Pregnancy hit the headlines in the UK recently with Kensington Palace announcing that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child.
If you are one of the 25% of couples who experience trouble conceiving, reading about this news may have left you feeling sad and upset.
Hypnosis for fertility works by getting you mentally, emotionally and physically ready for conceiving a baby and has a success rate of almost double that of IVF alone.
Infertility isn’t always a physical issue; it can be linked to emotional and mental issues. Women with elevated depression levels had less than half the conception success rate with undergoing IVF procedures and current research has shown that women dealing with infertility have depression scores significantly higher than women without infertility, and that these levels of depression rise, the longer a woman is infertile.
Stress and anxiety levels also rise the longer a couple is trying to conceive. Dr. Alice Domar, professor at Harvard Medical school, a leader in the field of fertility research, observed that women struggling to conceive “report equivalent levels of anxiety and depression as women with cancer, HIV status, or heart disease”. During chronic stress, progesterone production is reduced as the body favours the production of cortisol to reduce stress, and low progesterone levels have been linked to fertility issues.
Stavros Saripanidis, a consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology published a research paper in the British Medical Journal in 2016 which found that clinical hypnotherapy is more effective than Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in alleviating levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Other research into hypnosis for fertility has discovered that hypnotherapy can lower a woman’s levels of a hormone called prolactin which suppresses ovulation. By using mind-body methods which lower the hormone, ovulation happens more regularly.
Another potential reason for infertility is fear around pregnancy and giving birth. These fears can lead to the muscles surrounding the woman’s fallopian tubes contracting at the time of ovulation, thus preventing her from becoming pregnant. The body responds to the subconscious fears by making conception impossible.
Hypnotherapy for infertility can help you to reduce stress, depression and anxiety by giving you tools that put you back in control of your body. Your hypnotherapist will work with you using a range of techniques which may include visualisations and stress management. The process can help you make peace with your body and then assist you with the transition to becoming a parent.
To find a hypnotherapy for fertility specialist near you, use the National Council for Hypnotherapy’s find a hypnotherapist service.