This Morning's resident fertility expert Dr Larisa Corda from Leeds pens new book to help people get pregnant

Dr Larisa Corda, who grew up in Headingley, is best known for her appearances on ITV’s flagship daytime show This Morning, which she uses to share helpful hints and tips on boosting fertility.

The 41-year-old obstetrician and gynaecologist said that her new 12-week course, titled ‘The Conception Plan’, combines both modern medicine and spiritual techniques.

She told the YEP that alternative therapies can often be dismissed, but that they sometimes hold the key to resolving subconscious issues that are barriers to pregnancy.

“Medical treatments tend to focus on the physical parts of a person, but there’s very little that addresses the mind and the spirit,” explained the former Lawnswood School student.

“It’s important to take those dimensions into account as well, and treat a person as a whole.”

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She said this could include treatments like acupuncture and the use of crystals, or even shamanistic practices.

Dr Corda continued: “Very often, these therapies can address subconscious issues that a person isn’t necessarily aware they are carrying. The most common issue is trauma.”

She added: “It’s common for people to be sceptical about treatments they don’t have experience with. And sometimes our culture dismisses it as woo-woo. I feel a responsibility as a scientist to bring credibility to some of these alternative therapies.

“Once people start engaging with them and seeing their benefits, they very often say that they wish they’d given them a go sooner. It’s not about choosing one or the other – it’s about bridging those two worlds.”

'The Conception Plan' aims to blend the latest discoveries in Western medicine with what she described as the "cutting-edge science of epigenetics and complementary alternative therapies". It is designed to overhaul health – physically, emotionally and spiritually – to give readers the very best chance of getting pregnant.

She said that the plan can extend people's fertility windows into later life, and that it encourages healthy habits and changes that will stick with readers throughout their parenting journeys.

Dr Corda qualified from Imperial College London and has trained in both the UK and Australia. She emphasised the importance of a holistic approach to treating a patient that addresses various lifestyle factors.

She is currently hosting a number of talks across the region that have been organised by Avocado Events. The next is at Cocoon Clinic in Harrogate on Wednesday (March 27), with more details on Facebook.

Dr Corda described her work on This Morning as an "incredible part" of her job. She added: "To have that platform to be able to educate people is really significant, especially because so many struggle to see a doctor nowadays or even get on a waiting list.

"The messages that I've had have been incredible - people tell me what a difference the advice I've shared has made for them. That's what it's all about. And to do it on This Morning is amazing - it's a British institution."