Hello Carole. Can you tell me about your educational and professional background?

Initially, I studied law, which led me to human resources. It's a very interesting profession, but I wanted to change direction... I decided to go into naturopathy as soon as I discovered this area, because it matched what I was doing in my personal life, without giving up the ‘human’ aspect. I simply approach it from a different angle. “Listening” and “human” aspects have always been present.

In a few words, what does the profession of naturopath involve?

The work of a naturopath is to maintain or restore health. Although the goal is always the same or virtually the same, the path taken to get there differs from person to person, which makes this profession dynamic and interesting. When I welcome a new person, it's as if I'm in unchartered waters. By assessing the person's vitality, I adapt my naturopathic tools to their case and implement the appropriate changes in their lifestyle. However, no changes are imposed. The approach is always hand-in-hand with the client. People really want to feel better, to be healthier, and I take care of that desire. The main limitation of the job is the commitment of the client.

My job satisfaction comes at the last session, because that means I've worked well and the person is much better than when they started. I love to see the sparkle in my clients’ eyes when they realise that they can take charge of their own health. I have witnessed a step in the journey of someone who needed help.

How does a naturopathy session and follow-up work?

The first session consists of a naturopathic vitality assessment. The aim is to get to know the client and understand ‘who you're dealing with’ from a naturopathic point of view. I take a kind of ‘snapshot’ of the present moment to understand how the body works, how the person eats, how the body evacuates and what the person's medical history is. Based on this assessment, an initial work plan is drawn up to address the issues. The first session lasts between 1h and 1h30.

Thereafter, there is a follow-up on the changes that may or may not have been made. If the changes have not been made, I try to understand why and find ways of adapting the needs to the person's capacity for change. If the changes have been made, I look at the results. My aim is to combine accessibility with effective follow-up.

When someone comes to you with an infertility problem, what happens during the session and the follow-up?

The woman generally comes alone, rarely with her partner. Sometimes I ask the partner to come too. Naturopathy will optimise and set the scene, before or during treatment. We don't work on pathology, but on lifestyle. Couples can be so well managed in IVF programs, that they may experience it as a deprivation of their ability to procreate which, in the subconscious of most people, should be ‘natural’. My support work gives them the feeling, psychologically, that they are actors of their journey. A woman may say to herself ‘I'm not normal, I'm not able to give birth, even though it's natural, and I need help to do it’. Naturopathy gives her back the ability to feel useful.

I'm going to share with you a concrete example that I experienced. A client came to see me after two rounds of ovarian stimulation with no result (no ‘usable’ follicles). Four months after we started working together to address this problem, a new stimulation yielded 6 follicles. She was happy, because she had played a role and had been involved in the process.

Do you monitor the couple or just the infertile partner?

As long as the person needs advice and does not yet feel confident about what they need to do to improve their lifestyle, the follow-up continues. As we do not work on pathologies, everyone can take action on their lifestyle. Naturopathy is above all a preventive approach. For that reason, we support couples with pathologies, but also those who have been told: ‘Everything's working fine.’

In terms of lifestyle, what are your recommendations for boosting fertility?

Above all, I recommend a healthy diet and bodily activity. Physical exercise will stimulate the body's emunctorial functions (the work of evacuating ‘waste’ from the body). During appointments, I personalise the diet, depending on the client. However, I can already advise prioritising eating plant-based foods (organic as often as possible), to avoid fast food as much as possible and to boost your energy with sources of vitamins instead of fat and sugar. That's a very good place to start.

It's important to remember that stress is an important part of our lives. Clients are often people who are fairly sensitive to stress, even anxious. What's more, their current journey is a source of stress.

Are there particular foods to encourage and/or supplements to take?

Organic quality foods because they are rich in micronutrients and above all limit the intake of potential toxic elements (heavy metals, pesticides, etc.), some of which have been recognised as endocrine disrupters. This is all the more important if an analysis of eating habits reveals excessive consumption of particularly exposed foods.

Do the recommendations differ according to gender?

Basically, we can say that the recommendations are unisex. However, support is tailored to the individual. So, depending on the person, and not just their sex, we look at which elements are consumer in excess and which should be introduced in the daily diet in order to achieve a balanced diet.

Do you recommend practices such as massage or acupuncture to boost fertility?

Massage can be of great help, particularly in relieving tension and promoting relaxation in people with a high stress profile. Acupuncture has shown encouraging results with regard to hypofertility. It is therefore recommended as a useful addition. On the other hand, care must be taken, as very often people with hypofertility who are actively trying to conceive tend to have multiple appointments with IVF specialists and alternative health practitioners. This often adds to the stress, as these people become exhausted, and feel, powerless as a result of ‘having tried everything’.

As for me, I sometimes suggest to someone that they focus on the technique or therapist with whom they feel they're making the most progress, and put the others on hold (including myself!). This has proved to be a winning strategy: the pressure is off, so the stress is reduced and the person is able to let go to some extent.

What do you do if it doesn't work out?

It's not an exact science. I regularly discuss the ‘what if it doesn't work’ scenario in my coaching. The idea is to be open to this possibility too, so that you don't feel totally disillusioned in the case of a difficult outcome. I recommend psychological support to address all the issues involved in such a process, and to give people the space to express themselves so that they can move forward despite everything. Supporting couples in infertility situations is a multidisciplinary approach, and I enjoy working as part of a wider team with colleagues (psychologists, doctors, etc.).