Waiting each month for a positive pregnancy test that doesn’t come, hearing the barrage of questions and suggestions from friends and family when they ask about when you will have babies, advocating for care and finally getting to the fertility clinic only to receive an overwhelming amount of data, can leave you feeling alone, isolated and confused. This state of overwhelm can also lead to you feeling paralyzed, unsure where to go in your attempts to get the support you need. We are here for you!

When working with our team of evidence based Naturopathic Doctors you can expect the following:

• We can help you to navigate the fertility system and will support you to understand what your lab values and results mean.
• We have a deep understanding of the various protocols and procedures you will be undergoing. This allows us to support you in your anticipation of what is next, how you will feel and deal with any side effects that come up.
• We understand your medications and will never recommend anything that can decrease their efficacy. We understand that many clinics are concerned about interactions and they don’t always have the time or resources to ensure interactions between your medication and our treatment recommendation will not occur. We use well researched databases to ensure that you always have the best of both worlds!
• Our diet and supplement recommendations are based on research. Improving egg quality, semen analysis results (that’s right guys, we are here for you!), improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, improving the quality and thickness of the lining are just a few areas that nutraceutical compounds have evidence. 
• Mental emotional support. Infertility is an incredibly taxing journey and not one anyone should feel alone in. We are here to help support you!

In addition to providing support for those working towards optimal embryo quality for oocyte extraction or fresh or frozen embryo transplant, we also are rooted in the foundations of health. This means we take a holistic look at what factors may be leading someone towards intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilitzation (IVF) in the first place. 

Common areas we focus on properly diagnosing and support surrounding fertility and preconception care include:

• Ensuring that thyroid function is appropriate for conception and autoimmune thyroid disorders, which have been well researched causes of infertility, are not present
• Helping you to monitor for ovulation and if not occurring support 
• Ensuring that the luteal phase is long enough and progesterone levels are adequate  
• Testing for and treating PCOS – this includes properly assessing for insulin resistance which is a cause of infertility both in and outside of the context of PCOS
• Assessing for endometriosis and other inflammatory pelvic conditions
• Comanaging concerns such as fibroids, autoimmune infertility, cysts
• Supporting those with recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent pregnancy loss
• Prompting proper vaginal health, reducing infections and supporting cervical mucus
• Helping to customize an ideal diet and lifestyle regime for you, factoring in both your lifestyle and laboratory testing

Did you know that two big factors in your reproductive outcomes are the health of your immune system and metabolic health?

First and foremost, please do not be triggered by the discussion of metabolic health! Metabolic health is about FAR more than your BMI and we use labs, instead of arbitrary metrics based on your weight, to help you to come to conclusions about the health of your metabolic hormones. We also have programs and significant amounts of research time dedicated to those struggling with weight loss resistance. We are here to support your goals and your health, not your scale output. 

Second, the immune system is a significant source of reproductive turmoil. Whether it is inflammation affecting your egg quality, endometrial lining, implantation rates or even ovulation, we can help you to assess and treat the underlying issues that are detrimental to your health outcomes. 

The Advanced Women’s Health Fertility Support Program

At AWH we realize that you are unique and therefore you need a plan that is customized to your individual needs. We will review with you your health history, symptoms and all of your monitoring data, labs and investigations to help you to identify the patterns for yourself and feel empowered in your journey. Based on what we identify together we will then customize your nutrition and supplement plan to those factors in our three phase plan. We will work collaboratively with your doctors, acupuncturists and other care providers to ensure you have comprehensive support.

Phase 1 – Understand and Customize

Our patients often sit in one of two camps, either they feel as if they have been poked and prodded in every direction or that something has been overlooked or missed. In our experience it is often a bit of both! As Naturopathic Doctors we have the luxury of time and emphasize lab testing that you may not have had completed related to inflammation, autoimmunity, insulin signaling and much more. We are also going to be investigating and supporting digestive issues, thyroid hormone issues, stress hormone imbalances, hormone regulation and much more!

At the end of this appointment you can expect to leave with:

• Basic diet and lifestyle recommendations 
• Personalized herbal and/or nutrient recommendations
• Lab test recommendations may include FSH, LH, androgens, female sex hormones such as Estradiol and progesterone, a full thyroid assessment, inflammation and autoimmune investigations, insulin and glucose testing, cholesterol testing. We use both functional tests and standard blood tests to come to understand your health better. 

After we receive the results of your testing your ND will explain all of the findings. No blanket normal statements here, we want to ensure you understand what it all means. From that point we will customize a meal system and supplements to your specific needs.