Читать книгу Zita West’s Guide to Getting Pregnant - Zita WEST, Zita West - Страница 22

The programme I have devised to help couples always works alongside Western medicine while incorporating complementary therapies and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Looking at the whole picture enables me to come up with an appropriate plan. The main message I try to get across is keep it simple. So many couples are running down too many routes with no focus. The initial consultation enables me to look at lifestyle factors and the range of treatments on offer – fertility awareness, nutrition, detox, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, abdominal massage, deep breathing, manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and counselling. There’s more about all of these later in the book. Depending on what suits the couple, usually there are two or three treatments undertaken over a period of four to six weeks, with a review every three months.

The most important thing we offer is support and advice. I believe you can get through anything if you feel supported.

Right from the start, when I first see a couple I stress that they must be flexible in their thinking and not become obsessive. I advise against information overload: endlessly trawling the Internet investigating other people’s experiences or solutions may not be relevant, and can even be unhelpful. I recommend trying to keep things in perspective – although many couples feel they have had to give up a lot in order to achieve conception, there is still room to enjoy life as a couple. This should never be forgotten.

I also advise couples to keep in mind that their difficulties with conception, if they arise, are relatively temporary. Actually starting a family may seem like a long haul, but in the greater scheme of things this will represent only a short period in your relationship – it’s important to keep this in mind. Long after your fertility problems are resolved, your relationship will still be there – so it’s worth nurturing and making time for. A good relationship will also sustain you when things get difficult.