Natural Fertility Optimization

 

PERSONALIZED FERTILITY CARE

Fertility

Whether you are planning ahead for a future pregnancy or actively trying to conceive, an important first step should be contacting a doctor with expertise in fertility and reproductive medicine. Dr. Nicholas offers a comprehensive health analysis and a personalized treatment plan to help your realize your goal of getting pregnant and growing your family. Your personalized fertility and preconception plan may include:

  • Individualized plan tailored to your unique needs

  • Comprehensive hormone and lab testing

  • Fertility-specific nutrition and lifestyle medicine

  • Environmental exposure and oxidative stress education

  • Body composition analysis

  • Nutraceutical supplementation for egg and sperm quality

  • Stress management techniques to reduce anxiety

  • IV Nutrient Therapy to enhance nutritional status, detoxification and antioxidant capacity

  • Monitoring, follow up, and guidance to help you succeed

  • Pre and Post IVF/IUI acupuncture to increase ART success rates

Preconception

The preconception period is defined as the 3 months prior to conception. I like to refer to it as “trimester zero”. Studies show that it is a critical time period that impacts not only your fertility capacity but also the health of your future children, and grandchildren. During the preconception period, it is important for both partners to prioritize health and wellness, balance hormones, optimize body composition, detoxify, and enhance egg and sperm quality. In order to guide treatment, standard laboratory testing and comprehensive testing can be done to gain insight into your health and identify imbalances that need to be addressed prior to conception. Ask for more information about the testing that is right for you:

  • Conventional blood testing

  • Reproductive hormone testing

  • Oxidative stress testing

  • Adrenal and cortisol stress testing

  • Food sensitivity testing

  • Allergy testing

  • Thyroid and autoimmune testing

  • Sperm and semen analysis

 

NATURAL FERTILITY TREATMENT

Natural fertility treatment is holistic approach to infertility and fertility optimization. The goal is to identify and underlying cause of sub-optimal fertility, and use evidence based medicine to guide treatment. Your comprehensive care plan typically involves a combination of therapies including nutrition, vitamins and minerals, intravenous (IV) nutrient therapy, herbs, acupuncture, and prescriptions when necessary.

There are a variety of different causes for infertility and sub-optimal fertility that can be treated using naturopathic medicine. Some of the more common concerns I treat include advanced maternal age and poor egg quality, oxidative stress, PCOS and ovulatory disorders, male factor infertility, miscarriage and recurrent pregnancy loss, and unexplained infertility.

 

ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE

More and more women are delaying having children. Despite this push to having children later in life, maternal age remains strongly correlated with pregnancy rates. Studies show that older women have poorer egg quality, lower pregnancy rates, and increased risk of miscarriage. While there is no question that chronological age matters when it comes to fertility, new evidence is demonstrating that our biological age (as determined by our nutritional status and lifestyle) also matters. Recent research suggests that the biological age of our eggs can be improved by taking a closer look at oxidative stress and mitochondrial function. Optimizing nutrition and supplementation to support mitochondrial health and enhance antioxidant capacity may have the capacity to help fertility patients.

 

Male factor infertility

Male sperm counts have been declining for decades. What was considered “abnormally low” back in the 1990s, doctors now consider “normal” because of a population-wide decline in sperm number and quality. The only way to know your sperm quality and quantity is to test it. A semen analysis helps to uncover information about sperm count, motility, morphology, and immunological factors. If further investigation is warranted, there is advanced testing to detect for DNA fragmentation. Oxidative stress produces free radicals that damages sperm growth and maturation. Supporting antioxidant status and removing common culprits such as poor diet, alcohol, cigarettes, environmental exposures can improve sperm health in as little as 3 months.

 

PCOS and other ovulatory disorders

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition affecting 4-6% of reproductive age women. PCOS develops when ovulation is absent or irregular for a length of time.  Because there are many reasons for irregular ovulation, there are many causes of PCOS. It is a complex disorder, where a number of genetic variants and environmental factors interact, combine and contribute to the pathophysiology.  Many women with PCOS suffer from obesity, insulin resistance and difficulty with weight loss. They are often plagued by acne, hair loss, and unwanted facial and body hair due to excess androgens. Because ovulation is disrupted or absent, many women diagnosed with PCOS have difficulty conceiving if left untreated. These symptoms are often masked by birth control pills and are only discovered after the pills are discontinued. Naturopathic medicine is ideally suited for the assessment and treatment of PCOS. Furthermore, the first line therapy for treatment of PCOS includes diet and lifestyle modification. Because the syndrome affects every level of the reproductive system, a thorough investigation regarding the root cause of ovulatory dysfunction is often key to successful treatment.  While diet and exercise programs are an important step in the recovery process, many people with PCOS are unsuccessful in the long term until the underlying cause is addressed.


Miscarriage & Recurrent Pregnancy Loss

Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) is traditionally defined as three or more consecutive miscarriages occurring before 20 weeks.  Imaging and blood tests are commonly used as diagnostic tools; however, in nearly half of all cases the underlying cause remains undiagnosed by conventional medicine. The known causes of RPL include:

  • Anatomical – structural uterine abnormalities

  • Genetic – chromosomal abnormalities

  • Hematological – thrombophilias including low folate status and anti-phospholipid syndrome

  • Endocrinological – luteal phase deficiency, hyperprolactinemia, PCOS, uncontrolled diabetes, insulin resistance and thyroid conditions

  • Immunologic – autoimmune and inflammatory conditions

  • Infectious – various bacterial and viral infections

  • Environmental – diet, obesity, emotional stress, and exposure to environmental toxins including hormone disruptors

  • Male factor infertility

Unexplained Infertility 

The infertility cause cannot be determined by conventional diagnostic procedures for up to 30% of couples. Such cases are referred to as “unexplained” or “idiopathic” infertility.   Naturopathic medicine can diagnose and treat some common causes of unexplained infertility including:

  • Cervical mucus abnormalities

  • Endometrial lining issues

  • Infections

  • Immunologic causes

  • Endometriosis

  • Hormonal Imbalances

  • Nutritional deficiencies

  • Environmental toxic exposures

  • Sperm DNA fragmentation











































PCOS and other ovulatory disorders

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common condition affecting 4-6% of reproductive age women. PCOS develops when ovulation is absent or irregular for a length of time.  Because there are many reasons for irregular ovulation, there are many causes of PCOS. It is a complex disorder, where a number of genetic variants and environmental factors interact, combine and contribute to the pathophysiology.  

Many women with PCOS suffer from obesity, insulin resistance and difficulty with weight loss. They are often plagued by acne, hair loss, and unwanted facial and body hair due to excess androgens. Because ovulation is disrupted or absent, many women diagnosed with PCOS have difficulty conceiving if left untreated. These symptoms are often masked by birth control pills and are only discovered after the pills are discontinued. Naturopathic medicine is ideally suited for the assessment and treatment of PCOS. Furthermore, the first line therapy for treatment of PCOS includes diet and lifestyle modification. Because the syndrome affects every level of the reproductive system, a thorough investigation regarding the root cause of ovulatory dysfunction is often key to successful treatment.  While diet and exercise programs are an important step in the recovery process, many people with PCOS are unsuccessful in the long term until the underlying cause is addressed.

Male factor infertility

Despite decades of declining sperm counts, men (and their doctors) tend to neglect the male contribution to infertility problems. As most “male factor” infertility is silent, the only way to diagnose the issue is through testing. 

The first step is often a semen analysis. This analysis evaluates the count (number, movement and shape), motility, and morphology. For those attempting natural conception or intrauterine insemination (IUI), advanced testing such as the DNA fragmentation test is useful as this test will help diagnose unexplained infertility even when semen analysis is normal. 

Oxidative stress, the stress on the body that is caused by the cumulative damage of free radicals that is not adequately neutralized by antioxidants, is a main contributor to sperm DNA fragmentation. Sperm DNA fragmentation can be linked to infections, drug use, cigarette smoking, exposure to environmental and occupational pollutants, advanced age, varicocele, illnesses with high fevers, elevated testicular temperature (laptop computers, hot tubs), chronic diseases, diabetes, cancer and cancer treatment, obesity, and poor diet.  Optimizing sperm function through nutritional supplementation, diet and lifestyle changes can improve conception probabilities in as little as 3 months.















IUI & IVF SUPPORT

Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) & In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

There are many reasons couples choose assisted reproductive technologies. An integrative approach that uses traditional medication in combination with evidence based, natural products has been shown to improve the success rate of ART.  Support through an IUI/IVF cycle involves stress reduction, optimizing egg and sperm quality, and preparing the uterus for implantation.

Acupuncture may be especially helpful to support IVF treatment. Studies suggest that treatment leading up to, and specifically pre and post embryo transfer, may help improve success rates of IVF. Ideally, treatment is commenced 3 months prior to treatment in order to best prepare your body.Fertility Consultation

Pregnant and post part

Pregnancy is an exciting time for women, but it also comes with many questions on how to optimize health for both mom and baby. Current research suggests that the choices made in pregnancy can shape a child’s health and determine the long-term risk for a growing number of diseases. Patient-centred medical care during pregnancy works with women to educate themselves about optimal nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle during pregnancy and also address any pregnancy related concerns that may arise. This care extends beyond birth to the “4th trimester” to support women during the postpartum period. 







Nausea and morning sickness

  1. Constipation

  2. Insomnia

  3. Headaches and migraines







  1. Group B Strep (GBS) prevention and treatment

    • Iron deficiency

    • Fatigue

    • Joint pain

    • Preeclampsia prevention and management

    • Depression and anxiety

    • Recurrent miscarriage

    • Gestational Diabetes prevention and management

    • Labour and delivery support

    • Breastfeeding support

    • Hypothyroidism







Couples’ Fertility Consultations are 60 minute visits open to couples looking to prepare for pregnancy, optimize fertility, or investigate infertility.

In these consultations Dr. Nicholas takes the time to speak with both partners about fertility goals and addresses any barriers that are preventing natural conception. Dr. Nicholas recognizes that though planning for pregnancy is very exciting for couples, it can also be discouraging and stressful if you aren’t able to conceive right away. On average, one third of all infertility cases are caused by both female and male factors. These Fertility Assessments offer the opportunity to investigate the cause of suboptimal fertility and test to identify your individual challenges when trying to conceive. She works with couples who are trying to conceive naturally as well as couples using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Dr. Nicholas works in tandem with local fertility centres to support LGBTQIA couples realize parenthood. Dr. Nicholas is committed to supporting you from preconception to postpartum to enable you to achieve your goal of growing your family.

Book a Couples’ Fertility Consultation today to discuss your personalized approach to optimal fertility.

Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)

Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) acts on immunological mechanisms which alter the allergic immune response and improve your allergy symptoms. SLIT is treatment of allergies using oral dosing (drops under the tongue) of a diluted solution containing an allergy (the substance the individual is allergic to). The therapy is currently offered for the treatment of airborne allergens such as dog and cat dander, grass and tree pollen, dust mites, and moulds.









HOW DOES IT WORK?

Many published scientific studies have demonstrated that SLIT significantly reduces allergy symptoms. Exposure to small amounts of the allergen overtime increases the body’s tolerance to these allergens and improves overall immunity. By enhancing immune tolerance, one’s allergic response is dampened.

WHAT CONDITIONS does it treat?

  • Allergic rhinitis

  • Seasonal allergies

  • Allergic conjunctivitis

  • Allergic asthma

  • Airborne allergies: dust, tree/grass/ragweed pollen, cat/dog dander, moulds

What are the benefits?

Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) is an advantageous way to treat allergies without injections and is well-suited to the needle-phobic patients, children, travellers and the elderly. Individualized immunotherapy solutions that can be taken under your tongue from the comfort of you home and saves you countless trips to the doctor’s office, saying your both time and money.

IS SUBLINGUAL IMMUNOTHERAPY EFFECTIVE?

Immunotherapy commonly results in an early reduction in allergy symptoms during treatment, and it offers long-term reduction in symptoms, and prevention of progression of asthma and new allergies even after discontinuation of SLIT treatment. You can expect to see a reduction in allergy symptoms within two weeks to two months.

The efficacy of specific immunotherapy is a function of the duration of immunotherapy treatment. It takes time for your body to habituate to allergens and restore function to your immune system and regulate your allergic response. Therefore, it is recommended to take immunotherapy for 2-5 years to achieve lasting results. Those who do immunotherapy for the prescribed duration are able to discontinue SLIT and maintain long-term resolution of allergic disease without relapse.

Is Sublingual IMMUNOTHERAPY safe?

Side effects are usually local and mild, and are minimized by working with your Naturopathic Doctor to carefully individualize your immunotherapy protocol. In comparison to SCIT, where diluted allergens are injected into the skin subcutaneously, SLIT has a better safety profile with much lower risk of adverse reactions.

SLIT natural allergy treatment is currently offered at many prestigious hospitals, such as John Hopkins. The World Health Organization (WHO) has endorsed sublingual immunotherapy as a viable alternative to injection immunotherapy.

HOW DO I determine which drops to take?

Initially, you will need to be seen by Dr. Nicholas, a Naturopathic Physician certified in SLIT, who will assess if this therapies appropriate for you. If appropriate, the doctor will do an allergy test. This testing is similar to “allergy skin-prick” testing which you may have had done in the past. Based on your response to the various allergens, a customized immunotherapy formula will be prepared for you by the lab.

What does SLIT Testing and Therapy cost?

Please contact the clinic for pricing.

IS SLIT COVERED BY MY INSURANCE?

If you have extended health insurance, the testing, treatment visits, and immunotherapy drops may be covered up to 100% by your policy. When necessary, the prescription for your individualized immunotherapy can be filled at a local pharmacy in order to be covered by your prescription drug plan.

ARE THERE PEOPLE WHO who should not use this Therapy?

Yes there are certain contraindications for sublingual immunotherapy. Those with unstable asthma, autoimmune disease, severe immunodeficiencies, malignancies, and anyone taking beta-blockers (propranolol, atenolol, metoprolol) are not suitable candidates for this form of therapy. If you fall into this category, you are welcome to speak with the physician about other options that may be suitable for you.

At this time, food allergies cannot be treated with SLIT. It is best to strictly avoid food allergies.

 

Book a Discovery Call to determine if SLIT is right for you

 
 

Scientific Literature on Natural Allergy Therapy