Sarah Holland

Fertility Focus Telesummit

Andrew Loosely

Sarah:

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Hello, everyone, and welcome to the very first presentation at The Fertility
Focus Telesummit 2012. Im your host, Sarah Holland, and Im so pleased
that you could join us this week. I do hope that you manage to listen in to
as many of our expert presentations as possible.
Now if you couldnt make the Welcome call that we held yesterday, Id
recommend that you do listen to the recording of it as soon as you can to
help you get the most out of the week ahead. Youll be able to find the link
to listen in to that recording on all the emails I send to you each day. Id
recommend that you have a listen to that at your earliest convenience.
If youre on Facebook Id love you to join us there on my Facebook page
which Im turning over to the telesummit all week long. Just visit
Facebook.com/yourfertilemindset. Click Like and youll be kept up to date
with all the telesummit updates and youll be able to chat to others who
are listening in. We have over 500 people over there at the moment so do
join us and join in the conversation.
Lets get started with todays presentation. Before we do that, please be
aware that any advice given in these presentations does not replace that
given to you by your own medical caregivers. You may want to check with
them before following any new regime and by taking part in this
telesummit you are acknowledging that you take responsibility for your
own health and wellbeing.

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Now I am really pleased to be welcoming back Andrew Loosely to the

telesummit this year. Hes going to be speaking to us about The Baby
Creating Plan: A Three-Step Plan to Successful, Natural, and IVF
Conception and Pregnancy.
Andrew is the founder of The Baby Creating Plan which is an
internationally recognized natural fertility treatment plan. He works with
couples all over the world and has achieved a success rate of over 71%.
Hes a regular contributor to Fertility Road and Multiply Magazines and
regularly presents on radio programmes including the BBC. Andrew feels
that to increase fertility results it is vital to have a structured plan that uses
an integrated diagnostic system, using conventional and traditional
medicine skills, and an integrated conventional and natural treatment plan.
Hello, Andrew. Welcome back to the telesummit. We are so pleased to
have you here.
Andrew:

Hello, Sarah. Thank you. Its wonderful to be here again. Its been a very
quick year actually.

Sarah:

Its amazing how quickly a year goes past, isnt it, when you measure it in
this way. It does feel 5 minutes since we first spoke at the telesummit last
year, but here we are again which is great.
Now before we get started I want to remind everyone that if theyre
listening to this call LIVE theyll see on the webcast page that there is a
box where they can submit questions to you to answer. Please take
advantage of that and we will have time at the end to answer your
questions. I know that youll answer as many as you have time for, wont
you, Andrew?

Andrew:

Absolutely.

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Sarah:

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A bit of advice from me about those questions is to keep them specific to

what Andrew is talking about and then well make sure that we do get
around to answering those. Lets get started. I cant wait to hear what
youre going to talk about today.
First of all, Id like to hear a bit about how we take control of our fertility. I
know thats what youre a great believer intaking back control of our
fertility and thinking about what could be causing the delay so far.

Andrew:

Yes. I think it is obviously a very big question. Taking control of your

fertility is a big thing. I meet lots of couples that generally when they come
to my clinics are in a situation where they just feel they dont really know
which way to go next.
Taking control of that situation and understanding where theyre at and
where they need to go is a fundamental part of really the initial steps. As I
say, a lot of people that I meet seem to be in a slightly confused situation
of having tried lots of different things over the yearsgenerally it is years
and not months4, 5, 6 years and sometimes even longerand just
really dont know where to go.
So to take control I think there are different ways of doing this, but a
fundamental thing is to really start at the beginning of trying to understand
where youre at in the process of things. Almost go back to the beginning
again and say: Alright. Okay, lets have a look at whats going on with my
health first and foremost.
The idea from the way that I work in the clinic or what we do with our
clients is the minute they decide that they actually want to embark on a
program with us we sort of go back to square one and we start to look at
the diagnostic side of that person or that couples health.

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Wed start by looking at the conventional side of things. It would be asking

them to go back to their GP or getting in touch with their GP or their
consultant (if theyre going through IVF).
Generally, a couple going through IVF will be going down a diagnostic
route anyway, but if just trying to conceive naturally in their home that may
not be the case. They may need to sort of create a relationship with their
GP or get back to their GP and ask for some help.
The first step really is to just gain an understanding of your fertility status
as we refer to it. That really is to find out how your body is working from a
conventional perspective. I say conventional because what we do is an
integrated system so were using conventional diagnostic methods and
modern methods of diagnosis and modern medicine and then were using
natural methods of treatment to actually work with the couples that we
see.
So in the early days its just about running some really standard blood
tests, having a look on the female side the hormonal level, looking at the
blood at different times and aspects of the menstrual cycle. So we
normally start between days 1 & 3 of the cycle and have a simple blood
test done with the GP. They can do that with no problem. It doesnt have
to cost a lot of money through the GP. In the U.K. it will be free anyway.
The kind of things you want to do during the first stage of testing is to test
a couple of hormones. Between days 1 & 3 of your cycle ideally you want
to test for FSH which is a follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen a
particular type called E2, and prolactin, and then another really important
hormone called Anti-Mullerian hormone, AMH for short.
Doing that will give a really clear picture as to the first half of the menstrual
cycle and look at all of the hormones and the balance of the hormones in
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relation to each other. It will show a very good picture of the pituitary
situation within someones body.
In the second half of the cycle then there is another hormone to test for
which is progesterone which many people have probably heard of and
progesterone is really fundamental to a fertilized egg implanting itself and
also to keeping the uterus in really good condition for a positive
pregnancy. With todays modern lifestyles progesterone is quite often low
in a lot of the people we work with. So this is a really key thing to have
tested.
This is always done 7 days after you have ovulated. Thats a really key
point. Many people get tested on day 21 of their cycle which is not actually
always correct if people have longer or shorter cycles than the normal 28day cycle. Then that would be out and the reading would be incorrect. All
of these tests need to be done at specific times. Progesterone specifically
needs to be done 7 days after ovulation.
Of course, weve got the guys side as well. Its really important that men
are tested as well. Generally, actually in conventional medicine men are
tested first purely because its a very straightforward and non-invasive
test. We take the same approach.
Generally when we work with a couple we get the guy tested very early
on, establish what the health of the semen, the sperm, are like, and then
sort of go from there.
We always get our female clients to do those basic blood tests that Ive
just run through. This is kind of the very first step in taking control.
Once you get some results and you know whats actually going on
chemically and hormonally in the body from a very physical and very
conventional view, then you can actually start to understand the picture.
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Also, with the increase in AMH (the test I was talking about Anti-Mullerian
Hormone) this really gives a very good picture of what someones ovarian
reserve is like and this basically means that we can start to see very
approximately what kind of level of eggs a woman has left in her reserve.
This will give us a fairly good idea of the natural level of fertility.
Once we know that that gives a good direction as to where the couple
should be headingwhether they should be with assisted methods such
as IVF even that toward stimulated cycles, or whether they actually have
time to go down that route.
The key thing with taking control is that youre also taking control of the
time factor and being really aware of where youre at so you dont waste
time. I do often see couples that have spent years and years trying
naturally and get into a situation where when theyve come to doing IVF
theyve left a little bit late for that as well. It puts a lot of pressure on them
and can make the whole process really quite uncomfortable.
Its all about planning and timing. I think thats the real key to taking control
but obviously, it depends on where youre at in your journey and that is
obviously different with each couple.
So once weve covered the conventional side of things the physical
testing- we go into the natural assessments and diagnosis. This is where
from a natural medicine perspective we work with our clients to really
establish what the underlying causes are within their body, what their
health is like on a day-to-day basis, and really go that level deeper than
conventional medicine to see how the body is working, whats functioning
effectively, and what isnt working effectively because my belief is that the
majority of us are born fertile and its really through modern living,
stresses, environmental factors, pollutionall sorts of different things that
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accumulate within our bodies and its those things that start to cause
issues with infertility.
So if we can get back to the very fundamental balance that should be
there naturally through good living, then we can help to restore that and
start to improve the way the body works which then naturally improves
fertility.
So doing the traditional assessments and having a diagnosis from a
traditional medicine perspective is really important because that gives us a
jewel diagnosis really which then creates a basis for a strategy to begin.
I think with regards to answering the question about what could be
causing a delay so far from our perspective its really about the underlying
issues that may be present.
In conventional medicine youll find that people are categorized. There are
specific categories. Someone may be diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic
ovarian syndrome). Someone else may be diagnosed with having
endometriosis. Other people may have blocked fallopian tubes and so on.
There are quite a few different diagnoses.
There is a very high percentage that fall into unexplained infertility. Any
one of those situations really reflect that there is something going on in the
body.
If people cant conceive within a 1-2 year period naturally and very easily
then there is something that is out of balance and of course, its good to
get the conventional diagnosis because that just clarifies things, but
sometimes it isnt clarifying enough.
Having the traditional and the natural medicine diagnosis goes a little bit
further and looks at the underlying aspects of the body and finds that even
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in situations where there are diagnoses with unexplained infertility there is

actually something going on in the body that is not allowing the pregnancy
to occur or to be successful to full term. So that is a really important
aspect of taking control.
To sum it up, taking control for us is about really being clear from the
beginning, having a good diagnosis in conventional medicine, having a
good diagnosis and understanding of the body from a natural perspective
and then combining these two to really start to develop the first stages of
the treatment strategy based on those findings.
I think when I talk to couples about this and the fact that we have this kind
of process it does seem to really resonate. They seem to get quite
relieved that there is a method that you can actually have a very
structured system to something that feels very unstructured and a little bit
out of control.
Sarah:

Yeah, thats what really strikes me about the way youre approaching this,
Andrew, how very structured it is. These are the steps that need to be
taken. These are the tests that need to be done. Also, its a very
integrated approach the way you approach fertility. Youre looking at the
whole picture there, arent you?

Andrew:

Yes. Absolutely. We go throughIll explain throughout our conversation.

This is obviously trying to cram in lots and lots of information here without
going too far off in any one direction. I do like to talk quite a bit soIts an
integrated approach.
Ive been practicing fundamentally I practice Chinese medicine. I use
acupuncture and a variety of other things combined, but Ive integrated it
and created a system over the last decade because I just felt that there
isnt a single system that covers absolutely everything.

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I feel that were moving into a new direction with health and medicine as
wellinto a new era where East is meeting West. I think both have so
much to offer.
I think that just using traditional methods on their own can be incredibly
effective. When Im talking about traditional things I mean natural medicine
such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritionthose kinds of therapy or
treatment. They can be very effective but theyre obviously going to be
more effective if you have an even clearer understanding from another
perspective.
I think integrating systems is a great way forward for humanity in general
and particularly for infertility.
Sarah:

I think its the way ahead in lots of areas of healthcare, isnt it?

Andrew:

Absolutely, and also bringing in the mind aspect as well, not just the
physical side of things but actually the mind in understanding that stress
and emotions effect the mind and the mind effects emotions and that
affects the physical being as well quite significantly.
Its amazing how many people once on the program actually sayI heard
one of my clients just the other day say that she felt that she was actually
sabotaging her own fertility journey. It was only through getting into the
program that she realized that because one our guys works with our
clients on that kind of level.
I know you do as well, Sarah. Its the mind aspect thats incredibly
important as well.

Sarah:

Absolutely. Yes. Its a huge area to look at it, isnt it? Like you said, we
dont want to overwhelm people with too much too early on, but it just
gives an overview of that whole picture.

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You did touch on all the different elements to the plan that you work with.
You mentioned acupuncture, herbal medicine and so on. Could you tell us
about what often you see as the most effective treatments for both male
and female fertility in the way that you work?
Andrew:

Absolutely. Ive chosen 6 basically to make up the program. As a

practitioner originally of Chinese medicine we studied quite a few different
aspects of treatment but we primarily work with acupuncture, herbal
medicine, and nutrition.
Those 3 form a really fundamental treatment approach that we use. But I
realized also that there were other aspects and other things that clients
needed help with and couples needed support with.
So I just started doing some research and looked from an outside
perspectiveI did research and looked at different clinical trials that were
being done around the world related to fertility. I looked to the key areas
and the findings and basically the list of treatments that I came up with
were the 6 most effective that I could find based on clinical trials.
These were things written up in The British Medical Journal. There were
studies done in America and Denmark and Germanyall over the place.
All were showing really positive effects with fertility.
Basically the ones I chose were acupuncture - because thats what I
practice- and herbal medicine, both of which have been shown to increase
natural fertility quite significantly. Those are very effective for increasing
IVF resultsup to 70% according to some clinical trials that have been
done over the last 10 years. So there is a lot more research that needs to
be done on those but I think these are two very effective treatments.
The third is nutrition. I like to work in a very traditional Chinese way with
nutrition where we use food much more as medicine rather than just as a

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nutrient sort of delivering substance. We look at how it affects different

organ systems and different aspects of the body.
Thats kind of the strength of Chinese medicine because it is so old and
has a lot of history of using food and plants as medicine. So those are the
first 3.
We look at part of the program which is lifestyle factors. Now its looking at
toxicity. Its looking at chemicals that may be in your environment around
you, chemicals and substances that you may actually be using such as
cleaning fluids and things in your direct environment, and also chemicals
or different products that you may be coming into contact withall of
which are substances that are not naturally or shouldnt naturally be in
your own environment.
There is a lot of research to show that there are quite a few different
compounds and chemicals that are out there that people are in contact
with daily that cause an endocrine imbalance which basically causes your
hormonal system to get really out of balance.
Of course the entire menstrual cycle is based on your hormonal balance
so if that starts to get out of sync then that affects the menstrual cycle
which has an effect on fertility.
The other aspect is exercise. People either over exercise or under
exercise quite often when it comes to fertility. So we work with clients to
really identify the right type dependent on their constitution.on the state
of their health, how much energy they have (The Chinese refer to that as
chi.) If youre chi your energy is quite strong and youre able to do the
specific exercises where you can burn off a little bit more energy.
If your energy is particularly weak and that is an issue for you conceiving
then it doesnt make sense to be running 10 miles a day because youll be
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using a lot of energy doing that. We look at exercise and we try to balance
that.
Then the sixth component is creating a healthy state of mind. Thats really
just helping people stay very focused, looking at any past issues that they
may have had on their fertility journey and in their life and really helping
them get into a positive state of mind and giving them tools to work
through a 12 or 24-week program and giving them a really positive focus
and overcoming any negative aspects of their mind.
Those are the 6 key treatments and approaches that we use on the
program. Ive found together that they work phenomenally well and people
feel really well after quite a short time period.
Even if people arent able to do this kind of program, these are the kind of
things you can actually work on yourself. Using acupuncture and herbal
medicine with a practitioner, getting some really good dietary advice, and
looking at the environmental aspects and then exercise and using
products and working with people who can help with a really positive state
of mind.
Sarah:

I think thats a great overview and really good elements for everybody to
look at on their fertility journey. You did mention that you have 12 & 24week programs. Im interested to find out what can really be done in 12
weeks. Can someone really go from infertile to getting pregnant in that
time? How could they do that?

Andrew:

Absolutely. Yeah. Its interesting that when I first started out with my
practice I found that people were conceiving really quite fast within 6
weeks on occasions and sometimes even quicker after years and years of
not being able to conceive. Even though as a practitioner I was quite
shocked by that, I just thought: How can the body change so quickly? But

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for some people it can but it does obviously depend on each person. That
is one thing Im really clear about on the program.
Its different for everybody and it really depends on each persons health
situation. Thats where the diagnosis comes in right at the beginning.
When you have a clear diagnosis and you know exactly whats going on in
the body you kind of get a good idea of the time span it should take and
what is realistic.
Twelve weeks is quite a significant time period. Its 3 months and during
that time you can quite significantly change the quality of someones eggs.
You can most definitely change the quality of the endometriumthe lining
of the uterus and the blood flow into the uterus which feeds the uterus and
helps with an egg trying to implant.
You can also change the quality of the sperm. That takes about 72-90
days. Within 12 weeks, within 3 months, you could actually if you really
really work hard on those 6 components I just mentioned and put all of
them into gear at a really good pace, you can conceive within that time
period. It is definitely possible and in some cases its even quicker.
As I say, it does depend on each person so youve got to have a good
understanding of your situation beforehand to know roughly what kind of
time span youd be looking at.
Sarah:

That is so empowering, isnt it, to think of a relatively short period of time

of 12 weeks (3 months) and seeing how much can actually be done during
that time as long as you dedicate yourselves to looking at every element
and really going for it. Im sure thats motivating for a lot of people to hear.
You have mentioned acupuncture as one of your elements that you bring
in here. I know we hear a lot about using it for both natural conception and
for IVF. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

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Andrew:

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It can be used for any fertility issue from the mentally and gynecological
issue, too. For the purposes of our conversation I think its really important
to think about it from a fertility perspective because there is a little bit of a
difference. Theres a difference in the way that its used.
I think people who are embarking on a fertility journey that does involve
acupuncture or that is thinking about using acupuncture I think its really
important to try and find somebody that has an understanding of fertility
and using acupuncture specifically for that.
There have been some great advances in acupuncture within the fertility
world in China, Japan, and other parts of the world. I feel that whenever I
have a conversation with people about it relating to fertility I always
suggest that they seek someone out that actually is in the fertility world as
such and has some experience particularly with regards to using it for IVF
conception.
I think thats really important because were trying to do different things at
different times of the IVF cycle and we want it to compliment the cycle and
work alongside it. The points that are used are being used in a different
way to the standard acupuncture approach. Were using it to work along
and support the IVF cycle to try to enhance everything as much as
possible. I think first and foremost its really important to understand that
there is a bit of a difference.
Acupuncture is acupuncture. Even if you see someone who isnt a fertility
specialist they could still help you but I think its better to work towards
finding someone that does have some experience and even more so, as I
say, when youre going down the IVF route. Its very effective and there
are trials as I mentioned briefly earlier relating to acupuncture and fertility
thats natural conception and also IVF conception and these trials show up
to 70% increase in results particularly with IVF.

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So if you look at the standard idea of results youre talking about 25-30%
on average when you bring all of the different age groups together. It
doesnt take a lot to see that if youre getting a 70% youre more than
doubling the effects of that.
Now as a practitioner seeing those results in the clinic myself and being
slightly over 70% its really fascinating. Its always difficult to know when
youre using 2 treatments exactly what is happening and which one is
working or is one working more efficiently than the other. To me its gotten
to the point in my practice where I think: Does it really matter? The main
thing is that the results are higher. If theyre higher then its a positive thing
to do because it doesnt cause any issue with the medicines that people
are using through the IVF cycle and its basically a very balancing
treatment.
The greatest thing with using acupuncture alongside assisted methods like
IVF and egg donation also is that when there is any medication that is
being used you can sometimes have side effects as people listening who
have done a cycle may be awarenot very common, but people do
experience side effects sometimes.
Acupuncture really seems to help with that. It seems to make peoples
bodies a bit more efficient at using the various medications that theyre
given and prescribed throughout their treatment cycle. It just really helps
to relax their mind as well. It has a very physically relaxing effect on the
body but its working on a very deep level and really enhancing the cycleif its used correctly- to make the IVF more effective and the body more
receptive to whats going on and what needs to happen.
Sarah:

I know you have a lot of background with herbal medicine as well. I know
youve had a lot of experience using it with both men and women. Could

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you give us an idea of how that can help couples improve their fertility
health, too?
Andrew:

Yeah. Herbal medicine is such a vast area, Sarah. Its been around for so
long and really in Chinese medicine we go back a good 5,000 years.
Chinese medicine has about 1,500 years of usage of herbs for
gynecological issues and for fertility.
Its quite different to acupuncture in the sense that with herbal medicine
we start to work a little bit like we do with food and supplements. We start
to work a bit more chemically on the body.
We start out with our diagnosis right at the beginning and we do an
assessment with people. When I say we Im talking here very generally
with practitioners. We get a good clear understanding of whats going on
in the body and then we choose specific plants which are known to be
effective for altering the body in a particular way.
We use those plants either in a tea form, a powder form, or a tablet form.
They are administered over a time period. What were doing is we are
trying to counterbalance any imbalances that weve found in our
diagnoses and really work on areas that weve found are out of balance
and are too weak in the body or areas and processes or things that are
out of balance and too strong or too over-active.
Were always looking for this midway of balance basically of reaching a
point where the body is working at its optimum level where nothing is in
excess and nothing is too deficient or too lacking. Herbs do that by
delivering nutrients, different vitamins, different minerals, but more so
theyre delivering different substances, different natural chemicals that
exist in foods and plants and they are starting to cause a change in
chemical balance of the body.

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Over time this will then start to have a physical effect which builds up and
starts to make the change that youre wanting to see. When using herbs
for fertility with women we would be looking very specifically at the
menstrual cycle.
The way that I work is to break the cycle down into four stages. We have
the first two stages which are the first half of the cyclepartly during the
period and then the post period. Then we have the other two stages which
are ovulation. Once the egg is released or being released and post
ovulation.
These are the four different stages of the cycle that we work with. Herbs
are applied differently at each stage of the menstrual cycle. The reason
thats done is to enhance every aspect.
We track the menstrual cycle as we work through and we look at different
factors and different aspects of the cycle and make sure that everything is
functioning as it should be. Any areas that are flagged up are shown not to
be working efficiently or effectively we then target with herbs in a very
specific way.
We do that with acupuncture as well in the other treatments but in the
herbal side were looking to really work on the menstrual cycle
fundamentally and get that in balance. That is done by delivering a whole
variety of different nutrients and chemicals to the body that restore the
body and get it working in the way that it should be. With men its very
similar approach but obviously we dont have the menstrual cycle which
does make things a little bit easier.
For men were looking at most definitely a 3-month treatment period and
herbs need to be administered every day for 3 months. It makes it quite
simple with guys because once your consultation is done we can actually
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administer the herbs pretty much the same formulation the same
combination- throughout the entire 3 months.
Theres very little reason to make changes through the 3 months because
it takes almost 3 months for the sperm to change. We always start with a
sperm test at the beginning to look at the quality of the sperm. Then we do
another test at the end and check what the progress is and decide
whether its sufficient or we continue.
Herbs are basically being used in that situation to deliver nutrients to the
body and start to change the chemical balance of the body so that it works
more efficiently and heads back to its natural state.
Once that happens your body is really working efficiently, then your fertility
whether male or female will naturally improve and increase. Therefore
your chances of conception also increase.
Sarah:

It sounds like a very in-depth approach especially when we consider that

this is just one fix of what you deal with within your plan. It sounds like it
could work on a very deep levelvery detailed. So its fascinating.
Thank you for sharing so much with us so far. We are getting lots and lots
of questions coming in so I wonder if youd like to answer some of those?

Andrew:

Absolutely.

Sarah:

Great. First of all, lets see. We had a few questions coming in about the
tests. I think it was just a bit of clarification talking about taking control and
the kind of test to get as a baseline first of all. You talked about the AMH
test. Jana from London was wondering if that needs to be taken at any
particular time of the month or if it can be taken any time in the cycle?

Andrew:

I think its really betterthe 4 main hormones that need to be checked at

this time so this is between days 1-3 of your cycle- actually during the

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period. Obviously that is very difficult is somebody has polycystic ovarian

syndrome where theyre not actually having a period.
They need to get these checked at any point but bear in mind that they
may not be completely relevant tests until a period actually occurs. It can
be tricky but for everybody else who is experiencing a period on a fairly
regular basis you want to do it between days 1 and 3 of your cycle with
day 1 being the first day bleeding.
So you definitely need to get your AMH checked then. Also, the prolactin,
the estrogen which is E2, and the FSH. Those 4 need to be checked
within days 1-3 of the cycle.
Sarah:

Thanks for clarifying that. We have others who asked that question, too. I
think we have a lot of people who are going to be getting out there and
getting these tests done which is great.
We had a question about the progesterone test. What do you do if your
provider refuses to test progesterone levels on 7 days after ovulation?
Shes gone to 2 doctors who want to test progesterone on day 21 and Ive
told them I only have a 24 day cycle. (Obviously thats the wrong date for
her.) Ive asked to be done 7 days after ovulation but they insist on day 21.
What should I do? They will not refer me to a third doctor and my GP
refuses to test.

Andrew:

Right. It is tricky but Ive heard it on quite a few occasions and I dont like
to encourage people to do things that are not correct; however, I wouldnt
tell them the length of my original cycle. I just would say that is day 21 of
my cyclepersonally. Or alternatively, either find another GP or do it
privately.
Thats the only option really. Its something that is quite tricky and I think
the problem is there are a selection of people out there that really do think

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its day 21 and it isnt. It should be 7 days post ovulation because the
measurement that theyre looking for only occurs 7 days after ovulation.
So if your cycle is 24 days long youll be ovulating much earlier and
basically it just wont give a clear reading at all. Day 21 will actually show a
drop-off probably of progesterone which will give a low reading on a short
cycle. Its really important to get it 7 days after ovulation.
Normally when people come in with this situation to the clinic I think they
work it out in the end for themselves that they say: You know what? Im
just not going to say how long my cycle is and Ill just say its day 21.
Thats probably not the most ethical advice, I suppose, but its really tricky
when people dont help you in that situation.
I think the other option is just going privately. We have a GP that works
with us who does help us out in those kinds of situations. Unfortunately,
people have to pay for that. It is your right to have tests done with your GP
to some degree.
Sarah:

Ive been in those situations. I must admit that was the approach I took as
well. I would just say: No, this is the right day. This is day 21. Make sure
that you are getting it done on the right day for you. Take a bit of control
back again.

Andrew:

Exactly. This is all part of taking control that is really recognizing thatIve
just had someone sign up with us for the program and Ive been talking to
her for quite awhile. Its taken 4 years for them to recognize that theres
a low progesterone level. This couldve been worked out 4 years ago
which actually is not very good.
I think this is where people do need to have a little bit of understanding
about these things. People would just rely on the advice from everybody

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else controlling the situation. I think this is why we do need to come and
have some kind of control so they know that things are being done at the
right time and that theyre getting the right readings as well. Thats why I
think its also good to work alongside a practitioner who does know about
these things. You just get that extra support.
Sarah:

Exactly...that integrated approach that ticks all the boxes. Lets see what
other questions we have. We have lots of them coming in. Well try and
get through as many as possible.
Dawn in Manchester says shes been having acupuncture for 2 years to
assist her fertility and also IVF but unfortunately, its not yet helped. If
acupuncture hasnt helped she wonders if Chinese medicine could help.

Andrew:

Yes, it very well could. I think as Ive tried to put across its an integration
of all of these methods for me. If shes just been doing acupuncture on its
own then I most definitely would support it with herbal medicine and
nutrition, lifestyle stuff, exercise, and then the mind aspect as well.
I think all of these together are really important particularly when I hear of
couples who have been going through several years with IVF as well and
its not working and its several cycles down the line.
Then definitely I would bring in some other aspects. She should bring in all
6 components if possible and just look at each one of those as a united
treatmenta unified treatmentand try to address all of them so you
really are doing the absolute ultimate that you can.
Herbal medicine could really help support the acupuncture. In some
people acupuncture just isnt enough because it works more on moving
energy throughout the body.

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Herbal medicine delivers energy. So if people have a lack of energy and

their bodies are not working efficiently and therefore their fertility level is
low because theyre underactive, then acupuncture alone may not be
enough.
Herbal medicine could restore that kind of deficiency, that slight lack of
energy, and bring it up efficiently so that the acupuncture can then work
more effectively as well.
Sarah:

So essentially what you should be doing is adding in the herbal medicine

not doing it instead of the acupuncture? Although it hasnt helped so far it
may just be another element needs to be brought in there it sounds like.

Andrew:

Exactly. Yeah. I definitely wouldnt, if possible, choose one over the other.
I would try to always do them together. Im been doing that since 1998,
and it works very well. I would definitely suggest that you do it together.

Sarah:

You mentioned earlier about being able to change the quality of the egg
by following this kind of plan. The caller is saying: My doctor is saying that
nothing can be done to change the quality of the eggs. Can you explain
what you meant?

Andrew:

Absolutely. One thing that most definitely cannot be changed is the

number of eggs that are present because you have a set amount per
person.
When it comes to quality what Im talking about there is the way the egg
may respond and the health of the egg. I think certain aspects of the
quality can be changed. The reason I believe that is because eggs are
actually cells and every cell that exists in y our body is alive.
We have this tendency in our modern way of thinking to think that certain
aspects of the body are not really alive but its just structural stuff or things

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that are there, but every single aspect to the deepest aspects of our body
is made up of living cells. Those cells live and thrive in a particular
environment that they need.
When theyre not in that environment then they are affected negatively
and they dont function as efficiently. So by giving the body lots of
nutrition, concentrated nutrition, and balancing it in every possible way you
can to get back into the more natural state, then every single cell in your
body will change to some degree. It depends on the time span, I think, in
most cases as to how long you actually apply that.
In some cases it can be a bit of a journey. It can take months. You are
looking at about 3 months for the body to change and for nutrition and
nutrients to get down to a deep level and start to affect the body
significantly. Im quite a firm believer that certain aspects of egg quality
can change.
Sarah:

Really its the quantity that cant be changed but the quality possibly can.

Andrew:

Possibly, yescertain aspectsnot everything but to a degree. I just think

you can get more life force into the eggs that are there. They are alive and
theyre waiting for nutrients to be delivered all the time to feed them.
Once theyre chosen and theyre on their journey to getting to the ovaries
and then being released, they can be affected. Theyre almost like
dormant seeds that are being gradually nurtured and fed to that point to
where the egg is released and thats one opportunity.
I think you can change certain aspects of the quality of the egg.

Sarah:

Ive got a question here from Helen in Yorkshire. Shes asked whether its
a bad idea to self-administer herbal medicine such as agnus castus to
increase fertility.

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Andrew:

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I think I got asked this last year as well, actually. It comes up really
frequently in particular with agnus castus, I think, because its prescribed
and talked about as a menstrual cycle balancing herb. My answer in short
is: Yes, I do think its a bad idea, unfortunately.
The reason I would say that is because everyone is different and the
chemical balance of the body is different so Im just as a lifelong herbalist
not into the idea of people just taking something because its thought to be
good or even known to be good for addressing certain situations because
for some people it will be for other people it will be really detrimental. It
could actually cause more imbalance in the long run.
So really I would say where possible dont self-prescribe and just find a
herbalist thats local to you or even long distance, but find someone you
can work with who can do the proper assessment and decide what needs
to be used and for how long as well.

Sarah:

Ive got quite a few questions coming in here from more people than I can
probably name so Ill just ask it as a general question. Asking about your
success rates for your overall program in the over 40 age brackethow
do you find the success rates are there?

Andrew:

Actually very good. Ill be quite clear with this. The majority of our over 40
clients are actually going down the IVF route and so were not totally
reliant on my program as such. We are working with people that are doing
another treatment and so you have to bear that in mind, but the IVF group
(I was just looking at statistics before we came online.) who are on our
program is 71.4%. Of that I would say that about 55 or 60% are over
40a fairly significant number. I find results really good. The effects are
good.

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I think particularly once youre over 40 if youre going to do IVF its really
quite important to support it with something else because I think theres a
lot thats going on. Theres pressure as well..Its a lot of psychological
pressure because of this whole idea that their clock is ticking and they
havent got very long and its got to happen now.
There is lots of emotional stuff going on so I do think supporting yourself in
that situation is really important. I cant give you an exact figure but 71.4%
of our clients conceived that are doing IVF and of that I would say 55-60%
are over 40.
Sarah:

Thats reassuring and interesting. Ive had someone asking if they have
blocked tubes and that is the problem with their fertility, will these 6 factors
help them conceive naturally or not?

Andrew:

That really depends on what is actually blocking the tubes. In Chinese

medicine there are a variety of different causes of blocked fallopian tubes.
Some are much more easily clearable than others. Some require surgery.
It really depends on the individual situation. In some situations herbal
medicine, acupuncture, particularly those two treatments can be very
effective and then when you combine them with the other factors, of
course, those are supporting factors to those two treatments.
The answer would be yes in certain situations depending on what the
blockage is and whats causing it. It would definitely be a worth a try. This
is where the person needs to go to a fertility specialistsomeone who
actually understands acupuncture and herbal medicine for fertility from a
gynecological perspective so that they really are very clear on whether or
not this would be helpful.

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Sarah:

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Right. Question from John and Bristol says: Hi, Andrew. My initial semen
analysis shows I had a slightly lower than average number of normal form
sperm. Should I be worried about this or could it be improved?

Andrew:

Normal formtheres a lot of discussion about this because theyve said

there isnt any man on earth anymore that has completely well formed
sperm. The morphology, the shape of them, is now not correct. That
degree varies within each man. I think the shape, the morphology can be
affected.
It definitely requires lifestyle change. Unfortunately, its the slowest aspect
of the sperm quality to changethe motility, the speed, the quantity, and
the volume of the sperm can change.
Those factors can change much more quickly just by eating really well and
having a good lifestyle, but the morphology is the part that takes the
longest. Its something thats quite deeply rooted.
It can be changed and I would encourage any man that is trying to
conceive to really take on a good lifestyle program and look at those 6
components I talked about and try and apply those in a complete program
so that theyre doing everything they can to make some changes.
Could you just clarify, Sarah, what their percentage was for me?

Sarah:

There wasnt a percentage given on there. It just said a low average.

Andrew:

Okay, unfortunately, thats not quite clear enough. I like to work

specifically and this is one of the things where taking control of your
fertility is getting the results and being clear on the actual numbers rather
than In a lot of cases I see where couples are just told or guys are just
told that their sperm is okay or its average or below average or slightly
above average. That doesnt define anything really.

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Its really important to get the test results and if youre going to work with
another practitioner like myself or someone else they can look at the
proper numbers and go: Okay, 15% is too low. We need to work on that. If
it is low on the morphology side its something that he should really look at
some lifestyle stuffdefinitely healthy eating.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be very helpful, but it will need to be
3-6 months probably of treatment.
Sarah:

Id just like to interject there part of the taking control of our fertility is
asking for those results. When the results come back ask what the figures
are and get the numbers in front of you so you can share those with any
other practitioners youre working with. Thats really useful, isnt it, to have
those numbers.

Andrew:

Absolutely. Its really important. As I say, I do get clients who come to me

and say: Its above average. This used to happen in the past. We preempt
this now so we get everybody to test before they even come to meet with
me. Were clear from the outset. It just gives you a good picture so that
you know the motility is 20% and it should be much more. We say: Okay,
we need to work on that.
If someone said: Its just averagethat doesnt give us any information at
all. As you say, its really about asking for the results and making sure
they give you a printout so you can take it away.

Sarah:

Now we only have a few minutes left. Im just going to see if we can fit one
more question in. I dont want to ask you anything thats going to be too
long right now. This might be a short and sweet one.
Anna in London has asked if a short luteal phase could be preventing her
from getting pregnant?

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Yes, absolutely. Its an area Im really passionate about because Im

finding this is becoming really quite a problem.
Ive been working with a couple in the states who the woman has had a
short luteal phase for over 4 years. Weve just extended it to a normal
phase. Its taken 6 months but its finally got there.
If the luteal phase is too short it means that the progesterone which is the
hormone that is really dominant in the second half of the cycle and that
hormone is really there to enhance the quality of the uterus and basically
create a really fantastic environment for the implanted egg or the fertilized
egg to implant and the implanted egg to thrive and grow- so progesterone
is really important.
If the luteal phase is short it means the progesterone is dropping off too
soon. That could mean that the follicle where the egg has been released
from is just not releasing enough progesterone.
In my experience for the majority of women that I work with its because
their body is underactive. Theyre lacking energy or chi as the Chinese
would say. There are other aspects and its individual with each person,
but its something that I feel is changeable from my experience.
It would definitely require herbal medicine and acupuncture to support it
but herbs and nutrition are really fundamental in that.

Sarah:

Great. Thank you for clearing that one up. Now Im getting an awful lot of
questions coming in from all over the world asking about how they can
work directly with you. You did mention that you were working with some
people in the states. We know that youre based in London. Do you work
with people outside of the U.K. and how would that work?

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I do. Yes. Absolutely. Basically the Baby Creating Plan, the program that
weve been talking about, is available to be used in the U.K. I can work
directly with clients. When I see them face-to-face its obviously great. I
can do the acupuncture myself and everything else as well, or I have a
team of people nutritionists, a GP, and a wellbeing coach- that work with
me as well, but basically that can be done in person but for anybody who
is outside London or cant get to us in any way we have a long distance
version of the program which is basically tailored to each person. It works
incredibly well.
Its something that we launched last year actually after the last Fertility
Focus Telesummit. Its been very successful. All I would say is get in
contact with me and we can explain more. We work primarily by using
Skype because its the easiest way to feel that youre actually meeting
with somebody, but we deliver everything apart from the acupuncture
because I cant be there unless people want to invite me abroad. Thats
fine. But there is a possibility and we are doing it now. Were sort of all
over the world actually now.
I would just say email in and get in touch and well get in touch with details
on it.

Sarah:

Okay, so will you let everybody know how to do that? How can they find
your website? How can they get in touch with you?

Andrew:

If you dont mind, Sarah, Ill just say if any of the listeners would like to get
free copy of my fertility guide its called The Ultimate Fertility Guide. They
can go to my website and just sign up for the free guide. Youll then get
lots of information on the back of that guide but the guide itself is packed
with everything Ive been talking about today.

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You can do that at www.naturalfertilityexpert.com. If youd like to email us

directly there is an email address in the guide but Ill just tell you now its
inquiries@naturalfertilityexperts.com.
If you email us well get in touch with you directly; otherwise, just feel free
to get a copy of my guide and all the information Ive been talking about
today.
Sarah:

Thank you, Andrew. That is so generous of you. Id also like to mention a

bit more about your generosity and the fabulous bonus that youve added
to the Golden Ticket upgrade as well. Its a free chat with you to discuss
more how this approach could work. So I just want to let everybody know
if you do purchase the Golden Ticket upgrade before the end of this
telesummit week youll automatically receive the opportunity of this free
chat with Andrew as well. So take advantage of that.
Thank you very much for sharing so much in this time. Im sorry to those
people who submitted even more questions than we had time for but I
hope that the ones we got through applied to a lot of you. Im sure a lot of
you could relate to the questions that were being asked.
Thank you once again, Andrew. Its been great speaking to you. We really
enjoyed it. Ive learned a lot again. I learn more and more every time I run
this telesummit.

Andrew:

Yeah, its amazing, isnt it? Im looking forward to listening in for the rest of
the week. A great big thank to you for giving me the opportunity to
approach everybody. I wish lots of luck to everybody thats listening.
Thank you for inviting me. Its been a great hour.

Sarah:

Youre very welcome. Goodbye, everybody. See you again soon.

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