Zita West: Less stress to help conceive

For many couples, conception takes longer than you might think and one in six couples have problems conceiving. According to Britain's best-known midwife Zita West, the stress of it all can make conception even harder.
West has been baby guru to Hollywood A-listers such as Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett as well as Sophie, Countess of Wessex. At her London clinic she takes an integrated approach to pregnancy and birth, combining sound medical advice with therapies and counselling. She has a reputation for getting amazing results with couples who are struggling to conceive, particularly those undergoing IVF.

Now, thanks to her new book, Zita West's Guide to Fertility and Assisted Conception, we can all benefit from her expertise. West says she interviewed "all the top doctors in the field of fertility and IVF" for the book. Their bottom line? "When you look at what is stopping people from getting pregnant," she says, "the common theme is stress."

Around 23 per cent of infertility cases are "unexplained". But West believes that around 80 per cent of these cases could be down to the wrong mindset.

This is an area of some clinical debate. After all, women conceive in war zones and famines. And surely the last thing any stressed couples need is to berate themselves for not being relaxed enough? West agrees. "You have to take the pressure off," she says. "And that's not easy."

To read more go to http://bit.ly/c6EoZ9