Areas of Specialism
Over the last 14 years, Lorna has cultivated a deeper expertise in select areas of women's health and nutrition. Avoiding a generalist approach, she has honed her skills and experience in three areas:
Menstrual Cycle & Hormone Optimisation
Lorna has extensive knowledge of working with menstrual cycle and hormonal irregularities and gynaecological conditions. She is experienced with sophisticated hormone testing.
Her expertise also includes conditions and symptoms relating to the health of the vulva/vagina (including the vaginal microbiome), female genitourinary health (urinary health that is connected to hormone changes or other) and pelvic health.
Lorna has extensive experience and works with thyroid conditions and optimizing thyroid health; the health of a thyroid plays a key role in menstrual cycle and female hormone as well as whole-body health.
These are some of the types of menstrual cycle and hormone support she can provide:
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Women who would like a better understanding of their menstrual cycle, to optimize regularity of a cycle, hormones and ovulation. You may have also noticed patterns in other symptoms you experience and feel they could be connected to your menstrual cycle and hormones. Such as changes in energy, skin/hair/nails, appetite, weight and metabolism, behaviour/mood/cognition and more.
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Women who have recently come off contraceptive hormones (or other types of hormones), or are planning to, and wish to look at returning to a natural regular menstrual cycle.
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Support for loss of menstrual cycle due to a variety of circumstances (illness, medications, medical conditions, lifestyle, diet, personal reasons and more).
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Female hormone optimization in a variety of circumstances, to support physical or psychological symptoms.
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Lorna has significant experience working with PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) and PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). She also has experience with women looking to optimize neurological health and cognition/cognitive behaviour and can see a pattern where their hormone and female health picture affects these types of neuro-cognitive symptoms.
She may also support women who experience symptoms or have been diagnosed with:
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Fibroids, dysmenorrhoea (painful periods) and/or menorrhagia (heavy/excessive menstrual flow) and other gynaecological situations.
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Symptoms or a diagnosis relating to vulva, vaginal and pelvic health.
She also supports women seeking to optimise libido and a healthy sex life at any life stage.
Endometriosis & Adenomyosis Nutrition
Lorna has particular clinical expertise in Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, as well as significant academic experience over her 14 year clinical career. This includes lecturing and mentoring other nutrition professionals, doctors, surgeons and specialist nurses on nutrition for these conditions and contributing to peer-reviewed evidence-based textbooks for clinicians on nutrition and Functional Medicine for Endometriosis.
This specific focus has provided her with deep clinical experience, and a passion for the nutritional science behind these diseases. Working with thousands of women has enabled her to develop highly specific dietary, nutrition, supplement and lifestyle protocols.
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Lorna has attended live (sat in surgical theatre) laparoscopic gynaecological surgical procedures for Endometriosis and Adenomyosis, furthering her passion for gynaecological anatomy, physiology and disease. These experiences in operating theatres have helped her to understand how these gynaecological complications and conditions are treated, and provided a greater practical understanding of procedures and their nuances. This experience alongside attending medical lectures on gynaecology, allows her to keep up with the latest advances in science and diagnostics, and to see where nutrition and lifestyle can complement this for an integrated approach to women's health.
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Lorna’s special interest in all medical approaches to gynaecological challenges can therefore provide clients with a unique ‘blended’ viewpoint.
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Endometriosis and Adenomyosis may affect the whole body and many organs and systems simultaneously, producing direct and indirect unwanted symptoms. Statistically, women with Endometriosis are also likely to suffer from other medical conditions or co-existing disease ('comorbidities'), and there is a great deal of research on this. Hence, as well as gynaecological and hormone support, Lorna looks to support the immune system, gut and digestive health, thyroid gland, energy, sleep, genetics, mental and cognitive wellbeing and more.
If you have been prescribed treatments or medications by your Doctor/Consultant Lorna has significant safe experience in combining nutritional strategies with medically prescribed hormones and other conventional treatments.
How can Lorna support you with an Endometriosis or Adenomyosis diagnosis?
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You may have had successful medical treatment but may still experience symptoms and other conditions not treatable or supported by surgery or medication.
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Some women are looking to pursue natural support before embarking on medical treatment or may have been advised by their Doctor/Consultant to pursue complementary options in the first instance. Lorna assists clients across a wide range of needs and severity levels, from those who can manage their symptoms with natural support alone to those who require laparoscopic excision surgery and medications.
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You may be free of symptoms of the disease following treatment but are now looking to explore other areas of your health and want to work with an experienced practitioner who understands your unique health history.
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You have upcoming surgical treatment and wish to check for nutrient gaps, optimise your diet and strengthen your body to support a speedier post-operative recovery.
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You may have other gynaecological or hormonal conditions and symptoms you wish to address but want to work with a specialist who in addition understands your Endometriosis/Adenomyosis health picture. Please read the Menstrual Cycle & Hormone Optimization section on this page.
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Lorna works with women of all ages who have a diagnosis but she also has a special interest and experience in women who have an Endometriosis/Adenomyosis history but are now going into Perimenopause.
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Listen to Lorna speaking about Endometriosis and diet here
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Perimenopause & Menopause Nutrition
These two distinct lifestages involve whole-body shifts, not just symptoms that can be linked to menstrual cycle and hormonal changes. It can be an ideal time to take a closer look at optimizing your overall diet, nutrition and health to support common symptoms and help cushion the transition.
Lorna works with women who are looking to take a very deep look at the whole picture, as well as those who feel they are mostly doing well but want to make sure they are on the right track. She offers Perimenopause and Menopause nutrition and lifestyle MOTs.
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Lorna’s clinical experience has shown her that if nutrition support for Perimenopause is in place, it eases the final phase into full menopause and beyond.
Lorna also has expertise working with women who are experiencing an early Perimenopause and/or have been diagnosed with Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) which means they have moved into much later stages of Perimenopause or an earlier Menopause than expected.
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How can Lorna support you in Perimenopause?
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You are not sure if you could be entering into Perimenopause and would like to investigate more. Or, if you have just found out that you are and wish to take a closer look at how to support yourself.
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You are experiencing the early stage of Perimenopause which often presents itself as neurological symptoms (cognition, brain, memory, sleep, mood, psychological wellbeing) more so than classic menstrual cycle or overt hormonal changes. Lorna can provide support for these types of symptoms.
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Now in Perimenopause you notice pre-existing symptoms or health ‘niggles’ have begun to increase or become more noticeable and would like to address these.
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You are struggling to have optimal energy or resilience to stress. You wish to optimise your hormones, mood, skin/hair/nails, sleep, weight, appetite and metabolism (and more) after experiencing changes you feel are related to this change in lifestage.
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You have noticed changes in your immune response which can affect all areas of the body and want to take a closer look at your diet, hormones, or gut health and nutrient status.
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You are experiencing changes in your menstrual cycle and hormones and have a new or recent diagnosis from your Doctor/Consultant. You can read about the other areas Lorna supports here, alongside this lifestage.
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Optimize symptoms or a diagnosis relating to vulva, vaginal and pelvic health.
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Optimize a healthy libido (sexual health).
Listen to Lorna talking about Perimenopause here.
For both Perimenopause and Menopause, Lorna is also passionate about helping women achieve optimal vaginal and pelvic health, and a healthy libido (sexual health).
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Menopause & Post-menopause
Once in full Menopause, Lorna recognises the need to optimize important areas of health through nutrition such as:
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Hormones. For example, female hormones and thyroid hormones.
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Musculoskeletal health (bones and joints).
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Cardiovascular (heart) and circulatory health.
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Brain and cognitive health.
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The immune system.
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Gut and digestive health
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Vaginal, pelvic and genitourinary health.
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Healthy libido (sexual health).
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Skin, hair and nails.
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She has significant safe experience in using nutritional strategies alongside medically prescribed hormones. Lorna supports clients who want to take the most natural approach to supporting these lifestages, but she is also experienced in applying nutrition support alongside doctor prescribed hormones (HRT), to provide a comprehensive approach to health.​​
