Natural Fertility Management

Natural Fertility Management

(In person and online sessions available)

Combing all modualities is beneficial for all conditions and especially powerful in supporting couples to conceive, as well as promoting happier and healthier babies. I offer a Four Stages to Healthy Babies program to assist parents who are wanting a natural and healthy pregnancy, birth and baby.

Thinking about getting pregnant but not sure where to start or having problems conceiving, then this is the program for you.

Stage 1- Pre Conception Care

I will help you and your partner to prepare for getting pregnant. This is a 3 – 4 month program aimed at promoting detoxification and a healthy mind set to get your body in the best possible shape before you actively try and conceive.

What are the benefits of preconception care and detoxifying before conceiving?

Preconception care is not only for you and your child’s health, but also for future generations. Addressing preconception and pregnancy health is the ultimate in preventative medicine. What you do for a few months will have lifelong effects for you and your child.

Your preconception care should ideally begin at least 3 months prior to the conception attempts. This preparation time is very important as the eggs take 3 months to mature and sperm take about 2.5 months to generate. This means that the sperm that is being expelled now has been exposed to all the toxins the male has been exposed to over the past 2.5 months. Fertilization with sperm and/or eggs that have had toxic exposure increases the possibility of pregnancy loss and decreases the chances of a healthy baby. Think of it as being in training…are you going to win a triathlon if you don’t train? Of course not, so why should pregnancy be any different? Detoxing decreases harmful toxins in your system that can damage you and your future child’s DNA.

One in six couples have difficulty conceiving which can be due to a number of different factors. I will discuss these with you, and take a health history in order to achieve your best outcome and course of treatment. Factors that may affect fertility include:

  • Stress
  • Toxicity
  • Radiation
  • Immune system status
  • Insulin levels
  • Drugs, including caffeine, tobacco and alcohol
  • Previous contraceptive history
  • Genitourinary infections e.g. Chlamydia and Mycoplasma
  • Reproductive conditions such as varicoele, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian disease

Getting to know your menstrual Cycle

During this phase of the program you will come to be more connected to your body and its natural rhythms. Charting your menstrual cycle and knowing when you are fertile makes conception much easier in the second phase of the program. By understanding your bodies rhythms we can address any underlying conditions such as endometriosis, Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome, Hormonal imbalances and more before you attempt to get pregnant.

Does my partner have to be involved?

Ideally yes. It takes two to make a baby. Sperm contributes 50% of the DNA towards your child so it makes sense that it is just as important for you to be healthy as it does your partner. Sperm is actually far more vulnerable to damage from chemicals and toxins. Sperm is also often much easier to improve and increase with natural medicine. It is for this reason that we encourage both of you to take active steps in preparing your body for conception.

What Does Phase One Of the Four Step to Healthier Babies Involve?

Good Nutrition

  • Eating wholesome, organic healthy foods
  • Avoiding coffee, alcohol, cigarettes and other social drugs
  • Staying properly hydrated
  • Replacing any nutritional deficiencies as determined by your health care practitioner

Healthy Lifestyle

  • Getting enough rest and relaxation
  • Reducing stress levels
  • Balanced exercise
  • Releasing underlying anxiety and fear

Treating underlying health conditions that may impact fertility

  • Poly cystic Ovarian Syndrome
  • Fibroids
  • Endometriosis
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections
  • Stress
  • Thyroid Conditions
  • Nutritional Deficiencies
  • Hormonal Imbalances and more

Diagnostic Testing

  • Hair Mineral Analysis to screen for heavy metal toxicity
  • Electro Interstitial Scanner to screen overall cellular health
  • Saliva Hormone testing to determine hormonal balances
  • Semen Analysis
  • Specific testing as determined by your health care professional

Stage 2 - Conception

For most this is the most exciting part of the program, however for others this can also be the most distressing. In our experience if step one is done properly step two is easy and for the majority fun like it should be.

What if I don’t want to do step one of the program, can I start straight at step two?

In most cases the answer is no. Watching people go through the stress, month after month of not being able to become pregnant is heart breaking for everyone involved. We find that by completing step one the chance of getting pregnant and not miscarrying is hugely increased, not to mention the benefits that you pass on to your child not just during the pregnancy but also for the rest of their life.

What is involved in step two?

Healthy Life Style

Everything mentioned in step one regarding nutrition, diet and exercise is carried over in step two. This means no alcohol, caffeine, smoking or recreational drugs during this phase and any phase of our program for that matter.

Herbs and Nutrition

During this phase I may change your supplements and add or change herbal medicine depending upon your individual needs. You will also receive ongoing support to make sure ovulation and your menstrual cycle is regular. Appointments will be every 4 – 6 weeks to track the progress of your menstrual cycle and fertility.

How long does this phase go for?

This phase is all about conception and goes until you are pregnant. The time for this varies from couple to couple, but because you have completed the first phase the time it takes in getting pregnant versus not doing the program is usually greatly decreased. 

Stage 3 - Supporting the Pregnancy

In this stage my primary aim is to support you and your partner to carry your baby to full term, prepare you for birth and encourage, through good health and nutrition, a shorter easier labor, as well as to help you feel happy, confident and in control through every stage of your pregnancy.

What’s involved in step three?

Nutrition and Dietary support

We will meet monthly during the first trimester then at weeks 14, 26 and 37 during the second and third trimester. Each session is 30mins to 1 hour with the primary objective being to make sure you and your baby’s nutritional needs are being met and to treat any conditions of pregnancy as they arise.

Bowen Therapy

Bowen Therapy is fantastic in supporting and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Bowen Therapy helps to balance the body and your unborn baby and is also fantastic in the treatment of many pregnancy related issues such as breach babies, overdue babies, fatigue associated with pregnancy, stress, lower back pain, poor sleep, morning sickness and many other pregnancy related issues. Bowen Therapy will be included in all of our meetings and additional appointments can be arranged if needed.

To prepare for your birth I recommend pre-labour Bowen treatments at week 32, 34, 37, 38, 39 and 40 until your precious baby has arrived into the world.

Your nutritional requirements will differ at each stage and trimester so it is important to continue (or begin) to be monitored throughout pregnancy.

Regular naturopathic health care throughout pregnancy reduces or eliminates many of the common
“ailments” of pregnancy such as:

  • morning sickness
  • stretch marks
  • heartburn
  • fatigue
  • constipation
  • pre-eclampsia & high blood pressure
  • haemorrhoids
  • gestational diabetes

Herbal medicine has a long history of use in the last trimester of pregnancy. Specific nutrient supplementation and individualized herbal formulations will promote a more comfortable birth, post natal and breastfeeding experience.

These consultations are designed for couples who are planning pregnancy or having trouble conceiving. In these consultations you will learn how to optimise your health and fertile potential through lifestyle, supplements and fertility knowledge. This program is designed to shorten time-to-pregnancy.

It is important to remember that most couples having trouble conceiving are not biologically infertile, and therefore may conceive naturally with the right information and support. Couples diagnosed with unexplained infertility or a condition known to reduce fertility such as endometriosis and poly cystic ovaries would find this course very beneficial.