To understand Functional Fertility, you first need to grasp Functional Medicine + its approach to patient care.

Functional Medicine is a systems-based approach to patient care that addresses health concerns, prevents disease, + restores optimal whole body function.

When a healthcare provider practices in a "functional" way, the body is viewed as one interconnected unit - each part dependent on the others to perform optimally.

Functional Medicine is a very different model than the standard model of care. Providers in a traditional care setting are hyperspecialized + practice "pill-per-problem" medicine to address one ailment at a time. For example, you go to the gynecologist to help with your missing period, the dermatologist for acne, and a therapist for depression + anxiety, yet none of these specialized providers talk to one another. Instead, each health concern gets treated in a silo as unrelated to one another. In reality, addressing a single root cause could relieve all these symptoms. Unfortunately, this does not happen unless you seek care with a functional provider.

A standard or traditional model of care, a.k.a allopathic medicine, is a health system that treats symptoms + diseases using drugs, radiation, surgery, + other invasive medical interventions.

Now, don't get me wrong. There is absolutely a time + place where this approach to care is appropriate + incredibly beneficial. 

Allopathic medicine's contribution to acute patient care has been miraculous. Due to these contributions, we now have the knowledge + medical interventions necessary to bring you back from the dead - literally.

If I were ever in an emergency (a car accident, a stroke, GI bleed, heart attack, etc.), I would be beyond thankful to be under this type of medical care. However, extrapolating acute care medicine to chronic disease management is a HUGE health disservice for everyone involved. A pill-per-problem approach to chronic care leads to polypharmacy, adverse health outcomes, poor quality of life, + a substantial financial strain on the economy.

Putting bandaids on symptoms provides no long-term health benefit + does not offer much preventive or wellness care, especially for women.

The goal of any health system model should be to create lifelong health, not just to treat disease.

 When a health systems approach to patient care is to put out fires as they pop up, we leave otherwise healthy individuals with a lack of answers on how to restore function + revive health when faced with common symptoms such as: 

• Fatigue

• Infertility

• Anxiety + Depression

• Sleep Disturbances

• Hormone Imbalances (including thyroid disorders + PCOS)

• Skin Irritations (like eczema, psoriasis + acne)

• GI Symptoms (such as bloating, constipation + diarrhea)

• Metabolic Conditions (like insulin resistance, diabetes + hypertension)

Instead of educating + empowering us to create + sustain health, an allopathic approach to non-acute care medicine guides us down a path of accumulating health burdens + lifelong chronic disease management.

An allopathic care model was not structured to support root-cause functional medicine.

 When doctors need to see 20+ patients per day, they simply do not have the time necessary to support a more comprehensive model of care designed to dive deeper into their patients' whole health.

 Thankfully, we have Functional Medicine + the option to seek care from a functional provider who has the time + curiosity to support root cause medicine.

What is Functional Fertility? 

Now that you have a good grasp on what Functional Medicine is + how it differs from a traditional care model, I'll show you how we can apply a functional approach to fertility care.

At Vibrant Revival, we define Functional Fertility as a systems-based approach to optimize female + male reproductive health using nutritional, lifestyle, + psychological interventions that correct root-cause imbalances to revive fertility + create vibrant lifelong health for mom, dad + baby.

Functional Fertility has lifelong benefits for the entire family, beginning in the prenatal period + extending through to adulthood.

Healthy parents have healthy children, + the work you do today heals future generations.

Functional Fertility is a Better Solution 

I help women who want more than the standard model of care.

I spend 90-120 minutes with each patient during their initial fertility consultation (not the standard 15.7 minutes seen in traditional care).

By considering every aspect of health, diet, + overall lifestyle, I uncover previously hidden suboptimal fertility factors + create personalized fertility protocols that support my patients at every step as they navigate their way to a healthy pregnancy.

My support + guidance does not stop at my patients. I often collaborate with other healthcare professionals that have or continue to provide care to my patients to ensure that a seamless, unified + cohesive plan is in place + that everyone involved is on the same page, + has the same end goal.  

Functional vs. Traditional

Approach to Fertility Care

A functional approach to fertility means more than looking at what's easy to see.

To optimize fertility function, it is crucial to view the body as an interconnected system + take into account each individual's unique history, genetic predispositions, + current lifestyle when working to identify and address root health factors contributing to subfertility. In Functional Fertility, we believe the body has an innate ability to heal itself when provided the proper nutrition, lifestyle + psychological components. It's never too soon to start working towards optimal health + fertility. In fact, I absolutely love when I work with a woman who has not yet started trying for a baby but is looking to optimize her health now to ensure she + her baby have the best lifelong health outcomes possible.

Unfortunately, the traditional approach to fertility is very lackluster. There is no support until an infertility diagnosis is made (after a long first year of trying with no success), + then it's straight to medical intervention. There is a hyper-focus on the women's reproductive system without much attention on male fertility even though one-third of infertility cases are due to male reproductive issues, many of which improve with dietary + lifestyle practices.

A woman's body is complex + must be addressed in its totality.

The discussion must extend beyond the ovaries or uterus when we talk about fertility. Every system in the body, head to toe, impacts fertility in men + women!

Although I won't dish the details on male fertility factors in this article, it's essential to understand that men contribute to a couple's infertility one-third of the time. In Functional Fertility, we address both male + female fertility factors. It takes two to tango, + dad's health matters!

Now, there is never a guarantee when it comes to fertility care. However, the emotional, physical, + personal economic consequence of multiple failed rounds of IVF is vast + extremely taxing for women + couples. Additionally, even if we achieve pregnancy, not addressing mom's health first puts mom + baby at greater risk for pregnancy, delivery, + postpartum complications.

On the flip side, Functional Fertility avoids unnecessary medical intervention + expense, optimizes health for mom + dad, + sets the stage for easy conception, a great pregnancy, uncomplicated birth, + improved postpartum health for mom + baby.

And, guess what? Taking a functional approach to fertility does not mean you have to, or there is an expectation that you conceive naturally. Functional Fertility compliments + IMPROVES SUCCESS of traditional fertility treatments such as IVF. Even primary literature now shows the incredible benefits of approaching fertility through a functional lens.

In 2020, a systemic review that included only well-done randomized control studies was published and found that taking a powerful antioxidant called CoQ10 prior to IVF significantly improved the ultimate clinical outcome of achieving pregnancy(1). This is just one example of how the proper testing + food + supplement recommendations can drastically improve outcomes.

Below, I describe a few examples of how I approach fertility care with my patients at Vibrant Revival. This is not an exhaustive list, but it will give you a glimpse into the inner workings of my Functional Fertility practice.

"Normal" Lab Results are Rarely Optimal

A "normal" lab range rarely reflects what I would consider optimal for fertility.

Do you know where normal lab references ranges come from? The values that define a "normal" range come from the average of a large population: sick, old, chain-smokers, couch potatoes, morbidly obese... you get the picture + it's not one of optimal health, let alone optimal fertility health.

In 1999 a Danish study was published that showed women with an HbA1C (a blood glucose marker) of 4.9-5.6% were half as likely to get pregnant over a six-month period than women with an HbA1C of < 4.9%(2). An HbA1C of 5.7% or less is considered "normal" in traditional care. This is a perfect example of a "normal" lab range that is far from optimal.

Would you be okay if your HbA1C came back "normal," but the actual value result was 5.2%? My guess is no, you would not be okay with accepting a 50% decreased chance of conception and would want to optimize your HbA1C. So when your doctor tells you all your labs have come back normal, get more details! Know the actual number results + work with a functional provider to review them using OPTIMAL ranges.

Another massive disservice to women seeking fertility care is when providers check hormone levels at the wrong point in a woman's cycle. Ultimately, this gives you utterly useless information. You deserve much better than that. Ensure that you are receiving competent + compassionate care.

At Vibrant Revival, we view all labs through a functional lens, + recommendations are focused on bringing lab values into an optimal range for superior outcomes.

Functional Fertility is more than just taking a surface-level look. In Functional Fertility, we dive deep to find the root-cause answers to your subfertility.

Creating a Safe + Habitable Environment for Baby

Our nervous system essentially has two settings: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. Each plays a specific role in regulating our body's unconscious actions. For example, our sympathetic nervous system activates our "fight or flight" response, and our parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for "feed and breed" and "rest and digest."

Many couples starting on the journey to parenthood are also busy in their careers + as we all know too well, life in 2022 is innately more stressful than even a few years ago. Unfortunately, it's common for our bodies to be running in a chronic state of stress in our modern world. Our sympathetic nervous system drives a high-stress state. When stress becomes chronic, we live in a state of sympathetic dominance. As a result, hormonal messages get sent to female + male reproductive organs via the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis + signal that this is not a good time to think about growing + birthing + nurturing a tiny version of you! So as much as you WANT to get pregnant, your body may be sending the exact opposite signal to your reproductive system!

Optimizing Microbial Diversity

Our prenatal microbiome health plays a role in fetal development and the predisposition to diseases that may develop in adulthood (3). Crazy right?

Stress, birth control, alcohol, NSAIDs + environmental toxins all damage the gut microbiome, deplete vitamins, + ravish minerals crucial to conception + epigenetic health.

It is never too soon to work on your gut health. A healthy, diverse microbiome directly impacts your health today + the health of your future family.

Timing Sex for Conception

You may be surprised how often unexplained infertility is just a lack of cycle-tracking awareness that leads to poorly timed sex. Every woman's cycle is different. The day of ovulation is highly variable between women. It is also common for a woman to experience variability in the day she ovulates from one cycle to another.

Typically, ovulation occurs on day 14 of a women's cycle, making days 11-14 her most fertile days. However, like I just mentioned, there is considerable variability on the day of ovulation between women + even between cycles of the same woman. For example, ovulation can occur on day 10 up to day 120 or more if you are a woman with irregular cycles like seen in PCOS.

If you are unaware of how to track your cycle to predict your fertile window appropriately, you may be timing sex wrong + may be the only reason you are not pregnant.

Could you imagine going down the IUI or IVF path when poor timing of intercourse was the only problem? Sadly, I see this happen far too often.

Who Do I Work With?

My Functional Fertility practice is like nothing you've ever experienced in healthcare before.

I use a 100% virtual platform for the most convenient yet comprehensive care because who needs another appointment to run to? Our work together should complement your busy life, not add more stress!

I work with women + couples who want more from their healthcare + aren't afraid to commit the time + required energy necessary to see results.

My ultimate goal is to educate, guide, + support you on a superior path toward total vibrant + revived fertility.

So, whether you're struggling to conceive, navigating post-pregnancy loss, or just trying to prioritize your health for future pregnancy, Functional Fertility can benefit you!

Functional Fertility is Right for You

Even though you have no real fertility concerns, improving egg quality is a priority because even healthy women in their 20s can have suboptimal egg quality. Unfortunately, our modern environment is full of toxins, + the quality of our eggs suffers as a consequence.

So, even if you are starting out + don't expect any fertility challenges, but want to:

• Rebuild your health foundation

• Go from "normal" to optimal

• Directly impact egg quality

• Remove hormone-disrupting toxins

• Shift your diet for optimal fertility

Functional Fertility may help you get pregnant faster + reduce the risk of miscarriage.

If you are struggling to conceive + curious to see what's going on, Functional Fertility can show you. PCOS is the most common reason for female subfertility. However, traditional lab tests do a poor job detecting hormone imbalances seen in PCOS + standard of care is a birth control bandaid for symptoms + assisted reproductive technology when a woman is looking to get pregnant. In Functional Fertility, we use advanced hormone testing, increasing antioxidant-rich foods, supplementation, + so much more to finally revive your fertility.

If you are looking to conceive through IVF or IUI, Functional Fertility strategies will improve your chance of success. Research continues to show that egg quality matters for a successful pregnancy. The goal is to merry Functional Fertility with assisted reproductive technology + maximize the number of high-quality eggs + chance of pregnancy and a healthy baby. 

Functional Fertility is powerful in so many ways.

If you are experiencing recurrent miscarriage, improving egg + sperm quality, assessing thyroid health + immune function, +supporting adequate progesterone levels can drastically improve outcomes here. Did you know that women with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (an autoimmune thyroid disorder) may be able to reduce miscarriage rates by 50% if thyroid antibodies are lowered through dietary changes? Levothyroxine may also provide benefits for fertility.

Have Questions?

For everything PCOS, fertility + hormones, from supplementation suggestions by Dr. Jordan Dawson to hormone-happy meal ideas, mental health management tips + much more, follow @VibrantRevival on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vibrantrevival

(1) Zhang Y, Zhang C, Shu J, Guo J, Chang HM, Leung PCK, Sheng JZ, Huang H. Adjuvant treatment strategies in ovarian stimulation for poor responders undergoing IVF: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2020 Feb 28;26(2):247-263. DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmz046. PMID: 32045470.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32045470/

(2) Hjollund NH, Jensen TK, Bonde JP, Henriksen TB, Andersson AM, Skakkebaek NE. Is glycosylated haemoglobin a marker of fertility? A follow-up study of first-pregnancy planners. Hum Reprod. 1999 Jun;14(6):1478-82. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/14.6.1478. PMID: 10357963.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357963/

(3) Giannubilo SR, Orlando P, Silvestri S, Cirilli I, Marcheggiani F, Ciavattini A, Tiano L. CoQ10 Supplementation in Patients Undergoing IVF-ET: The Relationship with Follicular Fluid Content and Oocyte Maturity. Antioxidants (Basel). 2018 Oct 13;7(10):141. DOI: 10.3390/antiox7100141. PMID: 30322142; PMCID: PMC6210096.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30322142/