The Holistic Fertility Show
Our holistic fertility podcast explores natural and integrative approaches to fertility. Through expert interviews and thoughtful discussions, we aim to empower listeners with knowledge about optimizing reproductive health through lifestyle, nutrition, acupuncture, and other holistic practices.
Episodes
210 episodes
Acupuncture, low-level light therapy, & customized herbal medicine can improve egg quality.
Acupuncture, customized herbal medicine, and low-level light therapy support egg quality and improve the conditions needed for a healthy pregnancy by addressing several important aspects of reproductive health. Acupuncture enhances blood flow t...
The Propper Fertility Nutrition Plan
Eating well when trying to conceive helps create the healthiest possible environment for egg and sperm development, hormone regulation, ovulation, fertilization, and early pregnancy. A balanced diet emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains,...
Dad's B12 & Folate Deficiency Can Lead to Birth Defects.
A father’s vitamin B12 and folate status may influence the health of a developing baby. Low levels around the time of conception have been associated with a higher risk of certain birth defects, possibly because these nutrients help produce hea...
When IUI, IVF, or Donor Eggs Are Not Enough: The Potential Role of Acupuncture, Low-Level Light Therapy, and Customized Herbal Medicine
When IUI, IVF, or donor-egg treatment does not lead to pregnancy, patients may explore complementary therapies such as acupuncture, low-level light therapy, and customized herbal medicine as part of a fertility plan. These approaches reduce inf...
Your Stomach Affects your Fertility
Gut dysbiosis—an unhealthy imbalance in the microorganisms living in the digestive tract—may contribute to fertility challenges by disrupting hormone metabolism, increasing inflammation, affecting insulin sensitivity, and altering immune-system...
Acupuncture Pre & Post Embryo Transfer: Is it worth it?
This 2022 study looked back at 2,330 patients who had frozen embryo transfer (FET) at Vios Fertility Institute in Chicago between 2018 and 2021, comparing those who received individualized acupuncture just before and after their transfer.
Male Factor Infertility & How to Overcome It.
Sperm abnormalities can include low sperm concentration, poor motility, abnormal morphology, and increased DNA fragmentation, all of which can reduce the likelihood of natural conception and may also affect IVF outcomes. In men without a correc...
The Hidden Male Factor Contributing to Infertility
Sperm DNA fragmentation occurs when the genetic material inside sperm is damaged or broken. Even when a standard semen analysis shows normal sperm count, movement, and shape, high DNA fragmentation can reduce the sperm’s ability to fertilize an...
Customized Herbal Medicine for Enhanced Ovarian and Uterine Health
Herbal medicine may support people facing fertility challenges by promoting healthy circulation to the ovaries and uterus, helping regulate menstrual and ovulatory patterns, supporting hormonal balance, and reducing oxidative stress and inflamm...
Endometriosis & Trying to Conceive?
Acupuncture and individualized herbal medicine may help patients with endometriosis conceive by reducing residual endometriosis-related inflammation and supporting healthier blood flow to the ovaries and uterus. Creating a less inflammatory rep...
GLP-1 and Pregnancy
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are generally not recommended during pregnancy because their effects on fetal development have not been adequately studied, and animal studies have raised safety concerns. Although limited...
Inflammation is reducing your chances of conception.
Chronic inflammation can impair fertility in both women and men by creating an environment that disrupts normal reproductive function. In women, excessive inflammation may interfere with ovarian function, egg quality, ovulation, endometrial rec...
The cellular energy crisis in infertile patients
Many women experiencing infertility may have a cellular energy deficit, particularly within the ovaries. Egg cells contain large numbers of mitochondria—the structures responsible for producing ATP, the energy required for follicular developmen...
Integrative Mechanisms and Clinical Protocols for Enhanced Reproductive Wellness
Integrative reproductive wellness combines conventional reproductive medicine with evidence-informed complementary approaches to support the physiologic environment required for conception. Clinical protocols may incorporate acupuncture, indivi...
The Berkley Distinction: Mastery in Integrative Reproductive Medicine
The expected outcomes can differ substantially between treatment delivered by a practitioner with limited training in reproductive medicine and one who has devoted a professional career to integrating Western reproductive medicine with acupunct...
How Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine Enhance Egg and Sperm Quality.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine help support both egg and sperm quality by improving several aspects of reproductive health. Acupuncture has been studied for its potential to improve ovarian function and reproductive blood flow, while r...
How to Enhance Fertility Outcomes
Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been shown in multiple systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials to support improved egg quality markers and higher pregnancy rates, particularly as adjuncts to assisted reproducti...
How Chinese Herbs Improve Pregnancy Outcomes.
Herbal medicine may help support oocyte (egg) quality by improving the environment in which eggs develop during the months before ovulation. Certain herbal compounds have been studied for their potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory...
Can Your Immune System be Responsible for Fertility Challenges or Recurrent Miscarriage?
The immune system normally helps protect the body from infection while also adapting during pregnancy so that an embryo can implant and develop safely. In some women, however, the immune response may become overly active, poorly regulated, or a...
Failed IVF Cycles?
For patients whose previous IVF cycles failed due to poor egg quality, sperm quality, or a thin/unreceptive uterine lining, acupuncture offers a complementary approach that targets these specific physiological bottlenecks. Research ...
Acupuncture pre & post embryo transfer. Why?
Welcome back to the show. Today we're diving into a question so many people navigating IVF ask: can acupuncture really make a difference around embryo transfer? Emerging research suggests timing matters — acupuncture performed befor...
Nurturing Early Pregnancy with Purposeful Integrative Care
The first weeks of pregnancy can bring tremendous joy, but for those who have experienced infertility, they may also bring uncertainty, heightened vigilance, and fear. In today’s episode, we explore how coordinated care between your fertility s...
You can improve sperm motility.
Acupuncture may help improve sperm motility—the ability of sperm to swim efficiently toward an egg—by supporting healthy blood flow, reducing stress, and promoting a more favorable environment for sperm production. Please support ou...
Acupuncture reduces miscarriage.
Acupuncture may support early pregnancy by improving hemodynamics—the movement of blood through the uterine and placental circulation. Better uterine blood flow may enhance delivery of oxygen, hormones, and nutrients to the developing embryo wh...
Can customized herbal medicine increase your odds of conception?
Customized herbal medicine may support fertility by addressing each patient’s individual menstrual, hormonal, circulatory, and inflammatory patterns rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all formula. Treatment often improves egg and sperm qual...