Women's Health Clinic | Toronto Natural Health | Naturopathic Medicine | Natural Fertility | Annapurna Naturopathic Clinic

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Fertility is certainly one of the most important and pressing aspects of women's health today. More than at any other time in history women are choosing to have children later in life; sometimes well into their 30's and 40's. At the same time conditions such as common stress and environmental factors are playing an increasing detrimental role in conception. IVF (in vitro fertilization) clinics have responded by providing women with options for conception, however with an increased riskfactor for multiple births as well as associated side-effects from drug use. The IVF option is also very expensive ($10,000+ per cycle) with only marginal results (30-45% success).

As an alternative Annapurna Naturopathic offers Fertility Care™, a proven high success rate protocol (based on data since 2003), which is completely natural (drugless), without side-effects or unwanted multiple births. Experience a completely natural pregnancy from conception to delivery. By enrolling and following through our Fertility Care™ and Conception Care™ programs, both mother and newborn will have a greater opportunity for optimum health. Fertility Care™ can be used (and is also recommended) along side with IVF to increase your chances of conception. Please contact us to discuss your options.

General Fertility Facts

An estimated 250,000 Canadians -- about one in six couples -- have difficulty achieving a pregnancy.
In most cases there is a specific cause for this difficulty that can be diagnosed and successfully treated.
The most significant factor affecting fertility is the female partner's age. Over a one-year period, a woman in her 20's has a 70-90% chance of conceiving, a woman in her 30's has a 55-65% chance of conceiving and by age 40 this drops to less than 50%.
If you and your partner had been trying to conceive for over a year (or over 6 months if the female partner is 35 or older), it is recommended to seek help to discuss fertility support options.

IVF (in vitro fertilization)

IVF (in vitro fertilization) typically costs $10,000+ or more per cycle plus $1,500-5,000 in drugs, and IUI (intrauterine insemination) costing $750+ per cycle plus the cost of drugs.
Side-effects from drugs, such as: clomid, lupron and repronex (to mention only a few) include: 1) Short Term: moodiness, skin breakout, bloating, weight gain. 2) Long-term: still unknown, but strong hormone stimulation especially in many cycles may be risk factor for hormone sensitive conditions like breast cancer.
Success is marginal (30-45%).
Increased possibly of multiple births.

Fertility Care™ Program

In most cases a specific cause for infertility can be diagnosed.
Can help in cases of hormonal imbalances, irregular cycles, endometriosis, lack of ovulation, occurrence of miscarriages, and 'unexplained' fertility concerns and can improve the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra uterine insemination (IUI).
Improved success rate (45-60%)
No side-effects.
No associated multiple births from treatment.

Preconception Care

If you are planning on a pregnancy in the near future, there are many treatment protocols to support your body's inherent health and fertility to improve the chances of having a strong, healthy baby. Ideally, it is good to begin a preconception program at least 3-4 months before conception. This allows enough time to address potential hormonal imbalances as well as perform a good detoxification program.

Preconception program includes:

Detoxification - Removal of accumulated toxins from your body so that they aren't passed on to your newborn. This can include: liver support, heavy metal testing, food sensitivity testing, sauna and support of all of your body's elimination organs - liver, kidneys, skin, colon.
Optimizing Nutrition - Beginning with dietary analysis, followed by recommendations to improve your nutritional state. Diet plays an important role for your newborn.
Stress Management and Lifestyle Choices - Stress is a huge factor in fertility. Treatments include techniques to teach your body to relax. This can include: focused breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, visualizations, and other methods to achieve the 'relaxation response'. Lifestyle factors, such as: caffeine, alcohol and nicotine use are addressed to reduce impact on both fertility and your baby's health.
Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs - Often prescribed to improve hormonal balance and increase circulation to the reproductive organs. A series of 6-10 weekly acupuncture sessions are usually required to achieve results.
Fertility Awareness and Menstrual Cycle Tracking - Understanding your menstrual cycle and signs of fertility.

Natural Approaches to Fertility

The natural approach to fertility addresses your complete health, including: nutrition, emotional states, sleep, stress, weight and toxicity. Each case is individual, and so are the treatment protocols. Areas that may be addressed include: optimal nutrition and food choices, stress reduction, fertility awareness, menstrual cycle tracking, hormonal balance, detoxification, and weight management (loss or gain).

Improving the Success of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology)

The main therapy used in conjunction with ART is acupuncture. There have been many studies written recently proving the benefits of acupuncture and improved success rates of IVF in particular. We provide specialized fertility acupuncture for ART and schedule our treatments according to your ART appointments to maximize success. If you are currently undergoing IVF and would like to discuss or book fertility acupuncture, please contact us at 416-877-0474 or email to info@annapurnanaturopathic.com.

Chinese medicine can improve the success rate of IVF (in vitro fertilization) in the following ways:

Stimulate the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs
Regulate the menstrual cycle (and its hormones) to produce a larger number of follicles
Increase blood flow to the uterus and increase the thickness of the uterine lining
Relaxation and stress reduction
Prevent the uterus from contracting and therefore provide a better environment for the embryo to implant

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