Fertility Habitudes

Your period gives you vital clues to the overall health of your body.

If you are TTC and struggling with issues such as PMS, breast tenderness, heavy or painful periods or a diagnosed hormonal condition you may benefit from working with a clinician to optimise your fertility.

Hayley Pedrick is a women's health expert and has been supporting women, couples, same-sex couples, and surrogates to improve their chances of conception and healthy pregnancy for over a decade. Do get in touch to see how she can help!

Sharing the excitement and the joy of my IVF patient's pregnancy success!

This new mom-to-be is in her forties and in a same-sex relationship, so there was a lot riding on her IVF as she had no natural opportunities to conceive outside the procedure.

Despite her age, we took the time needed to truly enhance her egg quality. We worked on her digestion, addressed known fertility blockers including a yeast burden and used functional testing to guide us in optimising her health and fertility through diet and personalised supplementation.

I'm honoured to have been part of her support team and can't wait to welcome her newest family member into the world this summer.

****nsofinsta ****ns + +

Few women are aware that hormonal contraceptives impact nutrient absorption and utilisation in the body - potentially creating insufficiencies or deficiencies that can lead to low mood, disrupt hormone balance and make it more challenging to re-establish their natural cycle when quitting birth control.

At Habitude we like our fertility clients to test their nutrient levels so that we can personalise their diet and supplementation protocol to support successful conception and a healthy pregnancy.

What a lot of women don’t realise is that hormonal contraceptives increase risk of developing nutrient deficiencies. Some of the common nutrients affected are folic acid, magnesium, zinc, vitamin C and many of the B vitamins, most notably B6 which may impact a woman’s ability to re-establish their hormone balance when quitting birth control.

A review of the literature also suggests that hormonal contraceptives may interfere with manganese absorption and this is certainly something I’ve seen present in my clinic. It’s significant because low levels of manganese increase the risk of anovulation or failure of the o***y to release an egg during the menstrual cycle.

As a clinician, I strongly encourage my fertility clients to use functional testing to evaluate their nutrient levels and help us identify any gaps that need dietary and or supplementation support to rapidly improve ovarian function, egg quality and chances of conception success.

Quitting birth control is the natural first step in many women's fertility journeys.

But most don't think of how they might support their body's clearance of synthetic hormones. Fibre can help support your body's systems of detoxification and promote better natural hormone balance.

For women who have been using hormonal contraception quitting birth control is the logical first step on their fertility journey.

However, they may also benefit from implementing strategies that support the clearance of synthetic hormonal residue and promote healthy balance between their own oestrogen and progesterone ratios to help their bodies initiate ovulation and then sustain pregnancy when conception takes place.

This focuses our attention on the liver, kidneys and the gut.

The liver’s job is to deactivate and break down our hormones and it really benefits from including bitter herbs such as watercress, rocket, coriander, radishes and chicory in your diet on a regular basis.

Hormone metabolites are then removed from the body through urine and stool so we want to take care to hydrate well, include plenty of fibre to literally broom the gut and sweep out the unwanted hormonal load through our bowel movements.

Why do I feel so tired after Quitting Birth Control?

Resuming natural menstruation often leads to more blood loss and places you at risk of iron deficiency. If you're feeling unusually fatigued it may be a good idea to get your iron and ferritin levels checked through your GP.

My fertility clients often ask me how long they should expect it to take for their bodies to re-establish a natural cycle when they come off hormonal contraception.

While every body is different, the typical period of adjustment is 3 months. During this time you may experience irregular periods, spotting or a heavier menstrual flow. It’s also not uncommon for women to notice fluctuations in mood, libido, weight and energy. Some also struggle with acne.

These symptoms are usually the result of the withdrawal from the synthetic hormones and the surges of your natural hormones as the body tries to establish regular ovulation once again.

Follow Fertility Habitudes to learn more about the science of how to smooth this transition and reclaim your natural cycle in the most easeful way possible.

2023 is in its infancy.

May it bring you all the hopes and joys that you wish for.

Problems with s***m, including a low s***m count, are more common than you may think.

Low s***m count or oligozoos***mia is when a man has less than 15 million s***m per millilitre of semen.

Our clinic is able to provide specialist support to men and couples who are facing this particular challenge on their fertility journey.

***mcount