The Fertility Suite

Nicola Headley previously worked as a Midwife, Health Visitor and Birth Trauma Specialist. But it was her own difficult journey to motherhood which led her to train as a fertility coach.

Nicola specialises in supporting women following pregnancy loss or who are going through IVF or fertility treatment to take back emotional control of their fertility journey. Because infertility takes over every area of life. It affects our mental health, confidence, and feelings of self-worth. Which is why looking after how you’re feeling during this time is so important.

Her unique programme is a mix of counselling, coaching and hypnotherapy techniques. To support you to release what’s happened in the past, start living in the now and look to the future with hope and optimism.

We discuss:

Why mindset matters when TTC & your Subconscious thoughts

Common emotions that arise when TTC

Ways to manage these emotions and why it’s important to address them

Exploring PTSD around fertility treatment

What fertility coaching is and how it can help

Nicola is a fat-positive fertility coach and author of “Fat and Fertile”.

She helps fat folks navigate getting pregnant in a weight-obsessed world and advocates for change in how fat people are treated whilst accessing help with their fertility.

Nicola uses her unique fat positive framework to support people in finding their own version of health without diets, advocate for their bodies, relearn how to trust their body and believe in their ability to get pregnant.
In this episode we discuss:

Why women in bigger bodies are often discriminated against in the fertility world
- Why BMI should not be used to determine who is entitled to fertility treatment or not and the reasons behind why it's currently used!
- Why weight does not always have a direct correlation to a woman's fertility
- Ways you can approach medical professionals in a non confrontational way with the evidence base to get the care you deserve.
- where to go to find evidence around weight and fertility
You can find many more resources at Nicola's website.

Becky is the founder of 'Paths to Parent Hub' which is an online support network & community for couples going down the route of doner conception. She also co-founded 'Fertility Matters at Work', a company which is dedicated to raising awareness and education of fertility issues in the workplace.
In this episode we discuss:
- When to consider, or when you might have to consider, donor conception

Different types of donation - ie: egg, sperm, embryo, double

The main things to consider when choosing a donor

Where to go to start choosing a donor

The implications of Donor Conception, attachment, bonding, anonymity and potential implications for the child/parent relationship.
If you are considering Donor conception then this episode is for you!

Hannah Pearn is a fertility and women’s health acupuncturist who runs a practice in South London. She is also a passionate educator on all things women’s health, fertility and menstrual cycle related, so much so she has even designed her own online course, teaching to conceive.
In this episode we discuss how acupuncture actually works and how it can support fertility, we also bust a few acupuncture myths!
Click here, if you are looking for a fertility support trained acupuncturist near you! You can also check out the British Acupuncture Council for a list of qualified Acupuncture practitioners near you.

In this episode we are joined by the wonderful Claire Mooney, andrologist, embryologist and founder of Fertility Solutions, a specialist male fertility clinic in Beaconsfield, Herts.
Claire brings her wealth of knowledge to the table to discuss:
What is sperm DNA fragmentation and how it can affect a man's fertility
The importance of optimising sperm and how you may be able to avoid IVF with better sperm health
Bacterial infections and how they harm sperm
Treating couples to improve fertile parameters before signposting them straight to IVF and the ideal scenarios for IVF preparation if necessary
Claire offers short fertility consultations to discuss male fertility test results and offer support and guidance here. You can undergo a wealth of male fertility tests at Fertility Solutions including consultations with renowned Fertility Urologist Jonathan Ramsey.