Assalaamu Alaikum! My name is Fatima Shaikh and I am an Integrative Fertility Coach supporting women and couples around the world. I came to my profession after multiple miscarriages and an unexplained infertility diagnosis over the span of seven years. Conventional medicine told me that I was healthy and to keep trying, but I felt as though I was broken and needed to be fixed. My identity and purpose were being challenged. I was depressed, felt shame, felt judged and I thought maybe… I was being punished. My mindset spiraled to an all time low and worked against my fertility goals. My husband felt helpless and we were both lost and confused, with only our faith to give us strength and solace. Any kind of infertility diagnosis is difficult and is amplified when you’re alone on the journey. Everyone’s experience is different. It has its own challenges and varies from person to person and couple to couple. Fertility and conception being taboos, it’s hard to talk to family and friends about it and when you do, it’s not exactly the kind of help or support you want or need. It’s overwhelming; made even more difficult with a lack of understanding, support or a go-to person who is in your corner. What we needed was someone to show up with empathy, compassion and direction. We needed someone to walk next to us, to guide us and to help us move forward without judgment. I spent way too much time on the computer researching (a million!) different things and it was exhausting. The mental load of infertility was heavy for both of us. Little did we know that it actually negatively impacts fertility. It took me years to understand how to help myself - how to help us. After all that researching and experimenting we were eventually blessed with our daughter and two years later we had our son. He was a surprise gift from Allah swt. I've turned my pain into my passion where I help women and couples who are on this path to navigate through those mental, emotional, social and physical aspects that challenge our mindset, our identity and our faith - and keep us stuck. My goal is to help you discover your stuck places and to help you navigate them so you can flourish. Fertility is a vital sign and it says a lot about your health. As bio-individuals, it’s important to understand yourself and know what specific dietary and lifestyle changes you need to make to dramatically boost your fertility. Infertility is often misunderstood as a women’s issue, but malefactor accounts for up to 50% of cases so it’s crucial for couples to work together on this journey and address underlying stressors and dismantle them. “Verily, Allah is with those who are patient.” (Qur’an 2:153) “Indeed Allah will not change the conditions of the people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran 13:11) In my practice, I work with clients to build a solid foundation for conception to occur through behavioural and lifestyle changes using a variety of tools and resources, however, I can only help those who are coachable and determined to make the changes necessary to create a harmonious environment for themselves, their future child(ren) and their family. As Your Integrative Fertility Coach, I will: listen deeply help you understand your body and your strength help you optimize your health and wellness help you navigate through your primary and secondary foods provide you with helpful resources that serve you guide you to making lifestyle changes that are right for you guide you to reframe your mindset hold a non-judgmental space for you with empathy hold you accountable be your cheerleader