Category: Hypnobirthing and natal hypnotherapy

1. Hypnotherapy on the NHS for anxiety in mums to be

   Posted on 4:59pm Wednesday 13th May 2015

   News from the Lancashire Telegraph reports all about a new service being offered by the NHS in Lancashire for Mums to be.

   Pregnancy can be a stressful time and the help that is being offered can make a real change to the way that mums feel during labour as well as the rest of the time they are pregnant. 

   Following a three-year test at the Blackburn and Burnley maternity centres showed it was a successful addition to care, the chance for hypnotherapy will now be offered to all the mums to be in the area by  the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

   It will cost just £4.83 to the NHS and for the first time there will be no charge for the mums themselves. This is a big chance because in the past when hypnosis has been offered by the NHS it has been at cost to the patients, and of course not everyone can afford it.

   The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) conducted the largest randomised controlled UK trial into self-hypnosis during labour with more than 200 first-time mothers at the maternity unit at Burnley General Hospital and the Blackburn Birthing Centre on Park Lee Road as well as another 400 in Liverpool and Preston.

   The pilot now called Empower, showed self-hypnosis for labour reduces post-natal anxiety and fears about birth.

    

   What does the scheme include?

   This new pilot initiative will  included face-to-face group sessions. Typicially there is a more focussed help with one to one sessions, however this is clearly a really great start and a scheme to be welcomed.

   International childbirth expert and UCLan Professor Soo Downe who led the trial, said: “The results do suggest the therapy might reduce postnatal anxiety and fear about childbirth, which would suggest there may be benefits for their next pregnancy.”

   Research findings show that of the women who were randomised to self-hypnosis during pregnancy, 27.9 per cent requested an epidural in comparison to 30.3 per cent of the women in the control group.

   Let’s hope that other hospitals and NHS trusts are watching this scheme and seeing the difference that it makes. Learning these techniques will not only help during pregnancy but also afterwards in post labour and into the lives of the children themselves too.

   You can read about hypnotherapy for pregnancy here... Hypnosis for Natal Anxiety

2. New Medical Study Finds Stress Doubles the Risk of Infertility

   Posted on 8:32am Monday 24th Mar 2014

   New Medical Study shows that Stress doubles risk of infertility

   Women with the highest levels of stress hormone in their saliva were far more likely to fail to get pregnant within 12 months of trying according to medical study in US

   You may already be aware of how stress can affect your physical being as well as how you feel in your mind about things. Often trying to get pregnant can be a stressful time. This new study shows how that level of stress relates to the ability to conceive.

   Stress doubles the risk of infertility in women, scientists have found, and have recommended yoga and mediation for those hoping to become pregnant. Hypnotherapy is another useful way to learn how to reduce your stress levels and help with all areas of your life.

   Researchers discovered that women with the highest levels of stress hormones in their saliva were far more likely to fail to get pregnant within 12 months of trying. The findings were published in the journal Human Reproduction.

   It may explain why women who have struggled to get pregnant manage to conceive often after they give up and the anxiety of trying has been removed.  This happens quite often and the release of pressure can be the one thing that makes all the difference.

   The study was conducted by Dr Courtney Denning-Johnson Lynch, from Ohio State University in the US, who said: "We have demonstrated that women with high levels stress biomarkers have a lower probability of becoming pregnant, compared to women with low levels of this biomarker. For the first time, we've shown that this effect is potentially clinically meaningful, as it's associated with a greater than two-fold increased risk of infertility among these women."

   Dr Lynch urged women having difficulty getting pregnant to consider stress-managing techniques, hypnotherapy is just one of the ways to help manage stress, yoga and meditation can also really help.

   However she pointed out that stress is not the only factor involved in fertility problems and may only play a minor role.

   Co-author Dr Germaine Buck Louis, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment in Rockville, US, said: "Eliminating stressors before trying to become pregnant might shorten the time couples need to become pregnant in comparison to ignoring stress.

   "The good news is that women most likely will know which stress reduction strategy works best for them, since a one-size-fits-all solution is not likely."

   Previous research had already highlighted an association between high stress levels and a reduced probability of pregnancy.

   The new findings, linking stress to infertility, are published in the latest online edition of the journal Human Reproduction.

   

   Scientists measured levels of alpha-amylase, an enzyme in saliva that provides a biological indicator of stress.

   The team tracked 373 American women aged 18 to 40 who were free from known fertility problems and had just started trying to conceive.

   Their progress was followed over a period of 12 months, or until they became pregnant.

   Women with high levels of the biomarker were 29 per cent less likely to get pregnant each month than those with low levels, the researchers found.

   They were also more than twice as likely to be declared infertile.

   Hypnotherapy has been proven to help reduce stress levels and helping couples to conceive is one of the most rewarding things to be able to be involved in. If you would like to speak to me in confidence then just call 07980 233160 or email me at [email protected]