I share my experience with both vulnerability and sensitivity for those who have struggled deeply with infertility. I hope that my story is one of hope and possibility for anyone who’s struggling with their fertility journey and desires a different experience. -Dr. Liz A Decision About My Fertility Future A few years ago, I made a decision. I decided that I was NOT going to STRUGGLE with fertility. I know this might sound hard to believe. You might be thinking, “How can anyone who wants a baby possibly DECIDE not to struggle with fertility?” Yes, I’d experienced big emotions: vulnerability, sadness, disappointment, frustration (i.e., generally lost it a few times) when Aunt Flo came to visit. Yes, I’d suffered the … Read More
5 Ways to Boost Egg Quality & IVF Success
There’s a lot riding on an IVF cycle. Although IVF is the most advanced modern medical approach to infertility – and a godsend for thousands of now-parents – on average (assuming no other interventions such as the ones we’re about to discuss here) each couple has just about a 30% chance of bringing home a baby, after 4 IVF cycles. With each cycle costing an average of $15,000 – not to mention the physical and emotional toll of going through fertility treatments – we definitely want to make it count. Egg quality issues are among the top reasons for IVF failure. In this blog, we’re going to explore 5 ways to enhance follicle and egg quality in advance of IVF … Read More
Feeling Fertile: 4 Mindset Shifts to Enhance IVF Success
In this article, we explore how our mindset informs our physiology when it comes to hormone health, fertility, and our emotional experience. Plan Your Pre-Season Just as it takes three months for the body to complete an egg’s development before ovulation, it takes the same amount of time for the eggs that will be retrieved for IVF to be cultivated, and to respond to the medications that will be used to increase the number of eggs retrieved. Similarly, it takes three months to prepare sperm in the male reproductive system. During this three month preconception season, both eggs and sperm are sensitive to the quality of your diet and the level of stress you’re both under. Just as athletes prepare … Read More
3 Lessons I’ve Learned About Fertility
Looking back on when I first started working with people with infertility as a new naturopathic doctor, there were a few things I didn’t realize would become so relevant to my practice – and my clients’ success. Thank Goodness for Toxicology One: I didn’t realize how grateful I’d be for having (somewhat blindly) chosen Biomedical Toxicology as my major in undergrad. I really didn’t know what it was – only that it was at the U of G, sounded “biology-related”, and had co-op (which my mom encouraged me to go for so that I could put myself through school – it worked!). Thank goodness for toxicology, which taught me that the human body is capable of releasing almost any toxin … Read More
Male Fertility: What You Need to Know
Although infertility affects 1 in 6 couples worldwide, with male and female factors each accounting for 50% of a couple’s potential issues, many couples don’t realize just how relevant a future father’s health today is to their overall chances of successful pregnancy. The Most Important Fact about Sperm The most important fact you need to know about sperm is that it takes 100 days to make them. Why is this fact so mind-blowing? It means that in just a few month’s time, a man can make changes in his health that will significantly change his sperm quality. In fact, we’ve seen men have their sperm count and quality improve drastically within 6 months of individualized naturopathic care. I’ve even had a fertility specialist ask what I’d … Read More
5 Research-Proven Fertility Tips – Helping Couples Conceive
I was at a conference last week focused on the latest & greatest of integrative fertility care – including medical and naturopathic perspectives. Here in Ontario we’re fortunate to be home to some of the world’s leading fertility doctors, including reproductive endocrinologists, andrologists, naturopathic and integrative physicians. 1. Chart Smart It was really quite cool to hear one of Toronto’s leading fertility specialists encouraging women to go back to those low-tech basics and track their cycles. The body doesn’t lie and since you need to know exactly when in a given cycle you can conceive, good old BBT (Basal Body Temperature) Charting will do the trick. Using a regular oral thermometer from the drugstore, take your temperature first thing in the morning … Read More
11 Hidden Fertility Obstacles
It’s frustrating. It’s disappointing. It’s anxiety-producing. And it’s happening for 1 in 5 couples globally. Week after week, I’m saddened to witness how many women and couples have been struggling alone with one of the most stressful experiences on earth: The Infertility Journey. Many of the people I work with have been leaving proven fertility-supporting strategies on the table, not even realizing that they are there. On one hand, we are functioning with two complementary yet distinct approaches to help you get pregnant: the Disease Care Approach of conventional medicine and the Health Care Approach of complementary medicine. You see, Fertility is the Norm. Fertility is a Function of Health. Fertility is how we all got here. That’s why it’s my role to help couples to optimize … Read More