It’s a sad fact of life that one in six couples will have difficulty conceiving. Those praying for a miracle will often try anything, from the estimated 75% who experiment with alternative therapies, to the 1 in 80 women who will eventually give birth to an IVF baby in the UK each year. Now, two leading fertility specialists have decided to bridge the gap between conventional and complementary medicine, and offer an alternative to rushing into IVF. “I estimate that 50% of women on IVF don’t need it,” says Dr Sami David, a doctor involved with the first-ever successful IVF procedure in New York 30 years ago. “They could get pregnant naturally.”

David has turned his back on what has become a multimillion- pound industry with a vested interest in rushing women into assisted conception. “Infertility is a symptom, not a disease,” he says, “yet most fertility doctors are only interested in giving a woman drugs and getting her on a course of expensive, and stressful, IVF as soon as possible. I’m not against IVF — far from it,” he continues. “But it shouldn’t be the first thing we turn to as doctors. Putting a woman on aggressive drugs to stimulate egg production is a waste of time if, in fact, she is failing to get pregnant because her partner has a low sperm count, or she has an infection.”

David claims that most specialists have little interest in doing the necessary detective work to establish why a couple aren’t conceiving. Together with Jill Blakeway, an alternative-health practitioner who moved from the UK to America 20 years ago, he has written The Fertility Plan, a three-month scheme that helps women overcome common blocks to pregnancy. The book offers targeted advice according to five different “types” of people. “The types are loosely based on Chinese medicine, combined with Dr David’s clinical experience,” says Blakeway, who has such a high success rate that The New York Times dubbed her “the fertility goddess”. “I didn’t want to bog people down with the more esoteric aspects of eastern philosophy,” she adds, “so I’ve kept it simple.” The five types are: stuck, pale, waterlogged, dry and tired; there are quizzes and guidelines to help identify your type and what to do in each case. It’s all refreshingly simple.

“IVF is part of our quick-fix society, particularly in New York,” says Blakeway. “We are used to life being convenient, to having stuff delivered on demand, so a woman might think: ‘When the time comes, I can always go for IVF.’ Making babies is a much more mysterious thing — you can’t think like that.” She is also keen to remind women that IVF still has a relatively poor success rate. “At one of the most renowned New York clinics, figures indicate that among women under 35, the success rate is still only 47%.”

In the book, the duo present a range of common factors that can inhibit fertility, but which doctors don’t always raise. “There are issues from hormones being thrown out of balance by yo-yo dieting, to women who exercise too much, which could lower levels of oestrogen and progesterone,” David says. “Or infertility can arise from a diminished flow of blood to the uterus, which can be dramatically helped by acupuncture.”

Another common cause of infertility is bacterial infection, which has prompted David to remark that antibiotics are his favourite fertility drug. “A lot of doctors specialise in scaring the patient,” he says. “They’ll tell a woman of 37 she’s left it too late and her only option is IVF. But they’re measuring everyone by the same yardstick. Every woman has time to take a three- or four-month evaluation of what’s going on with her body.” Blakeway agrees that the emotional rollercoaster of trying to become pregnant can extract a heavy toll on would-be mothers. “The last thing we wanted to do was make women feel stressed out about not getting pregnant. If it’s not happening for you yet, it’s comforting to bear in mind that there is an enormous amount you can do for yourself.”

What is your fertility type?

For most people, one of the following types will be the winner, but you may be a combination — in which case, follow advice for both. If there’s a conflict, favour advice for the dominant type. The types apply to both men and women. You can also go to thefertilityplan.com and complete a quiz to determine your fertility type.

TIRED Tired people are often cold and have poor circulation. They need a lot of sleep, are prone to various aches, often have pale or sallow skin, get out of breath and may have trouble concentrating. Tired people can experience a range of digestive complaints. They are prone to loose stools first thing in the morning, bloating and flatulence, and are sensitive to sugar. This group puts on weight easily, particularly when fatigued or under stress, and they tend to retain water, but many urinate frequently. Tired people often have a low libido.

DRY Dry types have dry skin, dry eyes and dry hair. They tend to feel dehydrated, are usually hot, flush easily or have rosy cheeks. They can be constipated, are generally thin, have a low tolerance to stress and may get restless, fidgety or anxious. Many dry people have trouble sleeping, and these symptoms generally increase with age — the older you get, the drier you get. Dry women are often prescribed fertility drugs but don’t respond well, and may be put even more severely out of balance. In rare cases, fertility drugs can tip a dry woman over into premature menopause.

STUCK Stuck people often complain of tension headaches or a nervous stomach. They are prone to high blood pressure and tight muscles. The stuck cycle of bottling up stress and then exploding sometimes translates into alternating constipation and diarrhoea. Other symptoms in stuck women are premenstrual mood swings, breast tenderness, fibroids and endometriosis. Many experience the effects of oestrogen dominance, or too much oestrogen in the body in relation to progesterone. Most stuck women’s symptoms are expressions of hormonal patterns disrupted by stress, with alcohol, poor diet and environmental toxins potentially exacerbating the problem.

PALE You can tell the pale type by their face, but also by their lips, where it’s most obvious; it’s also evident in their nail beds. They may have vision problems and experience hair loss; women have a light menstrual flow. Pale people have trouble falling asleep and so many complain of fatigue. They can feel “shaky”, experience a rapid heartbeat, and dizziness when they stand up. Pale people are prone to muscle injuries. Some are undernourished: vegetarians, vegans and people who limit the amount of meat they eat are often pale. Pale types may be diagnosed with anaemia, and tend to be anxious and prone to weepiness.

WATERLOGGED Many waterlogged women retain water or put on weight easily; they are prone to polycystic ovarian syndrome and yeast infections. This type often complains of painful joints, heavy, aching legs or headaches, and may have poor insulin metabolism, which can lead to further hormone imbalances. Waterlogged people tend to have a weak immune system, and sinus infections, congestion and drainage problems are common, as are allergies and asthma. Waterlogged people suffer from cystic acne, fibrocystic breasts, fatty nodules or tumours, and chronic swollen lymph nodes. Heart disease and diabetes are common in the waterlogged.

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