About Us
For many of us, having a child is the most creative and important thing we can do in our lives. It's one of the most natural as well. The desire to reproduce is, after all, one of our strongest sub-conscious drives.
When It Comes To Making Babies, It Pays to Prepare
But even though the process is as natural as can be, you may be surprised at how much control we have over its outcome. Knowledge, as they say, is power, and there are so many things we know these days about how human reproduction works, and the many and various factors that influence it, which we can use to improve every aspect of the process and its outcome.
Fertility, conception, pregnancy and birth are whole body events, and the unrivalled success of our clinic suggests that an integrated, holistic approach to preparing for them - combining the best of orthodox medicine with an equal focus on the whole person and their lifestyle - can pay dividends.
The More Your Body Is In Balance, The Better The Outcome Is Likely To Be
We firmly believe that the best results come from considering both partners' health and wellness in the round, and not just the mechanics of reproduction - important though they are. And that the more the human body is in balance - physically, nutritionally, and emotionally - the better the reproductive process is likely to work and the better the outcome is likely to be. Using these methods we help hundreds of couples each year to get pregnant, who've previously tried for months and years without success, and hundreds more, who are already pregnant, to have the best possible pregnancy and birth and the healthiest and brightest baby they can. We've years of experience to offer in how to prepare the body for IVF too, all of which can help improve the chances of success, as well as in helping to overcome the problem of recurrent miscarriage.
Small Differences Can Be Important
The human body is a sensitive and complex organism, especially when it comes to reproduction. Small differences in our reproductive status at each stage of the process can lead to problems, or benefits, later on. A multiplicity of factors, such as lifestyle, nutrition, weight, fitness, stress-levels, hormonal balance, and emotional and psychological well-being, all have a role to play. It's obviously sensible to be sure that they are all working in your favour, if you can.
Use as Much Or As Little As You Like
But don't worry, this doesn't involve signing up for some endless series of consultations and treatments! For some couples, a single "Fertility Check" or "Pregnancy Check" with one of our consultant midwives, or our fertility nurse, may be all you'll need to understand where you are now and how to get where you want to. Alternatively, you may prefer to use our fabulous team of specialists to help make some or all of the recommended changes and improvements for you. The choice, as always, is yours.
With Just One Consultation You'll Have A Clearer Picture of Where You Are And What You Can Do
Either way, after your first consultation, you'll leave the clinic with a clearer picture not only of your current reproductive status, but a personalised and focussed plan of action too. Based on your answers to our uniquely comprehensive "Five Star" questionnaire we will review, in depth, each of the five main areas we have found to be the most influential in determining the prospects for fertility and pregnancy (General Health & Fitness; Reproductive Health; Nutritional Health; Psychological and Emotional Health; and Stress) identifying problem, or potential problem areas, if there are any, and areas for improvement (which there nearly always are!). In some cases we may need to refer you for further medical tests or investigations, all of which we can organise for you, if you like, with our own team of gynaecologists or our sperm specialist.
All Our Services Are Available On An Ad Hoc Basis As Well As Part Of A More Comprehensive Programme Of Care
If you are one those couples who already have your planning and preparation under control (well done) but just want to book in for some medical advice or a specific complementary treatment, we are happy to help here too. We like to think we have assembled a team of the finest specialists there are in fertility and pregnancy, and no matter where you start or stop in using our range of services, you can have the reassurance of knowing that there will always be someone on hand to answer any questions, or address any issues, that may arise. However much or little you use us, we're here to support you every step of the way.
Some Members Of Our Team
Some of the senior members of our team:
Zita West:
Zita West has been involved in fertility and pregnancy now for over 25 years, as a midwife, a nutritional advisor, an acupuncturist and as an author and consultant. Over that time thousands of couples have come to her for advice on how to get into into optimum shape - physiologically, nutritionally and emotionally - for all the vital stages of childbirth from pre-conception to conception, to pregnancy and the months immediately after birth.
More and more evidence points to the contribution that the right combination of diet, exercise, lifestyle changes and natural therapies can make not only to our chances of a happy and healthy pregnancy but to our unborn baby's health and all-round potential too. Zita is acknowledged as one of Europe's leading experts on how each of us can improve our prospects at each key stage of the reproductive process through natural means or, if necessary, through medical intervention.
Zita has written a number of books, the most recent of which is "The Zita West Guide to Getting Pregnant" (published in the UK by Harper Thorsons, £14.99).
Jane Knight:
Jane Knight is a qualified nurse, midwife and fertility counsellor and has been a member of the Zita West team for 5 years. She has over 25 year's experience in NHS general practice supporting couples planning pregnancy. Jane is a national and international trainer in fertility awareness for health professionals and has authored scientific papers, a book and a web-site about fertility. She was fomerly a fertility researcher at the University of Oxford.
Anita O'Neill:
Anita O'Neill joined the Clinic in 2005 as Group Practice Manager and Consultant Midwife and leads our pregnancy support services. Anita has been a midwife for 23 years, having spent 10 years as Senior Midwife and Manager at the Birth Unit of the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in London, one of Britain's leading private hospitals.
Anita completed her MSC in 1999, for which her final thesis focussed on the support and emotional issues for women in the transition to parenthood. She has a wealth of experience, especially in the field of integrated health-care, water-birth and active-birth and has lectured extensively in the UK, Ireland and Japan.
Dr Raj Rai:
Dr Raj Rai is one of the UK's leading gynaecologists and miscarriage specialists. Based at St Mary's Hospital, London and Imperial College, London, Dr Rai works alongside the Clinic to offer the first integrated approach in the UK to overcoming miscarriage. This combines the latest clinical thinking, with nutritional therapy, lifestyle management and other established complementary therapies, where relevant. Tailored to your individual circumstances, this unique service offers a complete package of care and investigates every aspect of miscarriage, involving both partners. It is uniquely designed to help identify and resolve potential problems and to better prepare both partners for successful conception in the future.
Dr Sheryl Homa:
Dr Sheryl Homa is an embryologist and a scientist and she heads up the male fertility programme at the Clinic. Sheryl began her career as an independent research scientist working on egg maturation and spent 9 years as Scientific Director of several fertility units in both the public and private sectors.
