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Integrative Approach in Dealing with Infertility

Free Press Article- Paula King August 7, 2013


A couple decides they want to have a baby. Simple, right?


We all know the standard mechanics for accomplishing that desire, don’t we? What if it turns out not to be such a simple thing? What if the doctor says to them: “You have a fertility problem.” One patient said hearing those words felt like being “doused with ice water when least expecting it and having no way of stopping it from happening. You feel completely out of control.”


In 2010, in Demographics of Fertility, Clark A. McChesney reported, “Most people take it for granted that they will have children if and when they choose. However, one in six couples trying to have a baby will experience problems doing so.” When hit with the reality of infertility, the feeling of losing control of your life is a normal reaction. At Healing Horizons it is our goal to shed a more hopeful light on the journey of dealing with infertility.


Many of the people seeking help to conceive have discovered that combining acupuncture, bodywork, chiropractic adjustments and behavioral health strategies brought not only hope, but also success. Our approach integrates appreciation for the mind/body/spirit connections, acknowledges the struggles associated with infertility, and provides specific and practical ways to enhance the possibility of pregnancy. One of the first things I’ve noticed when working with issues of infertility is the deep relief expressed by patients at simply being understood. For many, relief deepens as they begin to understand and practice stress-reducing techniques that help them feel back in control.


Whether provided in individual or group sessions, the behavioral health strategies include: HeartMath Biofeedback, self-awareness meditation, guided imagery, healthy self-talk and harnessing the power of belief. Letting go and taking on techniques like these are proven to neutralize the physiology of body stress according to Nathalie Rappaport-Hubschmann, et al, in an article titled, “Letting Go: Coping is Associated with Successful IVT Treatment Outcome,” published in Fertility and Sterility, 2009. Rappaport-Hubschmann wrote, “There is a statistically significant correlation with pregnancy (when letting go strategies are applied).”


Whether involved in in-vitro fertilization or not, infertility patients derived benefit from the techniques that also generalize to make other aspects of life. The techniques can best be described as “life skills” that will serve you well whenever and wherever you may apply them. These benefits, and the possibility of helping couples reach their goal of pregnancy, are the reasons that starting Aug. 27, I will be offering a six-week group for women dealing with infertility.


Although a group experience may not be for everyone, I urge even the reluctant to give it a chance as I have witnessed how group members experience the transformational power that comes with the sense of belonging and the loss of isolation that is part of being in a group with kindred souls.


I am fortunate at Healing Horizons to collaborate with a skilled team to help those dealing with infertility to regain their sense of personal power and their ability to bring a positive influence to the quest to include a child in their family.




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