Fertility Reflexology: How Could it Help You?
The latest in our lifestyle series of guest posts is Alex Critten – owner/practitioner of award-winning Touch Healing. Introducing us today to the power of Fertility Reflexology. Alex is known for her friendly, yet professional demeaner. Her smiley and patient nature puts you instantly at ease and ready to take your holistic therapy journey.
I am Alex and I am owner-practitioner of Touch Healing, Reflexology, Reiki & Wellness, based in Barry, South Wales. Working and living by the sea, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I love to spend time on the beach and in the sea, especially when with my family and friends! I also love walking around the Country Parks, Forestry and our beautiful Welsh coastline. I love Japanese food and I am so happy that we can now get back to going to gigs as I love live music, whether in a large Stadium or a more intimate venue, such as Tramshed.
Alex’s Inspiration Story
I have been a practising Reflexology Practitioner since July 2011, yet I came to Reflexology as a client first.
I was working in mental health and had been a rotating shift worker for many years.
When the time came that I wanted to start a family with my Husband, it didn’t happen as quickly as expected. After around eight months, conversations and tests were had with Nurses and a Consultant. I was told that all was healthy and it was ‘Just a case of Unexplained Infertility’.
Basically, no one knew why we weren’t getting pregnant.
I was told to come back at the year stage and then further tests would be carried out!
At this stage, I had had a long-standing interest in Complementary Therapies which went back over twenty years. I had also received Acupuncture, had massages, floatation tank therapy, Indian Head Massages, which I found fantastic and helped with supporting times of stress.
On doing more research, Reflexology kept coming back as a therapeutic approach that could help people who were looking to conceive.
I booked my first session and was so impressed with how it made me feel, made me relax, drift off, have a huge sense of wellbeing in the days following it and more importantly, started bringing some semblance of regularity to my menstrual cycle, which shift working had put out of kilter, that shortly after, I inquired about starting my professional Reflexology Practitioner training.
Are you trying to get pregnant?
You have decided that now is the right time for you to have a baby. You want to prepare your body so that you have the best chances of achieving a pregnancy.
Deciding to have a child is a huge step and one that we assume will be straightforward.
For many people, achieving pregnancy can come about very quickly, and for others not so.
When this is your first child, you don’t have any other experience to compare it to, so you do not know what to expect.
Or, maybe you’ve been trying for a period of time, yet want to know why nothing has happened? You are experiencing the stress of a cycle of expectation and disappointment month after month.
You have been getting positive Ovulation Test results, yet not sure if you are ovulating.
You have been pregnant previously, yet why is it taking longer this time?
Fertility issues are more common than you think
It has been shown that one in six couples in the UK are now experiencing difficulties in conceiving.
Added to this, over the last 25 years, fertility in men has declined by 50%. And this is not isolated to the UK, nor just in Europe. This has been demonstrated on a world wide scale.
Countries that have ordinarily not been known for reporting fertility issues are now doing so, with couples finding that they are having difficulties in achieving a pregnancy.
There may be a wide range of reasons why you are not achieving a pregnancy, which may include Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), low sperm count, endometriosis or unexplained infertility. Often, these are topics that people who are struggling to conceive rarely speak about.
So, what is Fertility Reflexology & how could it help me?
Let’s start at the beginning…
Reflexology is based on the principle that the organs, systems and structures of the body are mapped out as points on the face, feet, hands and ears. Using varied pressure, these points respond, stimulating the body’s own natural healing process. The body starts progressively clearing blockages, re-establishing energy flows and balancing itself, resulting in better health.
Reflexology can assist with many conditions related to the following, which could also run alongside fertility difficulties:
- Digestive problems
- Breathing disorders
- Fertility
- Fatigue
- Hormonal related such as Premenstrual Syndrome, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Endometriosis, PCOS, Perimenopause and Menopause
- Pregnancy / Maternity
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Sinusitis
- Sleep difficulties
- Pain Management
Fertility Reflexology targets specific reflex points which correspond with various systems, organs and endocrine glands that are involved with reproduction and conception.
Have you been told that you have unexplained infertility or secondary infertility?
For many individuals, the stress and anxiety attached to failing to conceive can be overwhelming, whether this be through natural conception, through assisted fertility such as IVF, IUI, ICSI, Clomid, through donor means and surrogacy.
Reflexology works on both a physical and emotional level and is especially beneficial for those experiencing fertility issues. There is no doubt that stress plays a significant factor in an individual’s ability to conceive.
Fertility Reflexology helps you to achieve a state of deep relaxation during the session. It is an amazingly nurturing and relaxing experience, assisting with boosting your fertility and balancing other reproductive health conditions.
If you are trying to conceive naturally, fertility reflexology can help to regulate your menstrual cycle. It is also fantastic at supporting sperm production and health.
It can also: –
- Stimulate ovulation by working the reflexes associated with the reproductive system.
- Balance hormones by working the endocrine system.
- Remove toxins by working on the liver and small intestine reflexes.
- Holistically support you if you are going through IVF or Donor Insemination.
- Assist with painful periods – Dysmenorrhoea.
- Relieve the symptoms of Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
- Give you a well deserved break from the worry and the stress of infertility – which then provides an ideal environment for conception to occur.
- Help to support your sleep patterns. Disrupted sleep, particularly if you are a night or rotating shift worker, affects your circadian rhythms which regulates the menstrual cycle and pregnancy hormones.
Can Men benefit from Fertility Reflexology?
Absolutely! Many of my male clients come for Reflexology as a form of stress management anyway.
The key areas for men are related to sperm health. Sperm count, motility (sperm’s ability to swim) and morphology (shape – one head, one tail).
Men make new sperm every day, but they are not mature enough to fertilise an egg until they are three months old, which is something that many people are not aware of and can play a huge part in achieving a pregnancy or not.
When supporting clients looking to achieve a pregnancy, I utilise an approach called Reproflexology to do so, in which I have undergone the extensive training, in order to be registered as a Reproflexology Practitioner. You can read more about it here: https://reproductivereflexologists.org/
And if you were wondering about whether Reflexology did work for me, yes it did. I became pregnant soon after starting my year long Professional Reflexology training and two months post Qualifying, following a very healthy pregnancy, that included Reflexology during it and during my labour, I gave birth to a very healthy girl. My cycle remained regular and three years after that, I had my second child.
How many Fertility Reflexology sessions will I need?
The number of sessions will depend on your own personal health circumstances. Due to every individual having their own treatment plan, sessions are tailored to their specific needs and the frequency of these are discussed and agreed upon.
We also discuss further boosting the benefits of Fertility Reflexology with a nutritious food intake and making realistic lifestyle changes.
In order for reflexology to be effective in balancing hormones and body systems, we need to ensure that as many forms of stress that the body is under are reduced, so that it is in the best condition for conception to occur.
To contact Alex and for more information about anything discussed in this article, please use the following:
