Fertility Support
Whether you have just started to plan for a family, or have been trying to conceive for some time, working with a licensed naturopathic doctor can help guide you towards better health, and by doing so may improve fertility and pregnancy outcomes. Naturopathic fertility care involves targeting environmental, nutritional and hormonal factors that can impact reproductive health. Depending on where you are at in your fertility journey naturopathic fertility care can be used on it’s own, or as complementary support to Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART).
Preconception Care
Preparing for a healthy pregnancy starts in the preconception period, 3 months prior to conception. Our fertility program will help you start out on a healthy path by incorporating fertility specific lifestyle enhancements and natural supplementation to get your mind and body ready for the exciting new stage ahead!
Preconception Support with our Naturopathic Doctors Include:
Hormone and nutrient laboratory testing
Fertility diet and exercise recommendations
Decreasing toxin load
Stress reduction strategies
Optimizing body composition
Menstrual cycle and basal body temperature charting
Fertility supplement recommendations
Fertility Treatments Offered by our Naturopathic Doctors:
If you are experiencing challenges achieving or maintaining a pregnancy, working with a naturopathic doctor may help improve your fertility outcomes. Our naturopathic doctors understand that the quality of eggs and sperm, the uterine environment, body composition and nutrition, and hormone balance all impact fertility success. Naturopathic fertility treatments include targeted supplementation, fertility diet and lifestyle recommendations, fertility acupuncture, and pharmaceutical medications. Our doctors value working in collaboration with your whole health care team, including your reproductive endocrinologist.
Common fertility concerns seen by our naturopathic doctors include:
PCOS and anovulatory cycles
Endometriosis
Poor Ovarian Reserve
Thyroid disorders
Male factor infertility (low sperm count, motility or morphology)
Recurrent pregnancy loss
Unexplained infertility
‘Unexplained Infertility’ is a term used when conventional diagnostic procedures cannot determine the underlying cause of infertility concerns. Naturopathic doctors may be able to diagnose and treat some of these factors that impede a couple’s fertility including:
Luteal phase defect
Sperm DNA fragmentation
Immunological factors
Food intolerance (ie. celiac disease)
Nutritional deficiencies
Assisted Reproductive Technologies & Naturopathic Fertility Care
If you are undergoing IVF or IUI, combining your medical fertility treatments with evidence-based naturopathy may help to improve your fertility success. The use of naturopathic medicine during ART may help to reduce stress, improve blood flow to the uterus, reduce side effects of medications, and enhance egg and sperm quality.
Acupuncture in particular has been shown to significantly increase IVF success rates when performed regularly leading up to IVF treatment, as well as immediately before and after embryo transfer. Targeted supplementation, along with lifestyle enhancements have also been shown to improve IVF success. For optimal outcomes, these treatments should start 8-12 weeks leading up to your IVF cycle to best prepare the body.