Kate Silverton" understands the heartache" of women struggling to conceive.
Kate Silverton can understand the heartache of women struggling to conceive
The former BBC newsreader has in recent years paused her career in television to become a counsellor and admitted that she can relate to the women who speak to her about fertility issues because she herself went through several failed rounds of IVF before having 11-year-old Clemency and eight-year-old Wilbur with husband Mike Heron and urged fans to "take care" of themselves amid the trauma of not being able to have a child.
She told The Sunday People's Love Sunday magazine: "Take care of you. Because the process of IVF takes its toll physically as well as mentally. I got to the point where I accepted that we weren't going to be able to have children, so we went the full journey. I understand the heartache, I really do. Another important thing in these circumstances is being able to grieve if things don't go according to plan. We have to learn how to grieve, because all that stress has to come out somehow. I've counselled lots of women who phoned to tell me they'd had a miscarriage, and I'd tell them, 'You've got to grieve. You can't just do what comes naturally and say that you're fine, because you're not. "I know I definitely did that, but I tell these women that I want to see snot and tears, because getting those things out clears the way for the next stage."
The former 'Strictly Come Dancing' star went on to advise that any woman in the early stages of IVF should seek a reason as to why she is struggling to conceive and recalled that she did "a lot of therapy" which ultimately helped her get pregnant.
She added: "My advice for someone going through the early stages of IVF is, first and foremost, find out if there's a reason behind the infertility.
"I did a lot of therapy, and I'm convinced that's what helped me to conceive. Nutrition and sleep were also key. And you need to look at your wider environment and try not to see yourself as being on the back foot. Take control of your circumstances. Throw yourself into it and keep yourself open.