Approaching the stimulation phase of your egg retrieval? It can be a wild time both physically and emotionally. With a period of preconception care under your belt, there are a few lifestyle modifications to consider as you start using your IVF meds to recruit and mature follicles in preparation for your egg retrieval. While in clinic we tailor advice and treatment to each individual, there are a few lifestyle choices and changes that will make just about everybody’s stimulation phase a little smoother. One: Be selective about your exercise Movement is important during the stim phase! Exerc ..read more

“People are recognising we have a reproductive health crisis, but they say it’s because of delayed childbearing, choice or lifestyle – it can’t be chemical. I am not saying other factors aren’t involved. But I am saying chemicals play a major causal role. It is difficult to use that word, “cause”, but it’s a body of evidence. We have mechanisms, animal studies, and multiple human studies” Dr Shanna Swan PhD. Something TCM has long recognised - the world around us influences our fertility. Right now - we are seeing more research and a growing body of evidence to show that different chemicals ..read more

This is PCOS - Part two. For a what-is-PCOS and information on diagnosis, check out part one here. The two biggest concerns for women with PCOS in terms of fertility are lack of ovulation and disruption to the maturation of the follicle, with ramifications for oocyte quality. Supporting fertility with PCOS doesn’t have to be complicated and doesn’t have to be one approach all the way - there is certainly plenty of research to support the value of a complimentary team. PCOS fertility concern: I rarely, or never ovulate. 1. Add a supplement:  NAC N-Acetyle-Cysteine is a favourite for our ..read more

We talk about cervical mucus every day in the clinic.  TMI?  Not possible.   The cervical mucus that precedes ovulation is not only an incredible tool for predicting ovulation, but also plays a role in the final maturation and transport of sperm to the egg. It’s a really important, and often forgotten aspect of fertility. The production of this fertile cervical mucus is largely a result of rising estrogen levels. If you feel like you don’t make any, or not enough, you’re not alone - your body might just need a little support.  Here’s five science based places to start. &nbs ..read more

Around 85,000 abortions are performed every year in Australia for 85,000 different reasons. With that number, I suppose it stands to reason we so often get asked about abortion and whether it could be playing a role in how a persons fertility experience is playing out. 1 in 6 women in her 30’s has had a termination The two approaches and why it matters Medical Abortion Medical abortion uses medication to end and remove a pregnancy.  In Australia, medical abortion is usually used up until week 9, most often with the combination of two pharmaceuticals - mifepristone and misoprostol ..read more

There is a growing body of research on the impacts of women drinking alcohol in preconception – the elephant in the room of course is that preconception care isn’t just for eggs, so the question should be addressed, does alcohol impact sperm health, and does it have any clinical relevance? New research - ‘Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Male Fertility Potential: A Narrative Review’ This recently published review addresses the impact of alcohol on semen parameters based on evidence from animal and human studies.    A brief summary of their main findings: 1.     A ..read more

A man today has half as many sperm as his grandfather.  I first came across the epic decrease in sperm counts when I was doing my Master’s degree.  It was casually explained away by the hypothesis, or more accurately, the opinion that the numbers are not dropping but rather technology to accurately gauge sperm counts had improved. Sperm counts are dropping between generations Where did this information come from? A 2017 research paper by Professor Shanna Swan et al found that sperm counts in the countries they looked at (including Australia, NZ, North America and Europe) were on av ..read more

How does acupuncture work? Ah. The million dollar question. As with so much in TCM, the answer is both simple and complex. Let’s try break this down. Acupuncture and TCM: 101 Acupuncture is one part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  TCM is a medicine of observation, meaning that the effects of using different TCM modalities have been studied for literally thousands of years.  All this feedback and information has been culminated into the TCM we practice globally today.  AND it is still evolving as our environment changes, as we work alongside allopathic therapies and as we ..read more

This one is firmly in the camp of FACT. Too much heat around the genitals has been described as a “substantial risk factor” for male infertility.   Whats the problem with heat? Sperm are fussy about temperature. Spermatogenesis - the process of creating sperm - is temperature dependent.  Sperm development occurs at its best at temperatures slightly cooler than the body, hence the testicles clever little cooling system - their ability to rise and lower to self regulate in different temperatures.  Exposure to high temperatures can slow or stop the process of sperm development. H ..read more

If you’re in the IVF world and haven’t come across PGT-A testing, its likely only a matter of time before you do.  Where does PGT-A fit in? PGT-A is classified as an IVF add-on, meaning it’s not part of a standard IVF protocol.  A protocol is generally stimulation, egg retrieval, embryo development and embryo transfer.  Add-ons are processes, procedures or pharmaceuticals sometimes referred to as ‘supplementary add-ons’, ‘adjuvants’ or ‘supplementary treatments’ that have little or no evidence to support their efficacy and may carry an ethical burden.  What is PGT-A? PGT-A ..read more