My husband, Lee, and I had been trying for our 2^nd baby for 2 years before deciding to seek medical advice. Our GP advised he would begin the investigations by testing Lee’s sperm count. This involved a quick visit to our local hospital and results were returned to our GP within a couple of weeks. All was fine.

Our GP advised that the next stage was to refer us to a fertility clinic. We had private medical insurance so booked an appointment with a fertility consultant at a nearby private hospital. After several visits, blood tests, a hysterosalpingogram (an x-ray to assess the quality of the fallopian tubes) and an ultrasound, our consultant informed us that my Anti-Mullarian Hormone (AMH) & Ovarian reserve were low, very low. When showing us a chart of where the levels of a typical 30 year old woman’s count would be, my levels fell under ‘Low Fertility / Infertile’. On top of this my blood tests showed that my levels of progesterone meant that I had not ovulated that month.

Obviously this news was devastating for us and up until this moment we had not realised how serious this was. Seeing how upsetting this was for us, our consultant reassured us that we did have other options and that although my egg count was low, I did have eggs, it was just that my body had stopped releasing them. This would normally occur to women in their late 30’s/early 40’s when a woman’s body prepares for menopause, however every woman is different and it is just one of those things.

Due to my AMH being so low, our consultant prescribed me with 150mg of Clomid daily (hormone tablets) for day 5-10 of my next cycle, to see whether this would stimulate my ovaries to release an egg. Blood tests showed again that I had not ovulated. We continued with this dosage for another 2 cycles still with no ovulation and no hope of pregnancy.

Due to being on the high dosage of Clomid we were advised to only take this for up to 4/5 cycles. However, due to my hormone levels going up and down and this being such an emotional time for both myself and Lee, we decided to stop the Clomid after 3 cycles.

Our consultant had previously explained that if this had been unsuccessful then the next step would be IVF, but we felt that we wanted a break from it all and at this point felt so thankful for already having our 3yr old son, who we adore, we needed some time to decide whether we should go ahead with the IVF or not.

It was during this break that I got in contact with Liana Howden of Truhealth Treatments to look at alternative options.

We met a few days later and from our first meeting, my outlook and frame of mind changed instantly. Liana had tailored a programme for me in the few days between speaking on the phone and meeting in person. Her positive outlook and attitude towards health and life in general is so inspiring and I immediately gained trust and faith in Liana, even if not into the programme completely.

After discussing my history and lifestyle, Liana had said that she did not believe that I needed to make any extreme changes and gave me lots of new information about the changes I should make to my diet and lifestyle that may have an effect on my fertility. Immediately, I had something new to focus on and felt really positive about the changes I was about to make. Finally, I felt in control.

Over the next few weeks, Liana kept in regular contact to see how I was feeling about my diet changes, what exercise I had been doing, how my cycles were going and in general, was there to offer advice whenever I needed it. I took these changes very seriously and was strict on myself. It was tough at times, however I never lost sight of my goal, which I knew would be worth making changes for.

I was on my 2^nd cycle of Liana’s programme when my period was late. I did a pregnancy test and found that my dreams had come true. I was pregnant! I immediately rang my husband in tears and for about 3 days it just did not sink in. We could not believe that after all we had been through, these recent events had been life changing.

I could not wait to tell Liana, although when the time came I felt so nervous and anxious. I owed her so much and honestly believe that without her advice and guidance, this would not have happened.

I will always be thankful for getting in contact with Truhealth Treatments and know that there will be many more women out there who they will help to achieve their goals. I am proud to tell my story and hope that by doing so, I give hope to others out there who have a similar experience to mine. You can make a difference without medical advice or taking any medication, just by taking control of your body and making a few changes to your diet and lifestyle.

January 2013