Clomid - and smoking !

[Jourdan]

Hi there

I am soon to be a qualified reflexologist- next month. I used my friend to practice on - not as a case study as I felt it was not right. Can you please tell me if I was wrong...........she is on Clomid and she smokes! I am no baby expert apart from having 2 of my own, but having read alot of midwifery/maternity info and hope to go down that path with maternity reflexology and fertility/infertility issues, I just did not want to treat her as she was smoking too. I am just recently friends with her - her daughter is friends with my daughter and I felt a little uncomfortable with her smoking also. It is not up to us to judge people who smoke or any other issue for that matter but I was a little uncomfortable with it and I assume a major factor for her not getting pregnant 'could' be the smoking? I would be grateful for your help. I so wish her to get pregnant and wish her the best of luck but surely smoking is just adding more problems? I did say that it is best for a healthy lifestyle, partner to take zinc, cut out smoking, exercise etc etc, as a friend. But she has not listened to me! It just makes me cross she is not helping herself. What can I do. She has just finishedher 2nd cycle of Clomid and I did not treat her whilst she was taking it. I did not feel at ease whilst she was taking Clomid to treat her.


Just to clarify - after I keep waffling ..... should i have continued to treat whilst taking Clomid. There are many posts I have read about not to treat / to treat whilst taking infertility drugs, but what are the facts here how many people would as reflexologists actually treat a client who is taking Clomid or similar drugs.

HELP!! PLEASE I am confused. When I do maternity reflexology I am sure it will all become clearer but for now - I just so want to help her.
Thanks so much.
Waffle over

 

[sueauuvnihzigxexa]

Dear TJG

Congratulations on nearly qualifying. I'll be due to qualify (hopefully) in July this year.

I hear what you're saying in your post and I am treating my best friend as a case study who is in a very similar position. She is hoping to be prescribed clomid by her GP soon and I have mixed feelings about this, but she is in her mid 30s and is not desperate to have kids, but also recognises that if she's going to do it, it needs to be now. Possibly unlike your friend, she has PCOS and suspected endometriosis so clomid could help her. I hope to continue treating her throughout and ideally into her pregnancy, should she achieve it, way past a case study basis.

I feel the benefits of having someone there entirely concerned for your wellbeing far out way the potential concerns about treating a client taking clomid. You can only offer your best and informed advice concerning lifestyle choices and I feel smoking cannot be the only factor at play in this situation as so much can affect your endocrine system to throw it out of balance, let alone any other physiological/mental factors. As long as I have known my friend (more than half my life now!) she has had problems with her menstruation and that has continued despite all sorts of factors that we have gone through as we grew up.

I'm waffling now too, but you should feel confident to treat this person irrespectively because you obviously care about her (enough to ask the question), but don't be down on her about the smoking. Trust me, she knows the risks and she will give up if her need is great enough. Ditto the exercise, etc. I feel exactly the same as you, and am currently throwing information at my friend about the best nutrition, coping mechanisms for stress, etc, etc, for her condition, but if she doesn't want to take any of these things on board, that is her decision and I have to respect that, but at least I can wholeheartedly say I tried!!

Good luck with the course in September and I hope this gives you some confidence!
Love
JoJo

 

[Puddy Tat]

Hi,

Giving a reflexology treatment while a client is taking Clomid seems very contradictory. So does smoking!!

Reflexology is trying to balance the body and encourage a monthly cycle producing one egg at a time. Clomid encourages more eggs to be produced and so, both treatments would compete with one another. Best to stop treatments until the course of medication is completed is my understanding.

As for smoking. Well!! I'm afraid I am not very tolerant of smokers. It is their choice of course, but if someone came to me wanting help I would expect them to at least cut down. I would never tell them to give up (far too stressful for them and it is not my place to do so) but they would have to work with me not against. Ethically I don't think I could refuse a smoker any treatment after all, the treatment may help them to cut down.


Maggie xx

 

[oixjfrvr]

As someone who suffers from infertility reflexology is always something that I've been told is a good thing.

 

[jvjonster]

Hi Moshe
Thank you for your reply. My word I posted this 12 months ago and forgot all about it. Having qualified since and also been to your wonderful course. I have since worked with a couple of ladies who are having difficulty conceiving and now trying to encourage the man in their lives to have a treatment too. Since writing this post a year ago I have learnt alot but unfortunately the lady in question still has not conceived but is going down the IVF route as did her sister a few years ago. Our paths do not cross now as much as it did, but hopefully in the near future she will have some good news.

Many thanks
T x

 

[warlock121]

Hi TJG

Oooooops!

Yes, now I saw that you posted this message a year ago....
I saw Feb.19th, didn't pay attention to the year.

Sorry for that.

Moshe