Positive Health Online

There is an ongoing argument in homeopathy as to whether one should always practice 'classical homeopathy' – searching for the constitutional remedy and prescribing only that (acutes excepted), or 'complex homeopathy', where more than one remedy might be prescribed at the same time to approach the case on different levels.

In my experience, both methods have a lot to offer and both are indicated in clinical practice, depending on the case and the presenting condition. Susan's case was one such that required a multi-headed approach.

Susan had suffered throughout her reproductive life from moderate polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) which greatly affected her fertility.

Ten years earlier she had given birth to premature twins after several cycles of fertility treatment. Thankfully the twins survived.

Since that time, she had divorced her then husband and has been with another partner for many years. Susan was 39 and desperately wanted another child with her partner before she became too old. She decided to embark upon fertility treatment again, but each of the three cycles failed totally and she was told that she was no longer a candidate for treatment, since the likelihood of her responding was very low. So, a few months after the cessation of the fertility treatment, feeling very despondent, several thousand pounds worse off and with menstrual periods all over the place, she arrived at my clinic.

From my side of the desk two things were clear – firstly, that this was a complex case with many levels, and secondly, that one of the first things I needed to do was to regulate her periods. I decided that constitutional treatment should tackle this and help to strengthen her generally. After taking the case I decided to prescribe Natrum muriaticum 30c. Susan presented a very reserved character, practical and sensitive to what others thought. She tended to be solitary, liking her own company or just that of her own family nucleus, all typical of this remedy. A couple of prescriptions a month apart saw the periods settle down to a regular monthly cycle and Susan's despondency had evaporated. I carried on with the monthly Nat. mur. prescription whilst I switched to dealing with the infertility.

I decided to approach the infertility on several levels. Susan was given nutritional and lifestyle advice for both herself and her partner and she was given tips regarding the best intercourse positions to adopt for conception to occur. Homeopathically, I decided to use glandular remedies to stimulate her ovaries to ovulate. When doing this we often prescribe the opposite sex gonad in homeopathic form, so alongside the Nat. mur. Susan received a prescription of Orchitinum 12c, one tablet daily for fourteen days.

Orchitinum is a remedy in a form we call a 'sarcode' – a remedy made from healthy tissue, in this case the testicle. After a couple of months on this programme, Susan reported that she felt like she was ovulating. I must admit that I was a little sceptical about this so soon, so we decided to test to see if hormone levels indicated ovulation had taken place. Sure enough, this was the case. Susan ovulated monthly for the next three months, so we held our breath hoping that it was just a matter of time before the sexual intercourse techniques played their part! Another two weeks on and I got a telephone call to say she was pregnant. The Orchitinum was stopped and I carried on with the Nat.mur. 30c.

Due to Susan's obstetric history, she was monitored very closely, but unfortunately she miscarried at nine weeks. This was a severe blow to Susan, but with the help of the constitutional remedy and a Bach Flower combination support, she overcame the grief of the miscarriage and her periods remained normal. Tests indicated that the miscarriage was possibly due to very low levels of progesterone.

After careful discussion with Susan it was decided to start the programme again, but this time I also included Lutein 30c to be taken at the time of ovulation for three days, the idea being that this remedy made from healthy corpus luteum would stimulate Susan's own corpus luteum to produce enough progesterone until the placenta took over.

Two months after the miscarriage I received another call to say that Susan was pregnant again. We dropped the Orchitinum, but carried on with the Nat. mur. and Lutein. After the first trimester we stopped all treatment but were in regular contact just in case of any problems.

However, the pregnancy progressed well. I saw Susan in June 2003 and we discussed a birth kit of homeopathic remedies and how it should be used in order to deal with any problems that might occur during the labour and delivery. As I write this article the baby is due, at full term, in a week's time. I hope to be seeing mother and baby (plus champagne of course!) very soon.

The case illustrated above shows how complex homeopathy played a major role in increasing Susan's fertility in this complicated case. I do not feel that solely relying on Nat. mur. as the constitutional remedy would have been sufficient for the job. Classicists will, I know, disagree with me, but, at the end of the day, Susan has achieved her goal of becoming pregnant and carrying the baby to term when the odds were very much against her. This case is not intended to describe a 'blueprint' of remedy application for the treatment of infertility. Both male and female infertility can be due to many different causes and the choice of remedies and application of remedies will vary greatly from case to case when taking this into account. We know of the benefits of nutrition and detoxification in this type of case, but the power of homeopathy and the role it has to play is not to be underestimated.

Addendum

Susan had a baby girl born in July; both mother and baby are extremely well. I gave her many tips regarding the use of Vitamin E oil etc, and she had an easy labour and a very easy birth; no stitches or tears.