Because nothing says "romance” like the gift of morphology, motility, count and happy DNA ..read more

Trying to be financially savvy in 2025? Here’s our top 3 most impactful FREE fertility supporting actions ..read more

‘Tis the season to ask “how much alcohol is too much when we’re trying to conceive ..read more

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