The FertilityHour

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.

Being an older mom. Iva and Charlene both talk about being first-time mamas in their 40’s. We discuss how women are fertile into their 40’s and how the idea of the biological clock was derived from outdated information from the 1800’s! Iva talks about the issues with self-prescribing herbs and also why we need to be very cautious with hormone supplementation. It can really throw off the rhythm of your natural hormone cycle so testing and monitoring must be done as well as careful consideration to not get the body dependent on an external source. We discuss first steps when planning on starting a family which is testing. Iva discusses the most important diagnostic tests to take and what kind of tests give the most accurate results. Even how to bypass your Doctor if they are not willing to prescribe the tests you need. I ask Iva about 2 popular fertility hormones: DHEA and Progesterone. When do you use those and at what dosage and any precautions one should consider before adding them to a fertility regimen.

Dr. Natasha’s first child was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. The medical world had nothing to offer. She took it upon herself to go back to school and learn everything she could about nutrition to help her child. At age 20 he is no longer autistic and is a thriving self sufficient young man. In the years since she has helped tens of thousands of families with her GAPS protocol. What started as a passion and drive to help her son and all the other families with autistic children became much more far reaching. She discovered that through healing the gut any psychological and physiological condition could be healed irregardless of what the medical world had to say. She has seen evidence of this in people all around the world. She explains that gut flora imbalances are a leading cause of infertility along with the mainstream propaganda that led to the low fat dietary movement. Poor gut health leads to hormone imbalances and endocrine disorders and a myriad of health problems that affect the ability to conceive, lead to multiple miscarriages and health problems in children. As disparaging as this news is, Dr. Natasha guides you to restoring your gut “seal and heal” which is where the body can heal. She also emphasizes the critical importance of doing this before trying to conceive to protect your child from needless suffering as the mother (it’s been shown) passes on her gut flora to her child which sets them up for good or poor health.

Traumas throughout our life (even from our own birth) stay with us and manifest as physiological symptoms. Think about the trauma of being born and then all the other emotional events or illnesses that follow. Some seemingly small and others that leave a deeper imprint. When the body is left to cope with and maintain equilibrium around these traumas it takes from the healing of other parts of the body ie the reproductive system. In this episode, I discuss the magical world of homeopathy with the delightful Isaac Golden. We talk about all the factors around being “unwell” and how the root cause must be investigated and a proper remedy then prescribed. Stress is always talked about as a major culprit behind many health issues. Let’s get to the root of the stress because often there are layers that need to be peeled back (like layers of an onion) before a proper homeopathic remedy can be prescribed.  Isaac discusses that even with adrenal issues, we must ask “why?”. Why are the adrenals getting taxed and depleted and treat at that level. Also illnesses that we have had in the past often linger dormant and those must be treated as well as the emotional factors surrounding them. Though Isaac hesitates to say he treats infertility, he has successfully treated many couples who are struggling with fertility issues. He talks about a few cases. One in which a past bout of glandular fever needed to be completely resolved and the other where sexual trauma needed to be treated both with specific homeopathic remedies. Both women got pregnant after these were resolved. We also discuss the incredible research that Countries like India and Cuba are doing to vaccinate their populations with Homeoprophlaxis (which is using homeopathics prophylatically to stop from epidemics). And how homeopathy is an effective first defense for influenza with a staggering 90% success rate.

“Air fresheners are probably one of the worst things that have been invented.” Bill Statham We place them on our skin; we clean our house with them; we saturate our air with them; we consume them and swath our children in them. Chemicals. They have long complex names and their reason for being in our cosmetics, household cleaners, foods are often a mystery and their effects are equally mysterious. Bill Statham saw the harmful effects these mysterious compounds were having on the people he was treating (as a homeopathic physician). This concern over toxic exposure from chemicals compelled him to write the bestselling book The Chemical Maze. The Chemical Maze acts as a consumer’s shopping guide to help you and your family steer clear of nasty toxins. We discuss the chemicals we definitely need to recognize and avoid and why. Particularly concerning are the chemicals that are commonly used and proven to cause reproductive harm. Chemicals (by mimicking estrogens) have already caused massive reproductive damage to amphibian populations. And showing similar effects on our human population. We think of our skin as a barrier but in reality it is a sponge. What are we absorbing, consuming and breathing that will harm us and our future generations? Find out during this information packed episode.  

Ever wake up in the middle of the night engulfed in thoughts of fear, worry and anxiety? Questions like, “what if my IVF fails?” “what if I can’t get pregnant?” swirl in your head. We’ve all experienced times when our feelings overtake us and catastrophize our lives. Research shows that these awful thoughts don’t just make our worlds feel unsafe and unstable but also have detrimental effects on our physiology. What can be done when our chaotic minds seem to be throwing a big temper tantrum? Buffy Trupp, MFT  joins us to introduce us to Mindfulness. Deep fear, grief and anxiety are common emotional responses to dealing with life’s challenges. Fertility challenges can be especially triggering. What if we were no longer enslaved by these emotions and instead able to observe, welcome and nurture them? Would that allow us to truly process them and then be rewarded with vitality, energy and emotional liberation? Buffy shows how the resistance and fighting against the emotion is what keeps us enslaved. We can embrace our feelings-yes even the BIG ones-and fully experience them and come out the other side healthier, calmer and clearer in our understanding of ourselves. Buffy talks about past clients and how mindfulness allowed them to transform deep seated pain and become pregnant.

In this episode I discuss The Listening Cure with the author, Dr. Chris Gilbert. After seeing countless patients that were clearly suffering but with no known cause, Dr. Chris began to use a unconventional method to get to the heart of the matter. She started asking poignant questions that explored the emotional triggers of dis-ease and pain. What she found sent her on a path to help hundreds of patients  in which Conventional Medicine had no solution for. Stress sends millions of us to doctor’s offices everyday. While there is prescription medication to treat emotional symptoms of depression and anxiety they are often only band-aids. What if your doctor instead was willing to ask your body questions and let it speak? How would it respond and what would it reveal about your innate wellness? Your body (when given a voice) will often give you great insight into what it needs to express, release, heal and restore itself. Dr. Chris started to ask her patient’s heart, stomach, throat, ovaries, uterus (and any affected organ) questions and how the body responded allowed her to help the patient release the emotions that were often being bottled up. Throat constriction?  A woman revealed her anger and sadness about her husband’s extramarital affair. She allowed the woman to scream and release the rage and in response release the constriction in her throat. The gut (and gut issues) she describes as a common area where the first “symptoms of unhappiness” manifest. We explore the emotional undercurrent of unexplained infertility. She implores us to ask loving and inquisitive questions to our ovaries and our uterus. What special message do they have for us?  Dr. Chris talks about stress causing fertility issues and gives us creative ways to release the stress so that the body can focus on healing.  You will enjoy the lovely Dr. Chris and her important message for all of us.

In this episode I interview one of the leading pioneers in iodine research and application, Dr. Jorge Flechas. Dr. Flechas discusses how iodine deficiency has led to dramatic increases in cancer, thyroid diseases and hormonal imbalances.  He highlights that iodine is found and needed by the breast, ovaries, thyroid and muscles. When examining Countries with low incidences of cancer, Dr. Flechas reveals that Japan has the lowest rates of breast and prostate cancer despite being hit with two nuclear bombs. Iodine plays a dramatic role in balancing hormones and is needed to ensure ovarian health and thyroid health which is essential to fertility. Dr. Flechas details how a majority of the U.S. has become deficient in iodine and what can be done about it. Also iodines crucial role in brain development. Pregnant women consuming adequate levels of iodine have children with much higher than average IQs!  Learn how this incredible element can protect you from cancer and keep your thyroid healthy.

In this episode we learn about a little known vitamin that has slowly disappeared from today’s diets. It is crucial for sperm health, testosterone building, bone health, heart health and a whole lot more -Vitamin K2. I interview Dr. Kate about this incredible nutrient that is found in fermented and pasture raised foods. Once we changed the way we stored and raised our food, we lost a large source of Vitamin K2 in our diets. Vitamin K2 is responsible for getting calcium to the right places and getting it out of places in our body that can cause serious harm. We discuss how we have been mistakenly led to believe that cholesterol is “bad” when the real culprit is left largely ignored and unchecked. Dr. Kate talks about how K2 is critical for sperm health which has been drastically declining. We also discuss Vitamin K2 deficiencies and its link to poor facial formation (in children), poor dental health as well as an array of chronic and degenerative diseases.

“Women with endometriosis are some of the bravest people in the world,” proclaims Leah Hechtman. She is a leading researcher and clinician on the front lines of endometriosis research and treatment. In this episode  Leah and I discuss the complex and painful condition that is affecting millions of women. Although endometriosis is more prevalent than diabetes it is still often misdiagnosed, misunderstood and often dismissed by the medical community. We talk about the struggles women face from being brushed off to given only extremely invasive treatment options.  Leah spends her time and energy learning about the complexity of this conditions. Many still view endometriosis as a reproductive condition but (from her experience) she sees it as a multi-systemic disorder involving the immune system and often involving co-infections.  We discuss the way that it is (often) assessed and treated & how that never gets to the root of the problem and often contributes to scarring and more severe hormonal imbalances. In this interview,  Leah discusses her unique approach and gives practical lifestyle and dietary tips to help women manage pain and maintain their health that can really support them and make a difference in the quality of life.

This episode addresses a growing concern which begs the question, “how safe are cell phones, tablets and the WiFi we are surrounded by? According to EMF expert Lloyd Burrell they are something we need to have a clear understanding of. Lloyd was living his dream, moving to France to start a business venture. One day out of nowhere (it seemed) he became sick and his life became a “living hell.” After stumping Doctors and Specialists he realized that it was EMF exposure (from his cell phone) that was making him sick and he made it his mission to find out why. After exhaustive research he found out that the technology we so revere had the potential to cause numerous health issues including infertility. In this interview Lloyd talks about the effects electromagnetic frequencies (EMFs) had on his health plus independent research that shows that EMFs and RF (Radio Frequencies) have the potential to damage us on a cellular level. He discusses the research on cell phones effects on sperm health as well as recent findings which link similar exposure to decreased fertility (in women) and increased miscarriages. We discuss the fact that this technology is most likely not going away so how do we protect ourselves in this technology driven world. Lloyd is a very solutions driven guy so he gives great practical tips to safeguard ourselves and our children (born and unborn). This episode is a real eye opener and you will be safer, happier and healthier (and sleep better) implementing just a few changes.