Aromatherapy and IVF

[cpeayuvwiiuiotejh]

Hi,

I'm a reflexologist - I know nothing at all about aromatherapy. I have a lady who is about to go for her 6th attempt at IVF therapy. She's having reflexology and is going to stop that during the drug therapy. She wants to know if aromatherapy should be stopped too or can she carry on?

Love

Sulis xx

 

[purplefruit17]

Well obviously she should speak to her aromatherapist first, but I would say that aromatherapy would be a great way for her to relax during what is potentially a very stressful episode. The therapist may recommend that she only has the treatment in the first half of the month, when there is no chance that she could be pregant. As soon as any embryo is introduced back into her body, I think I would steer clear of essential oils.

Lesley

 

[hopeless4love]

Thanks Leslie (I was hoping you'd answer). I've advised her to ask her therapist but I'll tell her what you said.

Love

Sulis xx

 

[naenkukoirgisfefs]

Why is she stopping the reflexology? A mistake me thinks. I had a client who had it whilst going through the treatment and it helped her enormously. She had two failed attempts but this time she got pregnant. She didn't use it to help her get pregnant as such but to help keep her sane.

I can't think of a better time to have it and would have it myself and recommend it to others.

I also wouldn't stop the aromatherapy. A lot of therapists use a very low percentage blend and there are plenty of oils that are not contraindicated in pregnancy and those that are aren't even proven to be, though after six attempts I can see she would be wary and is wise to be. Aromatherapy won't do her any harm, only good.

 

[Jred]

I understand what you're saying Candie - this is where many reflexologists disaggree. I've done Susanne Enzers maternity reflexology course and in it she advises not to treat during IVF drug therapy.
Here are her reasons - from 'Maternity Reflexology Manual' - 'when the couple is undergoing the IVF program and the woman is taking clomid or some fertility drug OMIT reflexology until her course of drugs is completed. The rationale is that the drugs will make the body produce several ova. A natural therapy such as reflexology will balance the body to produce a single ovum each month and so is not complementary to the drug regime.' I agree with her.

Love

Sulis xx

 

[twilight lover :)]

Well she is more of an expert than me so I bow to her knowledge but my client is a good case to prove it wrong!

There are many opinions and especially in complementary therapies. ie massage spreads cancer...

As wonderful and powerful as reflexology is I doubt very much that a treatment once a week could overpower the huge assault of hormones that women take when undergoing IVF treatment. Everything has it's limits. In the same way that reflexology doesn't cause miscarriage it in my opinion won't interfere with the drugs that are pumped into the system.

What it will do is help the client emotionally. Some therapists here would say they give a full treatment and not avoid any areas and that is fine by me. Personally I go gently and quickly over related areas in such a case so I cannot see how a good treatment can affect the IVF treatment.

 

[Nicolalia]

Hi Candie,

I've been thinking about this since my last post and you know, I agree with you. This is something which troubled me when I did the course - everyone agreed with Susannes' point of view and I guess I just went along with what she was saying because of the experience she's had but it's really interesting to hear from a therapist who's had an experience like you've had with your client who had already had 2 failed attempts.

I've treated a couple of ladies as they've prepared for IVF but I've stopped during the IVF because of what I was told on Susanne's course and also because the ladies themselves had heard that reflexology and IVF drug therapy didn't go together - I didn't really want to give them any grounds to 'blame me' if the IVF was unsuccessful.

You've really given me something to think about - if antoher client seems happy to carry on through the drug treatment I think I would give it a go.

Love

Julie xx

 

[agelpgeast36]

sulis and candie,

hmmm difficult, isnt it. sulis, i think you will also find that susanne says, she personally doesnt treat but that it was up to each of us to do as we felt was appropriate.

she has a wealth of knowledge and experience and i would go with what she says... but... i am also building up my own experience and knowledge, so i dunno... i agree with candie too! i think the emotional benefits might be of far greater benefit than the possible effect on the clomid taking.

as it happens, there are infertility clinics in london that have reflexologists working there...

as a matter of interest... this client has aroma and reflex each week? why?

 

[traleecarmel]

Sulis, hi again.

Mmmm making you think, got to be a good think eh?

As I said before, this lady obviously has a lot of knowledge and I accept that. However, there are lots of books written on therapies by experienced therapists and I don't always agree with them either. There are lots of teacher teaching lots of things I also don't agree with.

Different strokes for different folks (no pun intended!)

I think the thing to bear in mind is that if somebody is teaching you something they have to be careful as they are responsible and they probably worry about implications.

To put you in the picture I have a clinic and we treat a lot of people with many different health problems. I have also worked with cancer patients so that taught me a lot and I got over the fear thing that way.

I do have a 'safety net' because we have all therapies at our Centre and I have the back-up of other practitioners there, so can ask them stuff when I am worried or unsure. This is a big help to me and I know that a lot of people don't have it.

I don't buy into the contra-indication thing in a big way to be honest. I think a lot of them are based on fear and ignorance and I have treated people with much more serious health conditions so to me somebody having IVF is pretty easy and doesn't faze me.

As I said earlier, the amount of hormones pumped into a woman's body is scarey during IVF. My client talked to me at length about what she had to go through, waking up at 5am as her partner worked shifts, to do the injections and the terrible effect that they had on her moods. It was a very difficult time for her, it is for anybody, but it had failed twice and they feel 'it has to work this time', not only because of the cost, but the effect on them, physically and emotionally.

I could shoot myself in the foot by saying that reflexology won't affect the IVF process coz you could argue that reflexology can't work then? But we know that it does, don't we? We all have to do only what we are comfortable with and I discuss this a lot with my friend who works at a Gentleman's Barbers where she massages lots of big, beefy men. She will turn them away if she thinks massage is contra-indicated, but I personally wouldn't. It's what she is comfortable doing and that's what's important.

Question, question, question, everything!!!