natural Fertility also for those without problems?

Yes. Many couples come to optimize their health and their baby’s health prior to conception but have no difficulty conceiving. They recognise that boosting their health is going to have long term health benefits for their children and themselves. It is becoming more commonplace given the increasingly toxic and stressful world that we live in and the subsequent rise in fertility problems.