Dian Shepperson Mills

Dian is the founder and lead nutritionist at the Endometriosis and Fertility Clinic. She is an MA graduate of the University of Brighton Faculty of Health Department, and tutors on endometriosis, infertility and nutrition at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) in London.

Dian received her Cert. Ed. in nutrition from the Victoria University of Manchester in 1971 and lectured in nutrition for seventeen years. She gained a BA degree in Education and Psychology from the Open University in 1980, and the Diploma in Nutrition from ION in 1991. She has an MA in Health Education (Europe), where she researched nutrition/health policies and guidelines and looked at phyto-chemicals in food and their effects upon health. Her dissertation was on 'The Role of Nutrition in Preconceptual Care'. She mentors ION second and third year students with their clinical practice and advise them on their dissertations.

Dian’s research interests are in women's health areas, endometriosis, male and female infertility, premenstrual syndrome, endocrine disorders in males and females, and menopause. She has researched the relationship between endometriosis and diet for ten years, and works closely with physicians in Europe and North America. Dian has published several papers, abstracts and book chapters and has given lectures at scientific meetings in the USA, Europe, Asia, and South America.

She saw the need for a Nutrition Special Interest Group while attending the ASRM meetings and set about to create this group and became the founding chair.

Dian is an active member of:

MA Health Education (Europe) University of Brighton 1994-96

Research Methods

Psychological Aspects of Health Education
- "Gender and Health - effects on Health Promotion Policy in the EU"
People, Heallth and Society
- "Encouraging Good Health through Healthy Eating Programmes" - Reflective Practice
Transcultural Studies
- "Let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food - The Uses of Food as Medicine"
Ethical Issues in Health Care
- "I believe there is a need for professional moral debate on surgical interventions"
Design, Implementation & Evaluation
- a 15 minute Video was made on Well-Women's Health Promotion in England and Denmark" 3 months - Copenhagen DK WHO Nutrition HQ
Social Policy in the European Union
- "Nutrition Policy in the European Community".
Comparative Health Care
- "Health Promotion Policy for Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer in Denmark and England"

Dissertation:

The Role of Nutrition in Preconceptual Care within a Health Promotion Setting. ". 50 couples in Denmark and 50 couples in England were followed for one week whilst undergoing IVF. They filled in a food diary and their nutrient intake was assessed using the American "Nutritionist III" programme, which allows approximated nutrient levels to be gained from recording a daily diet, so that daily input of nutrients can be estimated and analysed.

MA Information Services, Multi-media and Electronic Publishing, Copyright Law Module, University of Brighton July 1997. Sponsored - Lamberts Library Trust.

Dian's research interests include women's health issues, endometriosis, sub-fertility (in both male and female), premenstrual syndrome, endocrine disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome and menopause. She has published several papers, abstracts and book chapters and has given lectures to scientific societies in Europe, the USA, Asia - Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and South America.

Her book "Endometriosis: a key to healing and fertility through nutrition" published by Thorson/Harper Collins, is well researched and full of case histories. Dian is a founder member and Trustee of the Endometriosis SHE Trust UK (www.shetrust.org.uk) a charity that supports women with endometriosis who wish to use both orthodox and complementary therapies. Dian works closely with doctors and consultants in the UK, USA and in the EU.

Dian is an Advisor to the International Endometriosis Association Headquartered in America and as such has links to the EA groups in America, Japan, Brazil, the Nordic countries and other European groups, as well as the independent groups in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.

Dian had personal experience of the condition. The only treatment offered was a total hysterectomy with ovaries removed. Dian opted to look into nutrition and complementary treatments. By 1989 she began to be symptom free and has remained that way ever since. Dian has worked with thousands of women suffering from endometriosis and fertility problems worldwide.

Dian is the Founder Chair of the Nutrition Special Interest Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. She has organized Post Graduate Courses at the annual meetings on "Improving Fertility through Nutritional Medicine - Preconceptional Care", and "Early life Toxicant Exposures and Adult Reproductive Disorders: A Potential Role for Nutritional Intervention in Both Sexes", plus interactive sessions on diets for PCOS and on the Barker Hypothesis of Developmental Origins of Disease, plus organizing roundtable presentations on diet and infertility, and poster and oral sessions for the meetings. She attends nutrition and gynaecological conferences to keep abreast of new research and covers CPD and CME course in the EU and USA annually.

Dian is a Governor of The Institute for Optimum Nutrition and helps to organize their annual nutrition conferences. She is a Trustee of the Charity Endometriosis SHE Trust UK and helped to organize a conference at the House of Commons on treatment options for endometriosis patients as a part of the APPG on endometriosis. At present the Charity is running a pilot project in schools teaching about the menstrual cycle and how good food intake can reduce the symptoms of PMS, period pain, improve energy, digestion and skin health.

Nutrition is not magical it is logical. While following an anti-inflammatory healthy eating plan, many of these women have seen a regression of their symptoms and regained their energy and vitality. Dian also works closely with Foresight, the charity for preconceptual care which helps couples who have suffered miscarriage and undiagnosed infertility.

Selected Publications.

"The Value of the Nutrition in the Management of Pain due to Endometriosis" Shepperson Mills D. In, Progress in the Management of Endometriosis. Parthenon Publishing. 4th World Congress on Endometriosis. Bahia Brazil. 25-28 May 1994. Ch.58.p409-414.

"The Value of the Support Groups in the Management of Pain due to Endometriosis". Shepperson Mills D. In, Progress in the Management of Endometriosis. Parthenon Publishing. 4th World Congress on Endometriosis. Bahia Brazil.25-28 May 1994. Ch59.p415-418.

'The Nutritional Status of the Endometriosis Patient'. Ms. D. Mills. MA Faculty of Health, University of Brighton, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex, UK

Vth World Congress on Endometriosis. Abstracts. 21-24 October 1996. P88.

'The Role of Nutrition in Preconceptual Care to Improve Assisted Conception Statistics'. D. Mills. MA Faculty of Health, University of Brighton, Falmer, Brighton, Sussex, UK

Vth World Congress on Endometriosis Abstracts. 21-24 October 1996. Yokohama, Japan. P138.

"The Role of Nutritional Assessment in Improving Assisted Conception Statistics". Shepperson Mills. D. FertilSteril. Vol 70, N0.3, Suppl,1, September 1998. p364.

"Nutritional Counselling and Therapy Provides a Cost Effective Method of Improvement in the Pain Scores and the Sense of Well Being in Women With Endometriosis". Shepperson Mills. FertilSteril Vol.84 Suppl 1, September 2005, p193.

Kennedy S, et al. ESHRE Special Interest Group for Endometriosis and Endometrium Guideline Development Group. ESHRE Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. Human Reproduction 2005;20:2698-2704

"Nutritional Therapy Provides an Effective Method of Improving Fertility Rates and Reducing Abdominal Pain in Women with Endometriosis. "What is One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison, May Presumably Have a Chemical Basis." Integrated Medicine at the Point of Diagnosis May Enhance Treatment of Women with Compromised Fertility and Abdominal Pain." Shepperson Mills,D. FertilSteril Vol. 86, Suppl 2, September 2006, p270.

'Nutritional Counselling Investigates Food Intolerance through IgG Antibodies in Women with Endometriosis'. Shepperson Mills D. The Endometriosis and Fertility Clinic, Hailsham, East Sussex, United Kingdom. World Congress on Endometriosis 2008. Melbourne Australia.

"Improving Fertility through Nutritional Medicine - Preconceptional Care." Post Graduate Course 4 - ASRM Orlando Florida. 15 October 2011. Lecturer and Course Organiser. 1."Real Food and Edible Food-like Substances: What Evidence-based Nutritional Research Suggests May Support a Preconceptional Care Dietary Program", 2."Reducing Inflammation and Pain in Patients: How Nutrients are Involved in Pain Pathways".

"A Conundrum: Wheat and Gluten Avoidance and Its Implication with Endometriosis Patients". Shepperson Mills, D. FertilSteril Vol.96. No. 3, Suppl. September 2011, p S139. ASRM

Johnson NP, Hummelshoj L. for the WES Montepellier Consortium.'Consensus on current management of endometriosis' Human Reproduction, 2013. 28;1552-1568.26 March. 56 Representative of 34 organsiations. WES World Endometriosis Society. Montpellier Consortium.

"Endometriosis: A Key to Healing and Fertility Through Nutrition" D. Shepperson Mills, MW Vernon. Thorsons Publishers. 2002

'Making Babies: The Nutrition Recipe Booklet and DVD'. Endometriosis and Fertility Clinic. 2008.

'The ION Home Study Course Manual.' ION Publishers 2001. www.ion.ac.uk

Lectures:

WES World Endometriosis Society

ASRM American Society for Reproductive Medicine

ESHRE meetings European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

ION CONFERENCES

CNELM Lectures for University of Surrey M.Sc. 2001-2013

Biocare Lectures 2013

Nutri Centre Series: You Tube Lectures 2 hours 2010-2013