I am from a fairly scientific background and wasn't sure how acupuncture would be able to help but was prepared to try just about anything. The consultations involved answering a lot of questions, and whilst the relevance of some of them wasn't always immediately obvious, thinking and talking about many different aspects of my lifestyle, personality and environment was very helpful. Stephanie has a very gentle and positive approach and I would always walk out of her room feeling better than when I went in. I feel that her help played a significant role enabling me to get into a better state of physical and emotional balance. We are now blessed with two beautiful boys, and that is something I never thought I'd be able to say.

In my first session with Stephanie she not only performed the acupuncture, but she encouraged me to open up and talk freely about what I had been through and I realised that my mental state was suffering too. Stephanie explained that to understand the body is to understand the mind and very quickly I felt mentally and physically improved. I initially thought that acupuncture was more spiritual that anything else, but soon learned that it is also scientific and you feel your body respond amazingly to the needles (which do NOT hurt). After 18 months of weekly session with Stephanie, we conceived naturally and I gave birth to my son Joseph in November 2009 and in October 2011 I gave birth to my daughter Grace. I had acupuncture treatment throughout my pregnancy with Joe, which helped to relieve some of the unpleasant symptoms. I had to have a C-Section but shocked my doctor and midwife with an unusually speedy recovery. I wondered at the time if that was thanks to Stephanie’s treatment. Whilst pregnant with Grace I was no longer having acupuncture sessions as I had no childcare. I had another section unfortunately, but this time it was a very different story, It took 2 months for me to heal after countless infections. Was that just a coincidence? I say absolutely not.

I started treatment with Stephanie a few weeks before our second attempt and I definitely felt a difference in my mind and body, much more relaxed and positive! Our second attempt resulted in a pregnancy, which unfortunately ended in early miscarriage but it was progress. I continued acupuncture and after a few months and feeling much more balanced and relaxed we had our third attempt at IVF, which resulted in our son. When he was 8 months old we discovered I was pregnant naturally which we never thought would happen. I found my treatment with Stephanie beneficial in many ways; very relaxing and a feeling of real interest in my wellbeing - I didn’t just feel like a patient but a friend!

We tried unsuccessfully for over five years and I am now blessed to be six months pregnant. Like most couples who are suffering with fertility problems our first port of call was my GP. Their automatic response was suggesting a number of tests and different treatments ranging from ovulation stimulating drugs to eventually IVF. I undertook numerous tests monitoring my hormones levels but as I had such an irregular cycle, timing was always an issue and the results offered very little information. I was put onto Clomid for ten months but again this had no impact and as my periods were so irregular testing to see if I was ovulating was impossible. Our frustration was increasing as we just couldn’t conceive and it really was putting a strain on both my husband and me. I felt the whole time I was counting dates and on an emotional rollercoaster. The different hormone treatments were affecting my emotional state and I felt like I constantly had PMT with mood swings, tiredness, headaches and lots of tears! I was due to start my first IVF treatment in October 2010 when I discover to my amazement I was pregnant. An early scan at 6 weeks confirmed this however my 12-week scan revelled I had suffered a missed miscarriage at 10 weeks. I was devastated. It took me a long time to recover and we decided to stop all treatments. Six months later a friend suggested acupuncture as they had heard of its fantastic benefits. I was skeptical at first but I am now a converted believer and wish I had started earlier. I started my acupuncture treatment with Stephanie in May 2011, going to weekly sessions. She made me feel totally relaxed and for the first time I felt she listened to me, understanding what I was going through and not disregarding it. Within a few weeks I had a period, the first in a few months and certainly felt more energetic, less emotional and positive. By June 2011 I was pregnant again. Although I was scarred of miscarrying Stephanie really helped by keeping me positive and focusing the acupuncture treatments on holding on to the baby. Sadly I suffered another missed miscarriage at nine weeks. I continued with the acupuncture as it helped me with my grieving process and I feel I was in a much better position to deal with the second miscarriage. Stephanie made me feel completely at ease and I was able to really talk to her about how I was feeling. This in itself was such a relief and I don’t think I would have coped as well without her. I started a natural monthly cycle after my miscarriage and fell pregnant again for the third time by September 2011. I am now 24 weeks pregnant and due to give birth in May. After trying for so long to conceive, undergoing test after test, waiting for appointments and never getting any answers, within a year of starting acupuncture I fell pregnant twice and feel a totally different person. I have been able to cope much better with the emotional as well as physical obstacles. I am more positive, calmer and rational. The acupuncture helped with symptoms of early pregnancy allowing them to be more manageable and I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of my current pregnancy. I cannot promote enough the benefits of acupuncture and have since suggested acupuncture to so many people. Infertility is a very personal and emotional journey for any couple. Although Western medicine is marvelous and has assisted so many couples overcome problems I would recommend acupuncture to support treatments. It tackles both the emotional energies as well as the physical and to me both are as important as each other. I have been blessed to meet Stephanie and she has helped and supported me through so much.

At first I was skeptical but on my 1st session I came away feeling much calmer and positive about trying to conceive again. I'd been advised to have at least 6 sessions and was overjoyed but anxious to announce a month later I'd fallen pregnant. Stephanie had paid particular attention to my menstrual cycle. All my previous pregnancies were dated later than expected except this one, which worked out exact. I am a firm believer that acupuncture assisted this successful pregnancy and Stephanie comes highly recommended as a professional who sensitively takes on board and considers both emotional and physical ailments.

The spotlight was then turned on my husband. He was just about to undergo a second round of testing when we were amazed and delighted to discover that I was pregnant. When it became time to seriously try again I had the internet at my disposal. After 9 months I made an appointment with the doctor to get the ‘western medicine’ ball rolling and appointments for both me and my husband with Stephanie. This time our tests were carried out concurrently and 4 months later we had confirmed the diagnosis of ‘undiagnosed subfertility’ and received our referral to the fertility clinic. It was at this point we were again amazed and delighted to discover that I was pregnant. I am a fairly scientific and analytical person so I was unsure as to how acupuncture could help but following internet research and the experiences of a couple of friends I was willing to try it as a reasonable and affordable treatment at this point. I found Stephanie to be patient, genuinely sympathetic and understanding yet practical and realistic. She was obviously very knowledgeable (I asked many questions during my sessions) and scientific herself and therefore credible as a serious practitioner. I was also immediately comfortable in her presence which was probably largely due to the sensitive and pragmatic way that she dealt with the initial interview. As anybody who has experienced infertility/subfertility and miscarriage will affirm, the subject is both painful and frustrating. After my experience I have not hesitated to recommend both acupuncture and Stephanie as a viable and effective alternative or complementary treatment to Western medicine for a variety of ailments/conditions