Naturally Healing PCOS and Infertility

As a researcher and author on Prophetic medicine, Islamic medicine, and Herbalism, I believe in finding the root cause of disease and uncovering stories of those who were able to heal, reverse and restore balance to their health with the use of natural treatments that are prescribed in Prophetic and Islamic medicine.

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) according to modern medicine cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed. However, the Qur’an has immortalized healing stories of barren women and childless Prophets who raised their hands in supplication to their Generous Lord and were bestowed children even in their old age.

˹This is˺ a reminder of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he cried out to his Lord privately, saying, “My Lord! Surely my bones have become brittle, and grey hair has spread across my head, but I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord! And I am concerned about ˹the faith of˺ my relatives after me, since my wife is barren. So grant me, by Your grace, an heir, who will inherit ˹prophethood˺ from me and the family of Jacob, and make him, O  Lord, pleasing ˹to You˺!” ˹The angels announced,˺ “O Zachariah! Indeed, We give you the good news of ˹the birth of˺ a son, whose name will be John—a name We have not given to anyone before.” He wondered, “My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren, and I have become extremely old?” An angel replied, “So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, just as I created you before, when you were nothing!’” 

Surat Maryam, 2-9

As part of my research, I found an inspiring and incredibly moving story of a doctor and her struggles with PCOS and infertility.

Dr. Liqaa Essam Naser is a Pediatrician who practiced medicine for over 10 years working the crazy, exhausting shifts of the Emergency Room and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit doctor. When she moved to the United States, she decided to pursue a Doctorate in Naturopathic medicine while raising two young children with her supportive husband.

In our interview, she says “I always felt that my menstrual cramping and excessive acne before my period were abnormal, but as usual doctors dismissed my complaints forcing me to just live with it.”

She never thought that she would struggle with infertility, after all, she had two children that were conceived naturally and effortlessly. She was now in the midst of completing her Naturopathic medical degree when an unplanned pregnancy ended in miscarriage. That miscarriage ignited a desire to intentionally try and have another baby.

However, the second pregnancy also ended in miscarriage as did the third. But losing a fetus at 5 months old was completely different from losing an embryo in the initial weeks. The pain of this loss deeply wounded her and her heart was now set on fire. 

The doctor in her wanted answers. She wanted to know the root cause and how to fix it.

She saw 3 fertility specialists, 2 IVF clinics, a Functional Medicine Doctor, a Gynocologist, and a Naturopathic Doctor, and everyone regurgitated the same, nauseating response. “You are not as young anymore, and with age, your egg quality diminishes - if you want another baby, do IVF treatment."

She wasn’t old and she certainly didn’t feel old. How could her body suddenly become infertile when she just had a baby 3 years ago?

Keep in mind — most people will just say “well thank God you already have children, it’s not like you are really infertile” or “just be grateful for what you have and move on and focus on your career”.

Allah SWT had other plans. When Allah SWT withholds that which your heart desires, it isn’t to punish you, rather it is to use that which you love to bring you closer to His love and obedience.

She decided to do 3 IUI rounds (Intrauterine insemination) however each attempt ended with failure and frustration. Shortly after the failed IUI attempts, she got pregnant naturally - but again miscarried early on.

She was trapped in a vicious cycle. Each failed pregnancy caused stress; more stress caused more failed pregnancies and her emotions sank deeper and deeper into depression.

She finally met an Acupuncturist who told her to take a break before starting any new treatments. So she did. She took 6 months off. She became pregnant again and lost the baby at 9 weeks old.

She took another 3-month break, conceived, and miscarried at 8 weeks.

But after this last miscarriage - no matter what she tried, nothing worked. She was no longer able to get pregnant at all. 

She felt defeated and surrendered to trying IVF. The doctors loaded her with supplements, 3-4 times a day - so much so she could barely eat because of all the supplements she was taking - approximately 15 pills a day. Unfortunately, the supplements didn’t help her nutrition because she couldn’t eat properly while taking them, and her health suffered even more. Despite all of these supplements, she was still unable to become pregnant.

She decided to go to another doctor for IVF treatment, this time it was a Muslim doctor who took his time with her, assessed her situation carefully, and diagnosed her with PCOS. He said it was atypical PCOS which is why no one was able to properly diagnose her before. Her AMH levels were good but that didn’t mean she had good-quality eggs. The high-level testosterone was actually a means of protecting her ovaries from premature death. This doctor put her on a PCOS treatment which was very specific vitamins, fish oil, and metformin. 

Unfortunately, at this point, her body would no longer conceive. Months and months of unsuccessful fertilization pushed her deeper into depression and hopelessness.

She hit rock bottom and lost herself in the belly of the whale. 

And it was in the depth of this darkness that she cried out to her Lord and sobbed with the agony and despair that had filled her heart.

Then her husband was scheduled to travel for work and he would be away from home for 3 months. Her husband’s absence naturally removed the pressure and disappointment of not conceiving. Dr. Liqaa used this time to focus on her health, her sleep, and rebuilding her gut flora.  She reduced her caffeine consumption, increased her veggie intake, and treated herself for SIBO. She slept early when the kids went to bed and fasted (Islamic fasting, not intermittent fasting) to make up for all the days she had missed from repetitive pregnancies and miscarriages over the past two years. She fasted for almost 3 months except for her days of menstruation.

She decided to try a home sauna (infrared light) as a form of relaxation and detoxification. 

In Ramadan, with her husband home again, she started to research Islamic medicine’s approach to treating infertility and discovered that Hijama was used as a treatment. She dove deep into research mode and even enrolled in becoming a Hijama practitioner herself. 

Like a dry desert soaking up the rain, she completed her Hijama license in one week and quickly found a Hijama specialist who could perform the wet cupping on her to learn firsthand how Hijama affects the body before she would perform this procedure on anyone else.

She did her first session. Then for her second session asked for a full, intensive body detox. She was scheduled to go in for her third session when her car broke down. Ironically, it took 10 days to get her car fixed so she wasn't able to do her third session.

On day 10, she decided to take a pregnancy test because her period was late.

Trembling with tears and overcome with emotions when she saw the positive result, at that moment she knew that she had been healed, that Allah SWT hand answered her prayers, and that Prophetic and Islamic medicine hold the cures to so many “incurable” diseases.

She recounts her story to me while cradling her beautiful, healthy 4-month-old baby girl. Allahumma Barik Laha!

And even though she attained her heart’s desire, and she was able to restore balance to her health, her passion and interest in Prophetic and Islamic medicine expanded to greater depths. She enrolled in my Nurasunna Rediscover Wellness Masterclass to add to her impressive accolades and degrees.

She says “If there is anything new that I learned from your course, and there was a lot that I learned, but one thing that will change the way I practice medicine, how I read and research and analyze data is to look at everything through the lens of Islam in a whole new way. I thought I was doing it before by making sure things were halal and not haram, but after your masterclass now I will filter everything I read and reconcile it with what Allah SWT and His Messenger say about food, medicine, disease, and healing. Do the research, analysis, and medical findings align with the teachings of Islam? This has changed me and changed how I practice medicine. Thank you so much for this course”.

If you would like to learn more about the masterclass, please click here.

If you leave this blog with anything today, I want you to leave with renewed hope in healing. 

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment."

Sahih al-Bukhari 5678

Let’s retrace her 90-day healing protocol:

1. Rest the heart and mind (by removing the stress of wanting to have a baby)
2. Sleep to replenish the body that needs to nourish a new life
3. Rebalance your gut flora (gut flora imbalance wreaks havoc on your insulin levels, liver function, anxiety, depression and so much more) with probiotics and proper nourishment
4. Fast to rebalance the heart, body, and mind - Islamic fasting is far superior to the “modern intermittent fasting”
5. Hijama to detoxify
6. Dua (supplications), lots and lots of heartfelt duas
7. Hope and certainty knowing that the One you ask is Capable of All Things.

The root cause of PCOS and infertility is different for every woman. It will depend on your body type (Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic), it will depend on the imbalances you have within your health (gut flora, hormones, stress levels) and it will also depend on whatever metaphysical illnesses (ayn, hasad/envy or sihr/black magic) a couple might have (that they are unaware that they have).

If Allah SWT can cause Maryam A.S. to become pregnant without a drop of sperm, surely He can create life in any womb if He wills. 

Dr. Liqaa and I are proud to announce that we have joined forces to create the “Naturally Healing PCOS and Infertility Masterclass” that will be launched in 2023 insha’Allah.