Integrative Fertility : A Holistic approach to pregnancy
Integrative Fertility : a holistic approach to pregnancy
As many patients already know, I am expecting my 2nd daughter in July. It is a very exciting time for me and my family. My journey to conceive my daughter has further fueled my passion for holistic women’s health care especially fertility care. My experience using integrative medicine to conceive successfully in combination with my background in both neonatal intensive care and women’s health helped to inspire Philadelphia’s Integrative Medicine’s Integrative Fertility Program.
I am thrilled to offer comprehensive patient-centered care for both women and men to optimize fertility. Our Integrative Fertility Program combines cutting edge medicine and functional testing in a warm, holistic and individual approach.
Why integrative medicine for infertility?
As detailed in my previous post What is Integrative medicine?, our integrative approach sees patients as a whole person and addresses all aspects of lifestyle, body, mind and spirit. Infertility is a complex and multi-dimensional health concern that deserves to be treated with a broad lens that considers both partners physically, emotionally and spiritually. When you assess and treat all aspects of one’s health, optimal wellness and enhanced fertility are possible. The importance of the mind body connection to conception and pregnancy is also explored and strengthened through holistic medicine.
Besides the more comprehensive nature of an integrative approach, we also seek to help strengthen and promote the body’s natural self-healing mechanisms. Many people have a disconnect with their body and health, viewing them as broken and expecting our healthcare providers or a pill to “fix” the issue. As integrative medicine providers, we help our patients focus on lifestyle interventions that activate the body’s natural healing mechanisms to restore wellness and achieve pregnancy.
Perhaps most importantly, our assessment and interventions are focused on finding and treating the root cause. Much like medical detectives, we are devoted to investigating why the body is not responding as expected and then gearing our treatment modalities at supporting this imbalance. Despite invasive and extensive medical work ups, it is common in infertility care to not have a diagnosis or reason for not being able to conceive or maintain a successful pregnancy. This often leaves many women and men undergoing blanket treatment and procedures to achieve pregnancy that are not targeted to their specific needs. Our Integrative Fertility program uses cutting edge functional medicine testing, often not utilized by conventional medicine, to fully explore and discover the root cause of infertility.
How is our treatment different?
Our integrative treatment is focused on using nutrition, mind body medicine, supplements and herbal recommendations, lifestyle interventions and complementary evidenced based therapies such as acupuncture, healing touch and massage.
The importance of a collaborative approach
Our program is not meant as a stand-alone treatment for fertility but rather a supportive and collaborative approach. Our goal is to work together with patients undergoing traditional infertility treatment and their providers to help achieve more successful outcomes. The program is also available to those who prefer to try to achieve pregnancy naturally.
How to learn more
I will be sharing more about the program and ways to help support fertility in upcoming blog posts. Our next group class on April 28th Top 10 Secrets to Feel Well will explore ways to support general good health and fertility as well as introduce the Integrative Fertility Program. I encourage you to come and learn more in an interactive and fun setting!