IVF treatment has been popping up in the news over the past week, for a number of reasons. There’s no doubt that for some couples, IVF is the answer to their prayers. But it does come at a cost, and won’t fix the underlying problems, so the success rate varies greatly depending on what these underlying problems are for each person.

Natural fertility treatment, on the other hand, differs in its approach by taking a holistic view of the person in order to treat what’s at the heart of their infertility, be it polycystic ovaries, irregular cycle, low sperm count or even unexplained infertility. And what’s more, just three months’ natural fertility treatment will result in healthier eggs, healthier sperm and a healthier uterus, and could significantly improve the chances of success of IVF treatment if that’s the route the person decides to take.

So if you’re currently thinking about your options and trying to decide which route is best for you, then why not consider an integrated approach to give yourself the best possible chance of having a baby?

PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) affects over 25% of women. For 10% of us, the symptoms can be debilitating - literally a monthly headache - and worse.

Symptoms appear between twelve and five days before your period and disappear as it starts. You may feel tired, irritable, become forgetful, and unable to sleep. Headaches, back and breast pain, abdominal bloating, or weird food cravings are all common complaints.

But it’s not just ‘your time of the month’. Homeopaths understand that PMS is usually related to a hormone imbalance, and if you’re trying to get pregnant, this is something to be addressed as it may be preventing conception.

Hormone imbalances can result from a combination of physical and emotional factors and have a tendency to run in families, plus long-term chronic stress may also contribute. If you’ve just come off the pill it may take a while for things to re-balance themselves.

A diet which is high in processed foods, animal fats, dairy and refined sugar, and low in whole grains, fruit and veg can make you more prone to PMS symptoms. And a lack of vitamins such as A, C, E and B complex may also make the problem worse.

Homeopathic treatment could help rebalance your hormones and rid you of PMS symptoms, rather than masking them with painkillers, antidepressants or diuretics.

So you don’t have to put up with PMS, and rebalancing your hormones could help your fertility too!

When you’re trying for a baby, you may be feeling anxious and stressed about why it’s not happening. Lovemaking can become mechanical and routine - and frankly dull.

For the best chance of conception, you need to recapture the joyful and carefree sex you enjoyed when you first got together. So says Dr Allan Pacey, secretary of the British Fertility Society, in an Observer article in March.

Men produce around 250 million sperm during intercourse. With greater stimulation and a few minutes more sexual activity before ejaculation, this can increase by 25 million, according to Dr Pacey. Not only that, but sperm have been found to be healthier and higher quality which can help conception.

For women, reaching orgasm isn’t just about pleasure. They too can increase their fertility as muscular contractions and pressure changes can help draw sperm up into the cervix and the uterus.

So don’t limit yourselves to scheduled sex. Remember that you have a loving relationship, take pleasure from one another, and you never know what might happen!