The FertilityHour

What if weight loss was effortless and could be approached in a feminine and intuitive way? Nagina Abdullah struggled with weight her whole life. She successfully lost weight dieting only to plateau and gain it back time and time again. Sound familiar? She knew there had to be a sane, intuitive and feminine approach to this struggle. She started using the spices from her youth to add life, vibrancy, and satiation to her meals. No longer was she deprived. On the contrary, she felt filled up and the pounds started melting off. Despite being a mama of two wee ones and working a high-stress corporate job in NYC she for the first time gained mastery of her body. She went on to incorporate low inflammatory foods and strength training to build her dream body. She promises no more processed meal plans, no more calorie counting, no more deprivation. If you are trying to conceive you will benefit greatly from Nagina’s wisdom and sensibility as she teaches you an easy way to reconnect with your best self and maintain your ideal weight.

Menstrual health is the key to your fertility health. Lisa of the popular podcast Fertility Friday feel strongly  that it is the (bodies) Fifth Vital Sign. She has spent the last 20 years teaching women to track their cycles and how to interpret the wealth of information tracking can provide. This was something a majority of us were never taught and only learned when trying to get pregnant. She discusses the importance of charting when trying to conceive and how we can identify imbalances and correct them on our path to motherhood. Also, we discuss the detrimental effects of the birth control pill on our fertility and what steps we must take to restore our cycles after the pill.

Have you been diagnosed with Low AMH and worry about your ability to conceive? Dr. Scott was seeing many clients in the same situation and started looking at ancient Chinese herbology as a possible remedy. Scott created a Chinese Herb formula that has shown to increase AMH levels in his fertility clients. We discuss what AMH tells us and why IVF clinics put so much importance on your AMH numbers and why AMH won’t stop you from conceiving naturally. We also discuss the other important factors that need to be addressed when trying to conceive. Also, Scott talks about what he observes as the commonality all women with low AMH have. And his secret to a glowing, happy and fulfilled life.

In this thought-provoking and highly educational interview, we discuss one of the most intriguing and revealing indicators of a women’s physical and emotional health-the menstrual cycle. The menses was once part of a ritualistic passage in a young woman’s life. We discuss how the menses should still be celebrated and nurtured as it gives us a monthly report card on our health including our fertility health. Lara discusses how the birth control pill has disconnected the delicate rhythm of our hormonal endocrine system and falsely led many of us to believe that we are infertile. Without an understanding of “how to repair our periods”, we are falsely lead to believe that fertility drugs are the only option to restore fertility. If you took the birth control pill or have struggled with irregular periods you will definitely want to listen to this interview. Lara also gives practical and simple tips on getting your menses back on track without PMS or discomfort.

In this episode, you are going to gain an understanding of Maca and how it can help your fertility as well as how and why it could possibly make it more difficult to conceive. Every woman who is looking for natural ways to boost their fertility will inevitably come across information on Maca. Maca indigenous to the Andes Mountains of Peru has shown to improve litter size of livestock and increase uterine weight in women and sperm quality in males. Once Maca hit the market it seemed to be touted as a miracle panacea helping with everything from weight loss, libido, breast growth and of course fertility. The thing that concerned me was that though many sang it’s praises I also saw that Maca was problematic for many women but I didn’t understand why. Is there a lot to Maca we don’t know? The answer is yes. I reached out to one of the leading authorities on Maca and got a lot of important questions answered. Joining him is the lovely nutritionist and pre-conception expert, Jan Roberts. You are going to love this warm, engaging and lively interview and will come out of it well informed about this ancient root.

Andrea harnesses the power of Reiki and The Law of Attraction to help her clients overcome fertility issues. It all started when her sister in law was having trouble conceiving.  Andrea identified work pressures and stress as the main culprit. Using her powers as a healer she was able to remove the blocked energy and helped her sister in law manifest a new reality. Her sister in law soon became pregnant with a boy. Thrilled with the results with her sister in law, Andrea had an epiphany that the subconscious mind was the main obstacle for many women who had tried everything to get pregnant. She discusses how energy work and manifestation has changed the life of her fertility clients globally. Even those who have been diagnosed with conditions like Endometriosis and PCOS. Is there an emotional component underlying disease? Andrea says yes and we explore that in this thought provoking interview.

Dr. Shames became very invested in learning about the thyroid after his wife Karilee developed thyroid disease. Karilee, a nurse practitioner, went to some of the top endocrinologists and yet felt her care was very inadequate. Dr Shames along with his wife and daughter (an acupuncturist) dedicate their lives to help thyroid sufferers around the globe. It is a bigger epidemic then diabetes and yet many health care systems largely sweep it under the rug. “It can’t kill you though you may wish you were dead.” Thyroid disease can rob you of a quality of life and has a large laundry list of symptoms. For fertility, thyroid health is paramount and must be treated in orchestra with the hormones and adrenal system. In this interview we discuss testing, treatment, proper rangers  and the causative factor. I am a big fan of Dr. Shames and have recommended his book, Feeling Fat, Fuzzy and Frazzled to many of my patients who have all raved about it. Dr. Shames understands the complexity of thyroid disease but also acknowledges that because it is a complex condition everyone must be treated as an individual.

Leading fertility expert Iva Keene discusses 4 case studies from real life fertility clients. Iva has worked with hundreds of couples from around the world and has seen it all. In her assessment of couples she analyzes over 150 health and data points which helps her uncover underlying imbalances that are contributing to fertility struggles. She discusses both female and male factor issues and talks about the lifestyle changes and health issues and how she treated them. All couples had multiple issues and went on to have healthy babies. You will feel inspired by listening to this interview. Iva drives home the point that with proper care and guidance you can restore your reproductive health.

Ways to cope when trying to get pregnant overwhelms you. In this interview Master herbalist, Elizabeth Willett offers wonderful tools to stay mindful, grounded and calm during your fertility journey. When you are struggling to conceive many find themselves surrounded by emotional triggers. From another social media pregnancy announcement to a negative pregnancy test to a well meaning relatives annoying advice. How do we navigate through it all while maintaining a sense of self? Elizabeth pulls out her tool box that she has developed over the years and gives real life practical advice on staying mindful and managing stress. In her practice (though people seek out herbal advice) Elizabeth digs deeper into the psyche of the client to find out what the true need is. Often times one needs to be gently reminded that we are emotional creatures having a spiritual experience. Elizabeth emphasises mindfulness and fully experiencing our emotions as a way to heal the body and bring it into balance. Study after study show that stress wreaks havoc on our health and fertility. And that emotions such as  grief and anger store in our organs. Learn the tools to release all the icky emotions and feelings to reconnect with your joy.

Tiffany Jo Baker has been a surrogate 3 times and has been part of the infertility community for many years. With her background as a couples counselor, she goes deep and helps couples discuss the hard questions when navigating the stressful, emotional and challenging world of infertility. There is no question that fertility challenges can be hard on a relationship but could it also act to strengthen the bond in a couple? Tiffany Baker says yes and in fact that is her goal. No matter what the outcome. She outlines 5 critical questions that a couple must discuss to strengthen that bond. Breakdown in communication and different expectations are the poison of any relationship. Let Tiffany be your gentle guide so that you and your partner remain unified as teammates and lifemates. By listening to this episode with your partner you will learn a tremendous amount about each other and be able to make important decisions with clarity and understanding.

Aging in reverse? Rituals to call in our babies soul? Best sex in your 60s and 70s? We cover all of it in this impassioned interview. Dr. Chris has worked tirelessly to shift how women view themselves based on their chronological age and external messages. She gives an example of a native tribe where women have become pregnant in their 50s and 60s because they were never given the message that they couldn’t. What determines how our bodies age? What if we re-examine how we experience time and therefore live a life where time is abundant and we feed our bodies and souls so that we are aging in reverse? Dr Chris says,  "become an outlier" where the reality for others about degeneration of the body and mind don’t pertain to us in the same way. With fertility women are given so many negative messages as we get older. The messages and the power we give them can be quite detrimental to our ability to conceive. We have the power to listen to new messages and connect to powerful source energy that allows for the body to heal, regenerate and create new life. Fertility is a spiritual process and Dr. Chris has a wonderful way of reconnecting us to that truth. She reminds us that our babies soul is out there and nudges us toward the process of calling the baby in through rituals and connected love making.

Is secondary infertility affecting you? Over 3 million couples in the U.S. alone are faced with the devastating diagnosis of secondary infertility.  Wendy Cooper shares how she triumphed over secondary infertility and how you can too!  When Wendy and her husband made the decision to have a second child they found  it wasn’t happening as easy as the first time around.  Wendy went to get evaluated by an IVF doctor and was told  that she would not be a good candidate for IVF and not only that but her hormone levels were that of a perimenopausal woman! Donor eggs were recommended as the only option. Many of us may have  taken the specialist at his word assuming our chances of natural conception were improbable but not Wendy. She was not interested in the donor egg option and believed in her heart that her body was simply needing the right kind of nurturing to get it into a state where it could support a new life. A book by Deepak Chopra gave her the encouragement she needed. He wrote that the cells in the body regenerate every 7 years and with that was the impetus to do what she could to help her body regenerate and hence  support her body to biologically “age in reverse”. She read everything out there and came across a Naturopath and Fertility Specialist that supported her beliefs, Dr. Iva Keene. Iva spoke about the 4 month maturation period where a cell matures into an egg and how to support the body and therefore the egg during that period as well as the partner’s sperm. Wendy worked with Iva and gave her body the nurturing it wanted and needed. The end result,  after 4 months she was pregnant and at 45 gave birth to a gorgeous, vibrantly healthy baby boy. During her pregnancy the doctors told her her labs looked like someone in their 20’s!

Pinworms are also called “threadworms.” They're the most common type of intestinal worm infection in the U.S., and one of the most common in the world. Rachel Arthur discovered that many of her patients were infected with worms. She saw that worms migrated from the anus into the vagina, bladder and genital-urinary system. She also witnessed the havoc worms had on people’s health. With stool tests being a terribly inaccurate tool for diagnosis, she found assessment, diagnosis and treatment protocols that are helping many people affected. We discuss the misconception that worms are something someone picks up “in a developing country.” Learn how to assess if you are at risk and how you can regain your health and fertility.

Considering IVF?  Life Whisperer is an Artificial Intelligence Company that will quite possibly turn the IVF Industry on its head and change many many couples lives. Its goal is to significantly increase the success rates of IVF. With current success rates being 20-30% it could use some help.  I interview one of the co-founders of Life Whisperer, Michelle Perugini and she describes how the technology will allow IVF clinics to better classify embryos for more successful transfer rates. In fact, in a clinical study of 600 participants, Life Whisperer technology was able to select viable embryo 30% better than leading embryologists. Currently Life Whisperer is still in the clinical trial state but they plan to make it available to IVF clinics globally very soon!

How balanced is your life in relation to your fertility? We often have tunnel vision about our own health and put a lot of emphasis on one aspect of it and overlook the rest. Or become overwhelmed by everything we are reading and learning and don’t know where to start? What if there was a guide that took into consideration all the aspects of health and wellbeing that were important when trying to conceive and laid them out (for you) so you could assess your life and see what needs a little more attention? Dr. Marc Sklar created the Fertility Balance Wheel for just that purpose. We go around the wheel starting with digestion and touch upon all the wonderful areas of life that when balanced, creates wellness and optimizes fertility. It’s such an amazing process that both you and your partner will benefit immensely from.

Lisa suffered from painful periods and like many teens was put on the birth control pill. In college she discovered a magical world that allowed her to understand her body, her rhythms and imbalances in a unique, revealing and intimate way. When Lisa learned the family awareness method and began to chart it ignited a passion that has burned inside her for the last 15 years. “...it’s really profound because we’ve never been taught anything about our bodies let alone the fact that our cycles are so closely related to our health.” Lisa Lisa has dedicated her life to teaching and empowering women through the family awareness method. By understanding our own unique patterns and rhythms we can use the charts to determine when to abstain and when we are most fertile but also can see how stress, diet, sleep and other lifestyle factors are affecting us. This is a wonderfully insightful interview and will further reinforce the importance of charting when trying to conceive.

You can thrive with PCOS. Although PCOS can be a devastating diagnosis, Stacey Roberts, ND talks about understanding the underlying causes of PCOS and coming out the other side with radiant health. PCOS does not define you and instead encompasses a set of symptoms. By understanding how our bodies have come out of balance we can treat the underlying causes with diet, lifestyle changes and supplementation. If you or a loved one has PCOS you will be inspired, educated, empowered and uplifted after listening to this podcast. We discuss food as the foundational treatment and explore effective natural alternatives to Metformin. Stacey answers questions about PCOS and miscarriage, exercise, sweeteners, ideal diet and more.

Iodine deficiency is a major barrier to fertility and increases risk of miscarriage 4 fold. Also decreases IQ, increases rates of ADHD and leads to poor pregnancy and delivery outcomes. We can agree that iodine is essential to health but what has become hotly debated is how does one assess if they are iodine deficient and what dosage is appropriate?   Rachel Arthur, ND discusses the overzealousness about iodine that is causing real issues for people. We can not use a sledgehammer on the thyroid gland and taking high doses of iodine is essentially that-hammering a very delicate gland. This has caused real problems in Japan where the government has asked people to decrease iodine intake. Where should we get our iodine and how much do we need are really important questions to ask and get answered. It can really be an obstacle to health and of course fertility. This interview will clarify, educate and answer many of your questions about this powerful trace element.

“I’ve lost count of all the infertile women who have become moms (that followed the Wheat Belly lifestyle)." William Davis, MD His first book, Wheat Belly was a global phenomenon. Bombarded by media. Multiple guest appearances on The Dr. Oz show. It completely changed the paradigm and thus the conversation about health and nutrition. First touted as a diet to reverse and prevent heart disease soon found rabid fans showing pics of incredible changes to their face and bodies. “I look 20 years younger.” “My sex drive is back.” “I lost 35 pounds.” “I am pregnant.” The stories grew of total transformations. With Dr. Davis’ second book, Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor, the contents proved to be too controversial for mainstream media. Dr. Davis discusses the rapid dissemination of information and the creation of global communities of people sharing health information as the real advancement in healthcare. Millions of people are educating themselves like never before and getting really smart on how to truly take care of their bodies and minds. No longer willing to be hapless victims of a corrupt medical system where big pharma profits while millions become collateral damage of a system based on greed. We discuss the foundational ways in which we can truly take charge of our health. His message is eliminate wheat, grain and sugar while normalizing bowel flora, optimizing iodine and Omega 3 levels. This combination is turning around chronic, degenerative and life depleting diseases all over the world. One of the most impactful interviews on Fertility Hour. Please share it with all your loved ones and on social media.

“Women do enough work as it is.” When AVA’s founder watched his wife wake up every morning to track her BBT, he thought, “there must be a better way.” After much research and many trials later AVA was created. It was released last year amongst a lot of buzz and excitement but also a lot of questions and confusion. That’s why we reached out to AVA to find out more about the bracelet that reportedly is taking the work out of fertility tracking. We personally love extolling the benefits of the Fertility Awareness Method. However, we understand that schedules can be erratic and not conducive to the consistency needed to get accurate BBT. Also, though cervical mucus is a wonderful fertility indicator, some women are not confident that they can identify the egg white mucus that is indicative of the fertile window. The AVA bracelet tracks 9 physiological parameters that are consistent with a woman during ovulation. It also tracks important things such as sleep, REM, and physiological stress. It seems pretty amazing, right? During this interview, you will get all your questions answered and find out how AVA can really make sure you are optimizing your fertility days as well as understanding your body’s cycles better.