Your fertile mind

Fertility problems cause great distress. But could this distress make conceiving more difficult? Linda Watson-Brown meets a woman who believes that getting pregnant is all in the mind

Maria Thomson was 21 when she was given news that could have been devastating. Routine tests revealed such high levels of testosterone and androgens that it was hugely unlikely she would ever conceive. Also, her body was host to antibodies which, she was warned, would attack any foetus she did miraculously carry. By the time Thomson was studying law, she had met her husband-to-be. When she discovered that Gordon was recovering from testicular cancer, hopes for a child seemed doomed.

Today, 42-year-old Thomson has four children – all conceived without medical intervention. Furthermore, she has developed a process called "conscious conception", which she believes can help any woman to become pregnant, regardless of fertility concerns or a history of miscarriage.

Her approach is based on research she did while looking into positive thinking for cancer patients. For the past 20 years, psychological approaches to stress management have been at the forefront of cancer treatment. Experts recognise the value of visualisation, relaxation and hypnosis in managing nausea after chemotherapy and offering relief from pain. Thomson studied the work of theexpert Carl Simontons, who developed programmes for cancer patients, and wondered why this could not be applied to fertility. "As a lawyer, I was very much concerned with the practical side of things. I wanted evidence, I wanted proof. I read all I could, I did searches and reviews. And I couldn't come up with any feasible reason why this wouldn't work if I applied it to my own 'problems'."

Thomson's interest took her into the field of psychoneuroimmunology and the effects of the neuroendocrine-immune system. This has been shown to be intimately related to the nervous system: it sends communicating chemicals throughout the body via the circulatory system to affect the function of every cell, playing a hugely important role in physical and emotional health. Chemical mediators are released as a result of the frequencies of nerve centres in the brain and nervous system. Any action – chemical, emotional or physical – that stimulates nerve receptors and improves neuroreceptor function will temporarily relieve or alter symptoms. This process convinced Thomson that changes in thought processes could affect conception.

"One in six couples in the Western world has difficulty in conceiving their first child, and this rises to one in four when we look at secondary infertility [the inability to conceive a second or third child]. The programme I've developed uses the power of the subconscious mind, which, I believe, governs absolutely every system in our body. I would argue that many women have mind blocks that effectively stop them from getting, or staying, pregnant. To me, they are nature's contraceptives. As soon as these mind blocks are recognised, it opens the way to successful pregnancies."

Thomson believes she can help any woman to get pregnant. "One 41-year-old came to me after having tried to conceive her second child for eight years. She had been through IVF and had been advised by doctors that there was no point continuing as she was starting an early menopause. This woman worked with me for a few months, and on her fourth natural cycle fell pregnant. She had a little girl late last year.

"I have never had a client who has miscarried after using the programme. One woman started bleeding heavily after a number of previous losses. I worked with her, talked her through the traumatic time, focusing on all the work we had previously discussed, and she got through it. Previously, she had been so obsessed with the thought of miscarriage that she was never surprised when it happened. That's the sort of thinking that has to be turned around."

But are there really thousands of women suffering infertility and miscarriage who need do nothing more than change the way they think? Certainly, the idea of "mind blocks" will ring bells. "Often I have clients who say they want a baby more than anything. I find that they are actually putting substantial obstructions in their own way. I've had women who are terrified of childbirth because they have heard horror stories, or have been abused and have fears linked to the safety of their children, or have had a bad birth experience, or simply worry if they'll be a good enough mother."

Lesley Regan, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Mary's in London, is cautious about such an approach, but agrees that links between successful outcomes and support are evident. "From the research at St Mary's from the 1990s, it has been shown quite clearly that a proactive, positive approach does have beneficial outcomes. Tender loving care does work.

"We often find that, after referring women to IVF clinics, they get pregnant spontaneously anyway. There is a process of worrying and being concerned that nothing is happening, and then when it is felt that something is finally being done, there are a number of women who get pregnant."

Many women who have jumped through every fertility hoop in a desperate effort to conceive will recognise the self-defeating circularity of the process. It is this that makes Thomson so certain that her approach can break the cycle. "There are so many studies that have shown that infertility causes depression and stress. But women find themselves in a rotation they can't break out of. They are stressed because they can't get pregnant. They can't relax their bodies and increase their chances of conception, because they're stressed to begin with. We all know that depression lowers our immune systems. It's not a stretch to accept that stress can cause fertility problems too.I tell women not to try to get pregnant – plan to get pregnant."

Research conducted at Harvard by Dr Alice Domar suggest that group psychological interventions do lead to increased pregnancy rates. While accepting that "infertility causes significant levels of psychological distress," she says the possibility that distress "could cause or contribute to infertility remains a topic for debate". There are now studies showing the impact of depression on fertility, she points out. One indicated that depression is associated with abnormal regulation of luteinising hormone; another that stress and depression alter immune functions, which could affect reproductive outcomes.

Thomson also feels that the language of pessimism in many fertility environments adds to women's negativity and decreases success rates. It is here that she and many medical experts part company. "I feel that it is responsible to explain the reality of chances to women," says Professor Regan. "There is no guarantee of a baby when you begin fertility treatment; there is no point in promising women assured success. I have seen patients who feel that absolute charlatans have treated them because they have never been given the facts. Once you have explained that reality, then of course you should move on to being positive, but you certainly should not get their hopes up when there are no promises."

But what can women actually do to maximise their chances of conception? Thomson suggests making an audiotape in which positive images of pregnancy are verbalised. This acts as a form of self-hypnosis that brings about a relaxation response, lowering stress and encouraging reproductive systems into balance. She emphasises the importance of emotional expression in which negative feelings are turned around, claiming that denying how you feel only intensifies the power of less-than-positive emotions. A further step is to learn to change your thoughts. Instead of thinking: "I will never have a child," tell yourself that you are doing everything possible to get pregnant. Taking up exercise can help; a German study showed that a group of severely depressed patients showed marked improvements after only 10 days of exercise. She suggests finally that every day should have a focus on general happiness rather than on conceiving.

"This will go a long way towards relieving anxiety and frustration. Women who are in the 'trying to get pregnant' way of thinking often pile stress on themselves. Each period is a sign of another 'wasted' month, while they wait for the next fertile day and count the moments until another pregnancy test can be bought. The effect on relationships and individuals is immense. Giving yourself some pleasure back can actually contribute to moving towards the baby you desperately want."