Gail Madalena's Fertility Story

My background is from a fast paced career in the fashion industry. I embodied the London lifestyle - high stress, high expectations, striving for high achievements (hello burnout!)

I was a type A perfectionist, in all other areas of my life, hard work usually got me the results I desired. So when me and my husband decided we wanted to start a family, I thought it would happen quickly and without any issues. After all, I was fit and healthy, I worked out 5 times a week and ate a reasonably balanced diet…..However, my journey to motherhood was far from easy, and not being able to get pregnant or have any control over this totally threw me.

After coming off long-term contraceptive use, my cycles took over a year to return and were extremely irregular. I got diagnosed with lean PCOS, but was given very little guidance on how to manage this condition, particularly with fertility in mind. Unknowingly my diet and lifestyle were feeding into my symptoms and my stress levels were at an all time high. My husband also had testing, which showed he had a very low sperm count and poor morphology. Our GP gave us a bleak prognosis on our chances of conceiving naturally and even suggested IVF would likely fail. 

Being a mother was all I had ever wanted, so to say I was heartbroken was an understatement. Nothing prepares you for the monthly disappointment of negative pregnancy tests, and the consequent breakdowns with every period that arrives. I know that feeling of agony when everyone around you is falling pregnant so easily, when it’s just not happening for you. 

Unsuccessfully trying for a baby is all consuming, emotionally

draining and it fricking sucks!

I have always had a love for fitness and nutrition and had already made the decision to re-train in this field before we started trying for a baby. As my studies progressed I began to see areas in my life that could be improved. Me and my husband began to incorporate the diet, lifestyle and supplementation advice I was learning about into our day to day routines. Slowly but surely my cycles began to regulate. My stress levels reduced and I felt and looked healthier. We were on a long waiting list for our initial IVF consultation and the treatment schedule was complex and long-winded, not to mention I had the very loud ticking time bomb of my age constantly in my mind. There was literally no advice or support network to help us navigate through this, so I took matters into my own hands and spent hours pouring over the latest research and trying holistic strategies on myself.

I was tracking my cycle religiously and by this point knew my body and the way it subtly changed throughout my cycle, and something felt different. I did a pregnancy test, not daring to believe it could ever be positive, but it was. I genuinely couldn’t believe the power of this natural approach and how it had worked. Of course this swiftly turned to anxiety about keeping the baby and hence my research continued into pregnancy nutrition. I went on to have a healthy pregnancy and now have my little boy Rocco. 

As a practitioner I truly believe you can’t understand the emotional impact of gynaecological issues and infertility unless you have lived and breathed it. I am so passionate about this subject because it has touched my life and affected me on a deeply personal level. Compassion is at the heart of everything I offer with the clients I work with.

When it comes to fertility and women's health a lot of the information out there can feel too scientific or hard to navigate. My goal is to cut through all the noise, give you information you can trust and translate this into easily understood and practical advice, listening with empathy and injecting a little fun into what feels like a very heavy topic. I have helped hundreds of women and couples rewrite their stories and I’d love to do the same for you.