More targeted, less random

That’s crucial, according to Nicola, because it’s actually very hard to fall pregnant – as most infertile couples know only too well. She cites fertility expert Dr Robert Winston, who once noted that even a couple in their early 20s, having sex every day for a year, have only a 15% chance of falling pregnant each month. Given the complexities associated with IVF – including the physical and emotional symptoms caused by the rise of hormones surging through your body – it makes sense to limit your attempts to times when the process is most likely to succeed. Nicola is emphatic about this, pointing out that IVF treatments are a costly exercise that place pressure on a couple. “The fewer treatments you have, the better,” she states. “Astrology fertility removes the random element from the process so that you use less medication. That, in itself, is desirable, but it also means that there’s less impact on your sex life, so there’s less loss of intimacy and less resentment.”

How does fertility astrology work?

A fertility astrology consult is similar to other sessions with an astrologist, in that you provide the time, date, and place of your birth. The astrologer uses these to create your astrological signature and derive the best potential times for baby-making. Nicola says that, regretfully, she doesn’t hear back from all her clients, but she is generally 75% accurate in her predictions. That said, there is a demand for her services, which led her to release an app, FertilityAstrology (available on Google Play and iTunes), which gives couples the opportunity to access the same information she usually provides through her hour-long Skype sessions. Nicola is clear on the fact that her advice is intended as a guide only; she is not a fertility specialist. She does, however, work closely with gynaecologists and medical experts and her anecdotal evidence is astounding: “I made my first prediction around fertility during my second year practicing as an astrologer. The client had tried to fall pregnant for five years, but she and her partner ultimately divorced. She contacted me for advice about work, and on the strength of my predictions in that area reached out to me again when she was about to adopt a child. I told her that she would, in fact, fall pregnant with the child of her former partner; something that she believed would be impossible as she was 43 and he was living overseas. As it turned out, she ended up visiting him and one thing led to another – she gave birth to his baby nine months later.”

A specialist’s view

Dr Candice Morrison, a gynaecologist at Wijnland Fertility Clinic, Cape Town, maintains that there is a place for alternative or complementary medicine. “Lunar cycles and menstruation have been linked for thousands of years, with the menstrual cycle being the same length as a lunar cycle (28 days). However, in Western societies we have lost this link. Modern cities are filled with bright lights and cycles have been regulated with the Pill.” Dr Morrison says there is certainly truth in the observation that ovaries go through good months where they stimulate well and bad months when they don’t respond to the medication. If astrology can help to predict which months are better to begin treatment, Morrison would recommend it to those patients who ask for alternative therapies while they undergo fertility treatment. “Most of the patients we see have tried everything and are desperate, so I certainly support exploring all possibilities,” she concludes.