Quote:
[i]Originally posted by butterflymaiden
Laurel, what is it that your naturopathic dr. would do? |
It's hard to say, because he works with each client so individually and I have not yet had a consultation with him.
I "met" this dr online. I have met his wife IRL, and I have several friends who have had basic consultations with him. All were very impressed and said the only thing holding them back was that by that point they were committed to pursuing adoption and didn't want to enter the ttc world again. He lives in New Zealand, but travels all over the world treating infertility patients. He's got almost 20 years experience specifically in infertility.
He has a 75% success rate, not only of achieving pg, but of carrying to term. I think this is probably because his clients are going to be those who feel they have some chance of conception. I think you would rule out those with a zero sperm count or premature ovarian failure or other such things. I also think it's because of his focus on getting the whole body as healthy as possible, and on looking at areas that conventional drs ignore.
I was able to meet one of his clients who did conceive, after 3-4 years if inf. His work is so individualized and kind of intuitive too. She had been diagnosed with endometriosis, so at the beginning, that was the focus in his treatments (mostly herbal). But after two months, he told her that he had a feeling she needed estrogen. This went totally against the conventional wisdom, to give estrogen to a woman with endometriosis. But, he gave her estrogen, and she conceived within two months! I don't think he was saying that every woman with endo should take estrogen, but for this particular patient, that's what her individual body needed.
For $6000, he will work with a couple for six months, that cost includes his travel and all herbs/treatments, I believe.
I have unexplained infertility, and I feel sure that my low body weight and poor diet are big contributors. I also know from medical diagnosis that I have adrenal gland problems, and alot of the alternative literature I've been reading has been focused on that in relation to infertility. Yet I can't get a regular OB or RE to take me seriously about this. (I have late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia. I have too many male hormones, yet my drs have insisted that this can't be causing my inf because I "appear" to be ovulating???)
On my own, I'm working on diet overhaul for awhile. Then, this summer, dh and I will decide whether to adopt again or ttc. If we ttc, I really want to work with this naturopath. He is also a medical herbalist and iridologist. In speaking with his wife, she expressed wonder that regular drs could treat infertility in thousands of patients with basically only a handful of diagnoses and treatments, when each person's body and needs are so unique. She also said that in her experience, the success of her husband's patients depended mostly on their diligence in following the regimens he prescribed, and in communicating with him thoroughly what their bodies were doing. After the intitial consultation, most communication is through email, so the patient really has to be able to note and describe what's going on.
The one thing she said that interested me most was that if you go to an RE and pay thousands of dollars for an IVF, and don't conceive, you lost all that money and you're not any healthier than you were before. By working with a naturopath, even if you don't get pg, you will be healthier, so you will always gain something from the experience. Regular infertility treatments don't seek to heal anything in the body, only to circumvent whatever's going on in the body. Naturopathic treatment is focused on actual healing.
If you want to check out his website, it's
www.infertilitysolutionsinternational.com
I'm on first Clomid cycle this month. I hope it does something! I also cannot believe it has taken so long! I'm feeling especially depressed about it tonight. DS turns 4 next weekend. I had hoped to have another baby by now.
It probably took me an hour maybe?? 
