MOTHERMUSE | Naturel Haus

Introducing Marcia Ball, the founder of health & wellness website Naturel Haus. A sanctuary for intentional living. 

Whilst I’ve known Marcia for some time (both of us being from Perth) what I didn’t know was the silent battle she fought to bring her first child into the world. It wasn’t until I read her Substack that my heart truly broke. I immediately reached out, with her permission, to share her story. In a world where infertility rates are rising and so many struggles remain unspoken, it has never been more important to have these conversations and to remind those on this journey that they are not alone.

Marcia, as a little way of background for our audience. How long were you and your partner actively trying to conceive your first child?

We were actively trying to conceive for 3.5 years, I was 36 and my partner was only 30 but our infertility issues were actually discovered before we even started trying because I had brain fog and found out I had a polyp that needed surgery to remove it. At the same time I asked about my fertility to get it checked out just in case (for the first time) and
it was instant alarm bells. We were told to do IVF before we had even tried once. As you know in our very first appointment with the IVF Doctor, she said - 'talk to me about egg donors.'

And did you have regular periods prior to starting your conception journey?

No, I started having brain fog and very irregular cycles. I had a scan and they discovered I had a polyp and required surgery for a polypectomy. I had never been to hospital before and it was a shock. That's when the surgeon who had performed my polypectomy told me they discovered hyperplasia (which is a pre cancer indicator) inside my uterus but
because of my dire circumstances with fertility, I should not undergo any treatment for cancer and go straight to doing IVF because he said I had 'minutes, not hours' to conceive - if I was ever going to.... 

How many rounds of IVF did you do?

After the cancer treatment I ended up needing, it took a year until we could actually start IVF so by this point I was 37 and we ended up doing two rounds but they are called 'cancelled rounds' when you collect zero eggs. We also did about 7 months of triggered tracking cycles which is like trying to conceive under watch from the IVF clinic where you
have a blood test every 2 - 3 days as well as go into the clinic to have ultrasounds every few days and then injections based on what your hormones are doing to stimulate the follicles. They tell you exactly when to 'try' and you do this in correlation with the needles you give yourself. It's possibly the most un-sexy way to conceive humanly possible and it
didn't work for us as my hormones were always out of whack. It was the most stressful time in my life so not very conducive to conceiving. We wanted to have more IVF but our Doctor told us there was no point to proceed and that they couldn't take any more of our money because we would never conceive a baby.

You never intended to tell your story, yet here we are with the most incredible and vulnerable six-part story of your personal journey through infertility and out the other side, with the miraculous conception of your baby. What made you feel compelled to share?

Initially it was so hard and I felt shame and was traumatised by the diagnosis of unexplained infertility but before long I knew I had to build up the courage to share, especially because my circumstances seemed so dire and there was no one else I could find in my situation at the time to look to for comfort. We had alarm bell after alarm bell, the worst news at every single appointment and it just got worse and worse and no one had any hope for us - eventually we were told we would categorically never conceive a baby by two of the top infertility doctors in WA. I felt so deeply alone and didn't even talk to close friends or family about it because everything triggered me.

Looking back, what was the hardest part of the journey? Was it perhaps all of it? Or the unknown, feeling so alone or the lack of care from some of the doctors you worked with?

Definitely without question the loneliness. I couldn't find a single person talking about going through what I was, cancelled rounds, no eggs collected, doctors telling us there was no point even trying. There were people who had babies from IVF or had come out the other side and were talking about it being hard after but that wasn't helpful to what I was going through at the time. I was jealous and triggered by people who were doing IVF, even those suffering from round after round because it means they 'got to' keep going, that their doctors believed they had a chance. We got told even before our first round that there was no point but they were willing to try and 'throw the kitchen sink at us.' At the appointment for the second round the Doctor drew a circle at the pointy tip of a triangle and pointed to it and said 'these are your chances.'

What were the emotions you experienced when a friend told you they were pregnant when you were in the thick of it?

This happened a few times and of course you are happy for them. I was grateful to my friends who came to me directly and told me like they would have told anyone else, but with care because they knew. I think hiding it or being 'extra gentle' about it actually has damaging effects. You are already reminded by everything, all the time and it feels constantly hard when you are living with infertility whilst trying to conceive, so just being told directly is the kindest way to go about it. And you love them so you are happy for them.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently? Started earlier, not worked as hard, or maybe you wouldn't change a thing, as this journey is what has made you who you are today.

It's interesting how you ask about working hard, I do think burnout has really damaging effects on us and our nervous system and this is the theme I start my 6-part story on Substack with. It's now spoken about a lot more, whereas when I was in my 20's coming up in my career during 'The Girl Boss Era', burnout was a right of passage, a badge of
honour. Essentially your body can't conceive if it is in fight or flight and so living intentionally is important but when you are younger you have more inbuilt resilience. I wouldn't change anything as it's what got me here, however I do think what you put on your body and into your environment is a very important factor to be conscious of. Avoid toxins at all costs and the earlier you implement this, it will have positive effects on your toxic burden over time.

Whilst it sounds like you tried everything and I am sure it was not just one thing, what do you think really helped in the end with conceiving?

Overall the journey to conception for me was, unexpectedly, a very spiritual one and a huge part of it was finding peace in mother nature and all she has to offer us. We have lost so much of this connection. I was on a hunt to reclaim my vitality and getting into nature and lowering my nervous system felt like such a big part of it. On a more science-backed level, the craziest thing was both my partner and I being given a two week course of antibiotics for ureaplasma that definitely contributed to us getting pregnant. Ureaplasma is really common in adults and while it can't help with healthy egg quality (as indeed there were many many factors at play for me), if ureaplasma infection goes untreated, it can lead to infertility in both men and women. IVF clinics don't test for it, it's pretty controversial and since sharing my story, I have already helped two people who have found out they had it and sought treatment. It takes advocating for yourself to even get the testing done, I believe as research is inconclusive and the IVF clinics are not
motivated, for obvious reasons. I speak more about it in the podcast I did recently that I have shared on my instagram @naturelhausau and also in my Substack but it would be that and definitely cutting out all the toxins and glyphosate from personal care and diet.

Why do you think it's so important to go low tox when trying to conceive?

So many of our everyday personal care items contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) - ingredients that are messing with our hormones and epigenetics. Our hormones don't just influence our fertility but also shape our metabolism, mood, stress responses, thyroid function and cycles. When trying to conceive we want our body to be in
a natural state of balance, so being aware of what we are using and living a non-toxic lifestyle is really important. I also care a lot about the food that I eat and the chemicals sprayed on everything, I went predominantly organic a year before conceiving my daughter and will never turn back now, it's scary what goes on with our food.

Why have you created Naturel Haus, What is the brand's mission?

Naturel Haus was born from the most vulnerable chapter of my life - a season where I was searching for answers, for connection and a sense of hope that often felt out of reach. I created this brand because I wanted to build something for people who were suffering the way I was - people who didn't yet know how their story would unfold but needed a place to feel connection and more empowered to navigate the overwhelming wellness landscape and minefield that is conscious living. I learned so much throughout my fertility journey, and while I ended up miraculously conceiving my baby girl naturally, the vision for Naturel Haus began long before my happy ending arrived. Over time it became clear that this is now my dharma: to help others feel held through their own healing, to build a community rooted in shared wisdom, and to help reignite that brilliant inner spark from within. We are a curation but so much more.

Naturel Haus exists to share a refined and purposeful curation of non-toxic, ethical, regenerative, and fertility-friendly products, paired with gentle guidance on living in deeper alignment with nature and self. An online home for anyone who is on a journey, whether it's fertility-related or simply the desire to live more intentionally. My mission is to make conscious living feel accessible, beautiful, and deeply supportive, so that every person who finds us feels a little more connected, a little more grounded and a lot less alone. It is a place to empower yourself and shop your values without compromising on quality or aesthetics.

If you could give advice to someone that is going through infertility, what would it be?

I think just do whatever makes you feel as nourished as humanly possible through the hard times. It's time to be 'selfish' and look out for your own needs in this season. Maybe that is taking time off work to walk with no shoes on at the beach and listen to a guided meditation. Maybe it's buying your favourite sandalwood incense and lighting it in a bath whilst journaling. Maybe it's breathwork and screaming your lungs out or doing Gua Sha with a beautiful oil on your skin or maybe it's unashamedly crying alone in a dark room and just feeling every feeling and not letting yourself be guilty about it because that is what's true for you right now. To take each day at a time and believe in your inner goddess because she is in there, egging you on. We are all rooting for you. My favourite quote I found in some tarot cards that helped me a lot was - 'If a wildflower can bloom in even the harshest conditions, so can you.