Dee Brereton-Patel (BSc (Hons) Dip Nut CNM, ANP, IFMCP)
Hi, I’m Dee Brereton-Patel.
You might assume that someone like me – a Functional Medicine practitioner, senior lecturer in Nutritional Therapy, and founder of Coho Fertility – has always had the answers when it comes to health and fertility.
But the truth is, my path here began with not having any answers at all.
From Pharmaceutical Research to Personalised Fertility
Years ago, I worked in pharmaceutical R&D for global companies like GSK, AstraZeneca, and J&J, a stable, well-paying career.
When I was pregnant with our first daughter, Anaya, I was healthy by conventional standards.
I exercised.
I ate well.
I thought I was doing everything “right.”
I was healthy, or so I thought.
And like many people, I assumed that when it was time to grow our family, things would unfold naturally.
When our first daughter, Anaya, was born with Spina Bifida Occulta, it came as a complete shock.
Her early years involved multiple surgeries and long stretches in hospital – a challenging time for all of us.
But more than anything, I was left with a gnawing feeling that something important had been missed.
Not just medically, but preventatively.
At our very last hospital appointment – after 18 months of stress and surgeries – a consultant casually mentioned her diagnosis in passing.
That was it.
No explanation, no plan, no interest in helping us understand or prevent this from happening again.
It was deeply unsettling. And I couldn’t let it go.
The Turning Point
So I started asking questions. I began reading the research.
And with my background in clinical science, I soon realised that there were things we could have done differently – things that might have changed Anaya’s early experience altogether.
Thanks to my research background, I discovered something that was shocking to me at the time: the root causes of some congenital conditions – like Anaya’s – are often preventable.
They’re linked to subtle, hidden imbalances: nutrient deficiencies, genetics, methylation issues, environmental triggers.
But none of this was ever mentioned by our care team.
That realisation was like a lightning bolt.
And it was a pivotal moment for me.
What if I’d known all of this before Anaya was born?
What if someone had looked deeper, earlier?
That question changed the course of my life.
From Rock Bottom to Root Cause
I studied relentlessly.
I invested everything we had – financially, emotionally, physically – to understand the why behind what happened.
And more importantly, how to make sure it never happened again.
I knew I needed to understand more – not just for our family, but for others who might be in similar situations.
I left the pharmaceutical world, retrained in Nutritional Therapy and Functional Medicine, and slowly built a new path.
A path rooted in uncovering the hidden reasons why health – and fertility – sometimes go off course.
When we planned my pregnancy with our second daughter, Tia, I applied everything I’d learned.
Advanced testing. Personalised nutrition. A root-cause approach.
And this time, everything was different.
A smooth pregnancy.
A thriving, healthy baby girl.
Peace of mind.
Why I Founded Coho Fertility
But my journey didn’t stop there.
What started as a mission to heal my own family became a calling to help others. Because here’s what I now know to be true:
So many women and couples are navigating fertility struggles without the answers they need.
Not because those answers don’t exist – but because no one’s looked deep enough to find them.
That’s why I created Coho Fertility and our you=2 Fertility Success Path, a system built on the science of Functional Medicine, as well as a fierce commitment to uncovering your root causes.
Over the past 15 years, we’ve helped hundreds of people from all over the world finally understand why they’re not conceiving, and more importantly, what to do about it.
Because fertility challenges are rarely without reason. They just haven’t always been investigated in the right way.
We look deeper, we connect the dots, and we create personalised, science-based plans to help our clients grow their families, naturally or alongside fertility treatment.
Why Your Story Matters to Me
When I say your journey is personal to me, I mean it.
Because I’ve stood where you are – frustrated, confused, exhausted, and searching for answers that no one seemed to have.
I know what it’s like to be dismissed, or told everything is “normal” when nothing feels normal at all.
And I know how powerful it is to finally feel understood, supported, and empowered to take back your health.
Today, I’m proud to lead a team that’s helped hundreds of people around the world understand their bodies more deeply and take real steps toward meeting their baby.
My Promise
If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just unsure where to go next, I’ve been there.
I know you don’t need more guesswork.
You need clarity.
And a plan that actually works.
We’ll never treat you like a list of symptoms.
We’ll never treat you like an unexplainable problem.
We’ll treat you like a whole person, with a story and a journey that matters.
And I want you to know: no matter where you are on your journey right now, there is a path forward.
Let’s find it together.
Click here to book your free 15 minute Fertility Success Call with Dee Brereton-Patel now
Here’s to meeting your baby,
Dee & the Coho Fertility team
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