- Bricket Wood, St Albans
Our initial consultation will be 60 minutes and will include a treatment. All follow-up treatments will be 45-60 minutes.
Some of the questions I will ask include details about your menstrual history, sleep and gastro health. I will ask about any minor or major illnesses, your daily physical and emotional health and your family medical history.
As part of Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnostic tools, I will look at your tongue, take your pulse and possibly palpate your abdomen.
For this initial consultation, I will request you bring any information you may have about your condition, including any investigation or blood test results you have.
Fertility IVF Treatment
I tailor every treatment to your individual needs — whether we’re solving the puzzle of unexplained infertility or helping you manage conditions like endometriosis, PCOS, or other gynaecological issues. If you’re going through IVF, I provide tailored support to improve outcomes.
Your Initial Consultation
Our journey starts with a 90-minute initial consultation. During this session, we take a deep dive into your health and fertility:
After your consultation, you’ll receive a bespoke plan that includes:
Exploring Every Avenue
One of the most frustrating parts of fertility treatment is the gaps in care often left by NHS services and some IVF clinics. Due to funding limitations or a focus on moving quickly to IVF, important tests and investigations are sometimes missed.
But I believe in leaving no stone unturned. Just like you wouldn’t undergo heart surgery without a thorough investigation, your fertility journey deserves the same level of care and attention. I’ll make sure we explore every possible pathway to help you reach the goal of a healthy conception and pregnancy.
Using your test results and my diagnosis, I will use acupuncture, heat lamp, moxa, Improving your fertile health
We’ll also explore your menstrual health in depth. Using a basal temperature chart, I will work to make your cycle pain-free, regular, and ovulation-optimized. I will fine-tune your general health and look at bacterial health in your gut and vagina, both of which can impact fertility and miscarriage risk.
Hormone, vitamin, and thyroid levels (including antibodies) will also be carefully checked. I’ll also review sperm health, including male hormone tests, blood tests, and semen cultures.
Collaborating with Experts for a Comprehensive Approach
I work closely with experts from various fields to give you the most well-rounded fertility care possible. For example, I collaborate with specialist sonographers skilled in advanced imaging techniques like Colour Doppler imaging. This sophisticated method shows detailed blood flow through organ tissues and can uncover conditions like:
These insights are crucial for understanding the root causes of fertility challenges and improving your chances of a successful pregnancy.
How Many Sessions Will You Need?
That 90 to 100-day window before ovulation or egg retrieval is your golden opportunity! During this time, the egg is maturing — and everything you do can make a difference and because of this I recommend you have acupuncture for at least 3 months, weekly if possible.
For IVF support, I suggest
With the right support, like acupuncture, targeted nutrition, and lifestyle changes, we can improve egg quality and create the best possible environment for conception.
Why Work With Me?
As a Fertility Support Trained acupuncturist, I have advanced training and a deep understanding of both Eastern and Western approaches to fertility. This enables me to:
Some real-life scenarios I frequently see:
IVF Treatment
During IVF, I recommend having acupuncture at these key stages:
General Treatment Guide
Every patient is different and as such may respond differently to treatment. In my experience, most patients I see start feeling the results after 1-3 treatments. Their symptoms may not have disappeared completely but the severity of their pain is noticeably decreased, their sleeping is improved as has their mental health. With each treatment they feel better and better.
If they have an acute issue, such as a recent injury or illness this may require a more aggressive treatment with 1-2 weekly sessions. A chronic, more entrenched condition will require treatments 2-4 a month and over a longer time period. This can then reduce to ever couple of months as a maintenance program of treatment is in place or as and when the issue resurfaces.
Fertility and IVF Treatment Guide
For fertility issues, I recommend a woman starts weekly acupuncture sessions 3 months before starting an IVF cycle. For women with complex or especially challenging health situations, 6 months would be even better.
Why should I start 3 months before IVF? Your eggs stay dormant in the ovaries until needed. The follicles that release the eggs take 90 days to mature and go through cell division until they are ready for ovulation. As the maturation process takes 3 months this is the opportunity where I can work with you to improve egg quality. In addition, we can also focus on general health improvements to improve fertility including balancing hormones which will improve your menstrual cycle and ovulation and well as improving blood flow to the uterus and ovaries. This will help to improve symptoms of PCOS, menstrual irregularities and endometriosis.
During the IVF process we may need to up sessions to twice a week if required.
I recommend the following guideline for patients undergoing IVF:
Acupuncture needles are much finer than needles used for injections and blood tests. Some needles are even as fine as a human hair. When the needle is inserted, you may feel a tingling sensation or dull ache. Needle insertion should not be painful, but if you are in discomfort, I will remove or reposition the needle. I also use easy breathing exercises with my patients during needle insertion. This is extremely effective in keeping relaxed and making the experience pain free.
This appointment will include a detailed health assessment and review of past test results. An acupuncture treatment will be included if time allows.
This is a general appointment during the hours of 9am-6pm.
This is a general appointment after 6pm.
A facial treatment to reduce signs of ageing, including wrinkles, lines, dull complexion and sagging. Using facial and body acupuncture, cupping and gua sha.
This consultation will include a detailed health assessment and review of past test results.
I offer a free, confidential, no obligation 15 minute telephone conversation to discuss how I can help you.
A number of my patients are able to claim back costs of their treatments from their health insurance. Due to my membership to the British Acupuncture (BAaC) Council, you maybe able to claim back the cost of your acupuncture treatment. Have a look at the BAaC’s website for further information.
You will need to check with your health insurance company to see if your specific policy will cover you.
Yes, I regularly treat pregnant women.
Acupuncture is completely safe to use during pregnancy and can help alleviate pregnancy issues such as pelvic pain, sciatica, heartburn, nausea, constipation and anxiety.
It can also be used from 36 weeks to prepare for labour, can be used to turn breech babies and induce labor, when required.
I work from my lovely garden clinic in the village of Bricket Wood, in St Albans, an easy commute from Radlett, Watford and St Albans town and easily accessible from the M25, M1, A414 and A405. It is also connected by the 361 bus and Bricket Wood rail station.
There is free off street parking on my road, which is available at all times. Those will issues mobility issues will be able to park on my driveway.
