This is not new news it’s old news but it’s news nonetheless . . . hypnosis has been shown to be helpful for couples experiencing unexplained infertility.

More and more couples are faced with infertility issues:

A reported one in six couples have problems with fertility and conception and figures indicate that unexplained infertility accounts for approximately 20 per cent of these.

That’s a huge number of folks who wish to have children who are unable to. As our population is faced with more pressures, infertility goes up. As folks decide to have children later, infertility goes up. There are more and more childless couples out there and more and more single-child families that hoped to have more children who have been unable to.

Understandably the inability to conceive challenges a couple’s emotional and physical well-being, so in order to overcome their problem, and improve their chances, they will need to take into consideration the many facets of their fertility, understand their needs and address the emotions and anxieties which arise when conceiving is not as straight forward as it should be.

There are physical systems that are adversely effected by emotional and psychological pressure or relieved by positive emotional well-being. This is something hypnosis can help with . . . for men and for women:

We know that the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system are both influenced by the mind, and evidence supports the idea that anxiety may reduce fertility in both men and women. As long as a significant level of anxiety remains, for whatever reason, then there is the possibility of infertility. We must not forget that the male partner may also be under stress (sorry lads but you don’t get away with it that easily!) and it’s important that this is also addressed.

The fact that a couple has been unable to conceive will add new pressures into a system that may already have pressures. This can cause a number of problems, all of which have some bearing on infertility and fertility. With hypnosis, these pressures can be alleviated and dealt with appropriately while suggestions for positive physical systems can improve other physical factors:

The couple may be experiencing a wide range of feelings, emotions and pressures which may impact on self-esteem, sexuality and their fertility. Hypnotherapy has been shown to be effective where psycho-social stress and anxiety are evident and by addressing these anxieties, building confidence and self-esteem and teaching self-hypnosis for stress management and relaxation then chances of conceiving can be

Unlike invasive procedures, drugs, or the like, hypnosis is a completely safe and natural therapy. There are no needles or pills or stressful techniques. In fact, it is often all about relaxation and is very open and caring in and of itself. Even non-therapeutic hypnosis always has beneficial effects. This safe and comfortable environment promotes positive emotional states as well as increases physical healing or healthy reproductive (and other) systems:

This provides the couple, together or individually, an opportunity to explore their feelings in a safe environment, without the fear of upsetting or distressing their partners. A sympathetic counsellor or life coach can discuss the effect the problem is having, on their lives and relationship. This process of emotional support may provide a wonderful opportunity for the couple to share responsibility, re-establishing closeness, libido and virility.

All of these feel good suggestions and emotions setup the body to increase the likelihood of fertilization and of a healthy full-term pregnancy:

Maximising health and well-being for both partners, before conception or IVF, improves the quality of egg and sperm, increases fertility and reduces the miscarriage rate, excess alcohol, cigarettes, anxiety, stimulants and obesity reduce fertility. Studies have also shown that for those who are overweight, losing as little as 5 per cent body mass can increase chances of conceiving. Your therapist will advise you if a treatment is inappropriate to use, during the IVF process, as some treatments may impair effectiveness of the drugs.

If you are interested in more information on hypnosis and fertility, I have posted about guided imagery approaches here and have included an extensive bibliography of studies here.

If you are in Taipei and wish to explore hypnotherapy for this or other issues, feel free to email me.