Do You Think You Might Like To Work With Me?

I am taking on a new session on Mondays in the City, so I will be available in Scrutton Street on both Mondays and Thursdays from now on. If you have been waiting to get on my clinic list, now is a good time to reach out. Email alex@essexfertility.co.uk to start the conversation!

So, how do you know if we would be a good fit . . .

It's not easy to work out if I'm the right practitioner for you, or if I'm not. So here is a post to give you a bit more information about who my ideal clients are so you can see if you are a good match.

I'm not right for everyone!

Here is a list of the people I work really well with - are you on this list??

1.) You Are Actively Trying To Avoid IVF . . .

• If you have been told that you need IVF, but have a deeply rooted conviction that you don't - you just don't know what else to do, we should talk!

• If IVF is not on the cards for you on account of budget or principle, but you want to get stuck in to see if you can make this work without IVF, we should talk.

• If you are very proactive about your fertility, maybe just starting out but you want to approach it seriously, let me guide and support you.
  

Basically, if you are trying to avoid IVF then you are one of my ideal clients - I get a huge buzz out of helping someone to conceive when they had just about given up on that ever working for them, or helping them to nail the basics so well that when they start ttc it all happens like clockwork.

We may find that things are a bit more complicated and it may turn out that IVF is necessary. If so, I would love to support you to go down that road, knowing that you really need it, and knowing that you have checked all the things that were causing me to worry.

"My partner said to me last night that yesterday was the first time we have had the really personalised, considered advice we have needed all along, and we both feel much more optimistic about our journey ahead now that we have met you."

2.) If You Are Preparing To Be A Single Mum

• If you are planning to be a single mum I would be delighted to offer you expert support and guidance as you navigate your way through.

There is still so much to do to prepare you and your body for pregnancy, and support to offer you through conception and throughout pregnancy - if there are fertility issues to sort out, I'm there for that, If it's all plain sailing, I am a very good cheerleader!

"It was so wonderful to meet today. You’re by far the most informed and committed expert I’ve spoken to and I feel very reassured to be able to work with you."

3.) If You Have Already Tried IVF . . .

• If you have a long, complicated journey behind you, if you have tried IVF (often multiple times) and realise that IVF alone isn't the magic bullet for you, then I would be very, very keen to work with you.

You need someone to look at things differently, to come at it from many different angles and to think outside of the box.

That's me. This is where my attitude, approach, experience and little black book of the most amazing contacts really come into play.

Sometimes with these complicated cases we are looking at hidden infections, sometimes we are looking at the long term impact of environmental toxins, cancer treatment etc. To turn these complicated cases around we usually need a team, one that works well together with mutual respect and knowledge sharing. For instance, I may recommend inviting a functional nutritionist, Chinese herbalist, Western medical herbalist, reproductive immunology consultant, or urologist to the team. I need you to understand that there are limitations to my scope of practice, and be prepared to trust me if I say we need to invite in specific expertise. Sometimes it really does take a village!

"Baby was conceived naturally, and there has been no intervention at all, other than a bit of progesterone support. It’s mad to think we had 3 difficult rounds of IVF which made us believe that what we have now was impossible …"

But there are clients who are not a good fit for me.

1.) If You Are Tied Into an IVF Start Date . . .

I don't work well with people who are on a tight schedule - if you have an IVF cycle or a transfer booked in within the next 3 months then it's difficult for me to work in the way I work best. I will be as interested in preparing you for the step in front of you as I will be in working out how you go to this point in the first place. In most cases I find things have been missed - things that would have a bearing on the likely success of the pending cycle. I need to be able to follow my instincts and not feel as though an artificial deadline is running the show.

There may be tests that I feel need to be run, and depending on the results, I may suggest delaying the pending cycle or transfer if I think we've found something (even if your IVF consultant says that you're worrying over nothing). If that isn't going to be something you would consider with an open mind, we won't be a good match.

2.) If You Just Want To Keep Things Simple . . .

If you want simple, straightforward acupuncture and don't want to get involved in investigating things, then we are also probably not a good match. There are so many other acupuncturists who can work in that way, it doesn't make any sense to choose to work with me and not allow me to do the work I do. There is nothing about my acupuncture skills that would make me a better option for you - my secret is in the blending of acupuncture alongside fertility investigations.

3.) If You Have Unrealistic Expectations . . .

I look at things differently, and can often figure out a way through when nothing else has worked. but I cannot perform miracles. If I think we need a functional nutritionist or a herbalist on the team, and you would prefer to keep it to simply acupuncture, it puts me in a difficult position. Sometimes I will suggest we involve another practitioner or doctor because I think it will speed things up, but sometimes it is because I don't think we will get there without them. At the end of the day, it is your journey, not mine - so I will try to support you with whatever decisions you make - if you feel more comfortable taking the scenic route, I won't force you onto the motorway. But I will always be up front with you if I think you are making a decision that will seriously impact your chances of a successful outcome.

I won't always agree with the opinions of your previous (or current doctors). If I were always going to agree with their approach, I wouldn't add anything, and I wouldn't be able to resolve cases where they have failed. I'm OK with thinking differently and walking my own path - but if we are going to have a constant battle where I feel I am having to persuade you to see things from my perspective, this won't work. I know there will be differences of opinion, and I am happy to explain my thinking, back it up with information from other cases, research etc. If I feel really strongly about something, I will make it really clear - that's what you would be paying me for! And at that point, if I see no way to muddle through together, we will usually part ways!

4.) If You Don't Have The Money/Time . . .

I often need clients to be prepared to spend some time and money running tests and investigations.

Some of the tests we run can take 4-6wks to get results. Sometimes we find we have work to do clearing infections, retesting after treatment to ensure things have cleared up - and if necessary, going through that loop more than once.

Sometimes I may need to ask you to abstain from ttc for a few weeks while we run some tests or wait to see if a treatment has worked. If you can't, the risk is that reinfection occurs and we end up back at square one.

Some of the tests we run can be run through the NHS and I can help you to get what you can through your GP, but we usually need to go way beyond that to solve a complicated case and the only way to do that is through spending money on tests, spending money on specialist consultants etc. Yes, it is sometimes possible to get someone through without running tests and investigations, but it really depends on the case, the history and the signs and symptoms.

I Am Not A Good Fit For Everyone . . .

When people I am a good fit for, are a good fit for me - that is when the magic happens. The dynamic working relationship that we create is such an important aspect of how I work. I am selective about who I choose to work with, but if you think you're a good match - reach out.

Do you like marmite?