In July 2011, on a routine visit to my GP, I mentioned that there was a history of early menopause in my family which concerned me. I was 30 at the time and planning my wedding so starting a family straight away was something my husband and I both wanted. I was sent to a fertility clinic in Dublin for tests and, even though there is no definite test that can be carried out to detect early menopause, they tested my AMH and FSH. A month later I received the results and was really upset to find that I had a low AMH score of 9, much lower than what it should be for my age.
I spent some time researching all about AMH and grew more concerned the more I read. A close friend advised me that I should go and see Siobhan Kehoe. I was sceptical at first but learning that Siobhan was a qualified midwife was a great reassurance.
My first appointment with Siobhan was in April. I told her my worries about my AMH and for the first time in months I felt so much better. Siobhan told me not to focus too much on AMH scores and that, even though my result was a little low, that positive changes could happen in the next 6 months. I left that day feeling reassured and more positive than I had been in months.
After that initial appointment I saw Siobhan every 3 weeks and she prescribed me with Chinese Herbs to take daily. Siobhan was always eager to know about my menstrual cycle and always maintained that a woman’s period was an indicator to how everything was working. I always had quite heavy, clotty periods with painful cramping. Throughout the course of taking the herbs this started to change and my periods became lighter with less clots and less cramping.
In early August 2012, I noticed a small amount of spotting a week before my period. Hoping that it might be a sign of implantation I took a pregnancy test. After four months of treatment, herbs and watching my diet I was thrilled to discover I was pregnant.
The first few weeks of pregnancy were nerve wrecking as I prayed that everything would be ok. I continued to go and see Siobhan and found her a great source of not only information and advice but reassurance too. Being a qualified midwife herself it was great to be able to call on her with the slightest question. Siobhan advised me that an early scan at 8 weeks would be beneficial to check all was ok, as I had a very small amount of spotting at 7 weeks.
My very healthy baby girl was born at term. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Siobhan to anyone concerned about their fertility. She has been absolutely great over the last couple of months, always professional but so friendly and caring also. I can’t thank her enough.
Sinead, Wexford