Valerie Salt - Fertility Coach and Consultant

Valerie Salt - Fertility Coach and Consultant Fertility Coach and Acupuncturist. Helping Couples and SMBCs to optimise their fertility.

This post is more for my colleagues around the country and those addressing health and fitness in perimenopause. Even co...
29/09/2025

This post is more for my colleagues around the country and those addressing health and fitness in perimenopause. Even coaches need coaches sometimes!

I wanted to take my fitness to the next level, and, I really don’t want to say this out loud, work on getting rid of some stubborn belly fat!

I had been trying for a while to eat according to the rules that worked for me in my late 20s and early 30s but nothing was changing. Perimenopause had gradually started to impact my ability to lose fat and I didn’t feel like I could do it alone.

I have been following Amy for a while and I have been interested in the way that she works, especially as I have a new found love for weights. I decided that the time was right to get some support and accountability!

One thing that has really surprised me, is the amount of support that Amy can give, even from a distance. From filming sets of reps for feedback, to messaging in an app and having guidance videos relating to lots of areas of fitness, hormone health and wellbeing, it has been a wonderful experience so far.

Working with in The Female Formula has been a game changer for me. If you’re struggling with your body shape, hormones, or energy in your 40s, I can’t recommend her enough. Reach out if you’re curious - I’d be happy to connect you or talk about my experiences 💪 🏋🏻‍♀️😊

Photo: me in the gym where there is some amazing artwork.

Another good news story 😊 This client had been to a local fertility clinic where they had been recommended ICSI due to m...
23/06/2025

Another good news story 😊

This client had been to a local fertility clinic where they had been recommended ICSI due to male fertility results being suboptimal. They had been told that they wouldn’t qualify for IVF on the NHS due to her age.

When they came to see me I did a full consultation including fertility journey so far, diet and lifestyle and health history.

There were some red flags for me.

🚩 S***m was suboptimal but had not been investigated.
🚩 Diet was full of whole foods but wasn’t nourishing them so we gradually started to introduce animal based protein products which went really well.
🚩 They had been told they didn’t qualify for NHS IVF by the fertility clinic but from what they had told me they did just about, but needed to get a referral in before the next birthday.

As she says, we worked together for 12 months, which included 9 months of building them both up through diet, supplements and acupuncture. At the same time, we did some male fertility investigations and were able to clear an issue which is commonly responsible for suboptimal s***m quality. I also recommended that they speak to their GP ASAP to start the IVF referral process as this took them the whole time we were working together (they were just about to start IVF when they got a positive pregnancy test).

Not only did our work save them the cost of private IVF which they thought they were going to need when they first came to see me, but she also avoided having to take all of the stimulation medications and the procedures that go along with IVF. They worked out what diet suited them well and cleared some lingering infections improving their overall health.

When I work with couples, it is rarely “just acupuncture” because most of the people I work with have complex journeys. Over the last 5 years I have chosen to specialise in fertility and undertake CPD around the latest testing, treatments and lots of other things that can support women and couples who are on this journey.

If you are in your 30s or 40s and are feeling lost or not sure what to do next on your fertility journey, my Four Month Conception Reset might be just what you need. DM me to find out more.

Trying to get pregnant — month after month — can start to feel like a full-time job.And if you’re navigating it as a cou...
22/05/2025

Trying to get pregnant — month after month — can start to feel like a full-time job.
And if you’re navigating it as a couple, you may feel like you’re doing everything right and still not seeing results.

Here’s the part most clinics overlook:
Fertility is a two-person process — and both egg AND s***m health matter.

That’s why I created the Conception Reset Programme — a 4-month in-person journey designed to support both partners in optimising fertility, naturally or before IVF.

💫 What’s included:
✔️ In-depth couples consultation (90 mins)
✔️ 14 in-person acupuncture sessions which you can attend together
✔️ Nutrition & lifestyle support tailored to your fertility markers
✔️ Advice and support with testing
✔️ Cycle and s***m health tracking

This is for you if:
• You’re trying to conceive naturally or preparing for IVF/ICSI
• You’ve been told your s***m morphology or egg quality “isn’t ideal”
• You want to work with someone who treats you like a couple — not a checklist

📍 Located on Gloucester Road in Bristol
📥 DM “RESET” or click the link in my bio to book a free 15-minute call. Let’s make sure nothing is being overlooked.

✨ You don’t have to go through this alone — or in the dark.

***mHealth

Is low s***m morphology quietly blocking your path to pregnancy?If your clinic has recommended IVF with ICSI, it’s often...
22/05/2025

Is low s***m morphology quietly blocking your path to pregnancy?

If your clinic has recommended IVF with ICSI, it’s often due to poor s***m quality—typically when morphology (normal forms) is 4% or lower. But what if that’s not just a technical detail… what if it’s the root cause of your infertility?

Before going through IVF cycles, down regulation, hormone stimulation, egg collection, and embryo transfers, it’s worth asking:

👉 Can improving s***m health help you conceive naturally?

S***m quality—especially morphology—is deeply linked to fertilisation success, embryo development, and long-term fertility. By addressing this early, you may not only boost your natural fertility, but also increase your chances of IVF success later, if needed.

And let’s be honest—IVF is not a guarantee. Success rates hover around 30% per cycle, and that includes transferring all embryos created. So doesn’t it make sense to optimise everything before starting?

💡 Better s***m. Better outcomes. Fewer interventions.

If you’re in your 30s or 40s, feeling lost or unsure of your next step, my Fertility Boost program is here to support you.

📩 DM me for more info or book a free 15-minute call via the link in my bio
👉

Three months later, Jack and Jill nervously came into the clinic.They were pregnant.After a previous miscarriage, the ea...
02/05/2025

Three months later, Jack and Jill nervously came into the clinic.

They were pregnant.

After a previous miscarriage, the early weeks of pregnancy were filled with uncertainty. But this one progressed well. Their baby was born in January 2025.

There were no dramatic interventions. No IVF. Just personalised support, testing that looked beyond the surface, and a tailored approach that respected the whole picture.

It’s worth noting: the bacteria we treated is linked in the research to miscarriage and pre-term birth. Had they gone straight into IVF, their chances of success may have been lower.

This couple were open, proactive, and fully engaged—and they were a joy to work with.

If you're in your 30s or 40s and feeling lost on your fertility journey, this is exactly what my Fertility Boost package is designed for.

📩 DM me if you’d like to learn more or book a free 15-minute call via the link in my bio.

Eggs and s***m take around 3 months to fully mature—so we used that window wisely.Jill’s test results came back showing:...
01/05/2025

Eggs and s***m take around 3 months to fully mature—so we used that window wisely.
Jill’s test results came back showing:

– High thyroid antibodies
– Elevated oestrogen
– Opportunistic bacteria in her vaginal microbiome

We made some targeted dietary and supplement changes, treated the infection, and began weekly acupuncture sessions.

Our weekly check-ins weren’t just about needles—they were a chance to reflect, reset priorities, and make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.

Not every week is linear progress. Life happens. Sometimes things drop off. These sessions were about gentle course-correction, not pressure.

At the same time, Jack’s results gave us a direction with his supplements too. They both fully committed to the process.

One of the biggest differences in how I work is this: I look at the full picture. Not just lab results, but patterns. Sy...
30/04/2025

One of the biggest differences in how I work is this: I look at the full picture. Not just lab results, but patterns. Symptoms. Stories.

In Jill’s case, there were a few subtle but important signs:
– A history of UTIs
– Feeling cold frequently
– Occasional constipation

These may seem small, but when taken together, they suggested an underlying imbalance that could affect conception and even risk miscarriage.

For Jack, his semen analysis showed high viscosity (thick, sluggish semen) and a morphology result that was technically normal, but just at the lowest acceptable range.

The Fertility MOT hadn’t checked Jill’s hormone levels or thyroid function. For Jack, it hadn’t looked at DNA fragmentation or infections.

So we started there, with more in-depth tests to uncover what was really going on.

This is the start of a real case I supported in the clinic. Names have been changed to protect privacy, but the experien...
29/04/2025

This is the start of a real case I supported in the clinic. Names have been changed to protect privacy, but the experience is one many people can relate to.

Jack and Jill first got in touch with me in November 2023. Jill was 37, Jack was 40, and they had been trying to conceive for a year. They’d experienced a miscarriage early on in that time and hadn’t been able to conceive again.

They had already visited a fertility clinic for a “Fertility MOT” including blood tests, a scan, and a semen analysis. But the results showed no major red flags.

They were confused, disappointed, and starting to consider IVF because they didn’t know what else to do.

They were recommended to me, so we booked a Zoom consultation and started going deeper into their history.

What we found in that first conversation gave me some clear clues.

Everyone who goes through the school system is taught about the menstrual cycle at a very basic level. We learn that cyc...
28/04/2025

Everyone who goes through the school system is taught about the menstrual cycle at a very basic level. We learn that cycles last 28 days and that the “main event” is your period, likely because it’s the disruptive part we can’t ignore. Then we learn that s*x leads to pregnancy, so anyone trying to avoid pregnancy should be very careful.

But what we’re not taught is what happens after we come off contraception, particularly the pill.
The pill stops ovulation. What we call a “period” on the pill is actually a withdrawal bleed, not a real cycle.

So when you stop the pill and your period doesn’t return, it can feel confusing… and scary. Especially when you’ve done everything right, waited until the timing felt good, and now your body isn’t cooperating.

I see this often in the clinic, even in women who eat well and exercise regularly. The stress of it all can throw your hormones even further out of sync.

The first step is to get ovulation back. That’s when your ovaries release an egg, which becomes a corpus luteum a temporary gland that produces progesterone. Without ovulation, you don’t get that vital progesterone phase, and your cycle can’t function normally.

In clinic, I work with clients using acupuncture, lifestyle changes, and in some cases hormone testing to support the return of healthy ovulation.

If you’re navigating this and feeling unsure, my Fertility Boost package might be the next step.

DM me to find out more, or book a free 15-minute call.

Address

407 Gloucester Road
Bristol
BS78TS

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