A new mom claims six sessions of Gwyneth Paltrow-endorsed vaginal steaming helped her become pregnant after a two-year battle with infertility.
Marita Brooks, 30, welcomed her first child Johonn Brooks, Jr. in December and credits the alternative therapy backed by the Goop founder for helping her conceive.
Marita was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in 2015, a hormonal condition which caused her periods to stop and impacted her fertility.
The teaching assistant was prescribed a course of birth control in 2016 to help regulate her menstrual cycle, but Marita was upset to discover she still wasn’t regularly ovulating by July 2017.
Marita, of Washington, D.C., was skeptical when a relative told her about Endia Richardson, a womb therapist who specializes in vaginal steaming at her clinic Womb Therapy Endeed.
Marita Brooks, 30, welcomed her first child Johonn Brooks, Jr. in December and credits vaginal steaming for helping her conceive
Marita said she struggled with the emotional side of infertility in ways that her partner Johonn Cassell, 30, did not (pictured together before their son’s birth)
Brooks was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in 2015, a hormonal condition which caused her periods to stop and impacted her fertility
The therapy claims to boost fertility and involves sitting over a steaming bowl of water, infused with herbs including red raspberry leaf and Chinese herb dong quai for 45 minutes.
Marita tells DailyMail.com: ‘When I came off birth control I started charting my menstrual cycle to determine when I was ovulating and I was devastated when the kits revealed I wasn’t.
‘I was really down in the dumps. We were really considering the next steps, which was to take medication to help my fertility. Around that time, my cousin who had trouble conceiving just had a baby. She swore that vaginal steaming made the difference.
‘I was really, really skeptical but also really worried I would never have children.
‘I decided to go for it and I bought a Baby Maker package for $425 which included five steaming sessions with Endia. I was really nervous before my first session.
‘It’s basically like a facial for your private area, you feel so clean afterwards. The session is about 45 minutes long. You get naked from the waist down and you sit on a chair over steam.
She described the sessions as ‘relaxing’.
‘You open your legs a little and read a book. The herbs smell amazing. When you are finished, a lot comes out of you, discharge and gas. You have to pee also.’
Marita said she struggled with the emotional side of infertility in ways that her partner Johonn Cassell, 30, did not.
The teaching assistant said she found it difficult to watch her friends and family become pregnant and welcome babies while she struggled.
‘I truly believe the vaginal steaming played a big part in me becoming pregnant,’ Brooks said. This is an ultrasound photo of baby Johonn
Marita said: ‘When I held him for the first time I felt truly blessed. Once I kissed him I just couldn’t stop.’ She described the sessions as ‘a facial for your private area, you feel so clean afterwards’
Marita said she was disappointed when she did not become pregnant after five steaming sessions but said she ‘trusted the process’ and signed up to another course in January 2018 and became pregnant that May
Marita said: ‘I was embarrassed by my infertility and I felt like people didn’t quite understand. I was so worried about it. I was obsessed and it consumed me. It’s hard when all of your friends have kids and you are trying.
‘During Christmas 2017, my sister-in-law announced her pregnancy and that was so hard for me. Even though I was happy for her, I just had to leave because I was upset.
‘I don’t think the process impacts men as much. My partner was so supportive, but I don’t think he worried that it wasn’t going to happen.’
Marita was disappointed when she did not become pregnant after five steaming sessions but said she ‘trusted the process’ and signed up to another course with Endia in January 2018.
Marita said: ‘I was disappointed when the steaming hadn’t produced a result at that point but I trusted the process so I bought another package.
‘I went for two more steams and discovered I was pregnant in May 2018.
‘It was bittersweet because I found out on the weekend of my dad’s funeral.
‘I just had lost hope in ever becoming pregnant that I didn’t even take the test until the weekend was over.
‘When I saw the double lines I screamed.
‘We ended up taking a few more tests and all of them had double lines, I couldn’t believe it.’
Endia Richardson has been practicing for four years at her clinic in Camp Springs, Maryland, and claims the treatment helps boost fertility by increasing blood flow to the reproductive system.
Endia believes red raspberry leaf tones the uterus, while don quai or female ginseng is a Chinese herb said to balance hormones and regulate the menstrual cycle.
The treatment has become mainstream after being endorsed by celebrities like Chrissy Teigen and Gwyneth Paltrow who first wrote about the therapy in 2015.
Endia said: ‘Four years ago I learned about steaming and its benefits from an account I follow on Instagram.
The treatment has become mainstream after being endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow who first wrote about the therapy in 2015 for her wellness brand Goop
The treatment grew in popularity after model Chrissy Teigen posted this photo of herself vaginally steaming with a face mask and heat pad
‘I decided to try it on myself and I found my periods to be lighter afterwards and I had no PMS.
‘I took an online class in yoni steaming. Now, I see up to 50 clients a week and I would estimate I have helped more than 100 women who had been struggling with infertility for a significant amount of time.
‘My clients sit twelve inches over a bowl of herb-infused water that’s been allowed to cool down a little bit. It works because the steam improves blood flow. The vagina is extremely absorbent and and the herbs are absorbed.
‘I use red raspberry leaf which tones the uterus and dong quai, an herb which encourages a hormone balance. Steaming also helps clear mucous and discharge. My clients say their next cycle is always lighter. For my clients that are sexually active, they feel more sensitive and they have stronger orgasms.
‘I offer a Baby Maker package which includes five sessions for $425. I feel really happy to help women in need. It’s one of the most beautiful things.’
Yet, Dr. Jen Villavicencio, a practicing ob-gyn representing the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said the therapy had no basis in science and could even be dangerous.
She said: ‘There are no known medical benefits or accepted medical literature that supports the claims that vaginal steaming is effective, for the purposes of cleaning the vagina or increased fertility.
The doting parents say their son is ‘such a happy baby’ and believe that vaginal streaming ‘played a big part’ in Brooks becoming pregnant
‘When I saw the double lines I screamed!’ Brooks said of her excitement at learning she was finally pregnant with her son
‘Becoming pregnant is a complex process that requires many components to work in harmony. There is no medical evidence or plausible biological theory that vaginal steaming would improve chances of becoming pregnant.
‘There are many factors to consider, including a woman’s partner, age, weight loss, fertility medications, contraceptive usage, timing of sexual activity, all of which are more likely than vaginal steaming to be contributors to a successful pregnancy.
‘As far whether steaming is dangerous, there have been reports of severe vulvar burns from the steam being too hot or prolonged exposure. I think that is definitely a risk given there is no standard way of steaming.’
Despite the medical evidence, Marita and her partner Johonn, a window washer, firmly believe that vaginal steaming is responsible for her bundle of joy Johonn Jr, now seven months.
Marita said: ‘When I held him for the first time I felt truly blessed. Once I kissed him I just couldn’t stop.
‘He’s such a happy baby. He does not cry and he would go with anyone. I truly believe the vaginal steaming played a big part in me becoming pregnant. It had never happened for me before even though I wasn’t on contraception for years.
‘My periods were never regular and I wasn’t ovulating regularly. I am so grateful to Endia and I would tell anyone that’s struggling to give it a try.’