I am an Italian nutritionist and for the last decade I have been helping both men and women with fertility issues. At first my interest was born for personal reasons, but over time it has become a professional passion too.
I have personally experienced 9 years of trying to get pregnant, naturally and with IVF, and I know what it’s like to lose children. I know what it means to go to a doctor full of hope and to leave with so many uncertainties and hopes that vanish. I have consulted several doctors and never gave up regardless of my negative diagnoses, but I’ve always looked for alternative solutions to the various immunological problems I have. I remember every moment of those nine years spent hoping for a baby, and there are moments that have affected me so much which has led me to have such deep empathy for my patients and to just want to help.
The pain you experience throughout this path, or when you no longer feel the baby inside you, can only be understood by those who have experienced it.
This experience has marked me forever, but I reached a point when I could not shed another tear because the pain had overwhelmed me. At this moment, I made the decision to turn that pain into something constructive. So I began to train as a fertility nutritionist helping those who unfortunately are struggling to make their dreams come true.
In Italy, IVF is a very difficult path, waiting lists through the national healthcare system are very long, the wait can be over 2 years, unless you go “out of the region” where sometimes the wait is shorter.
Despite the fact that many couples face fertility issues, sadly in some Italian regions it is still seen as a taboo.
Unlike other countries, sadly in Italy the nutritional impact on fertility is not taken as seriously. There are few professionals here who are concerned with the nutrition-related aspect. In my opinion, clinics here should be proposing and/or offering nutritional support, because only then would patients understand its importance.
I still hear from patients saying things like: does changing your diet really help?
When I started to train as a nutritionist, I studied and read alot on American and English sites looking at how food influences hormones. Also how a “proper” diet is helpful for those trying to conceive, especially if they have been trying without success.
The pursuit of parenthood for others led me to work overseas and taught me alot and made me realise how important aspects were often overlooked.
It was these experiences, along with all the research that I have done, which made me understand how much the nutritional factor is essential to having a baby, both for those who are looking for a natural pregnancy and those who are facing fertility treatment.
A couple of years ago I held a seminar entitled “Fertility: a key role in nutrition” for the Nutrition School Salernita (SNS) of Buoniconti Francesco, where I talked about the importance of food to aid conception. I loved doing this and being able to highlight the necessity to communicate this to those struggling to conceive.
It has been an experience and journey that has enriched me too because it has allowed me to deal with, and deepen many aspects, which for so many years I often missed.
From my heart, I wish the best of luck to those of you who are struggling, and what I always tell my patients is to never give up, if you have any issues, do get yourself checked as there could be something that can be resolved once diagnosed and to look after yourself throughout the process through diet and fitness too.
Dott.ssa Veronica Corsetti phD
Thank you so much to Dott Veronica Corsetti for her heartfelt advice and for sharing her story.