What is Infertility?

Infertility is suspected when a couple has had unprotected sex for 12 months or longer without becoming pregnant.  Infertility plagues an estimated 9 million women. If you or someone you know has experienced them, you know that fertility challenges can be emotionally and sometimes financially exhausting with minimal results.

Fertility & In Vitro Fertilization Facts

One in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempt costs between $12,000 and $15,000, and there are no guarantees of getting pregnant. For some, the cost makes it out of the question. For those who can afford IVF, most will have one or more failed attempts. After going through the emotional roller coaster and hormonal imbalances that go with IVF, the treatment can be absolutely exhausting and depressing if your goal of getting pregnant still has yet to be achieved.  Make no mistake, IVF is an aggressive and expensive therapy that can be fruitful, but why not increase your chances with integrative care?

Holistic Infertility Therapy

Dr. Skip’s infertility program is centered on bringing the health of the whole body back into balance and restoring blood flow to the reproductive organs and optimizing your body for fertility (i.e. balancing hormones or fixing thyroid issues).  Our holistic approach uses Western Science and Traditional Medicine to help you grow your family.

Our fertility treatments can be used as a stand alone to western fertility treatments or as a means of increasing the effectiveness of IVF. Some patients find that pregnancy can occur without the need for IVF.  With that said, should you decide to move forward on your first or subsequent IVF, your body will be primed and ready with our help.

Your first visit will include a comprehensive history and evaluation of your reproductive systems. Expect to spend around 90 minutes during this appointment so we will have plenty of time.  Dr. Skip will explain the various options with you, after your needs are assessed, which may include comprehensive Functional Medicine Assessment (lab work) for things that may be hindering your Fertility (i.e. thyroid, anemia or other issues), Pelvic Therapy techniques, Scar Tissue Treatment and more.  Our Fertility is a shared journey program where we are here with you for the course of the year to help you grow your family.

Modern science has shown us that you cannot focus solely on the reproductive system when managing infertility.  The endocrine system is one of many body systems that could be causing fertility challenges.  We recommend a functional endocrinology evaluation to determine if there is an imbalance.  Another significant cause of infertility is a misalignment of the female reproductive organs and lack of proper blood flow from the circulatory system to the reproductive system. These problems are addressed through a series of therapies that make up our Bodywork protocol.

Bodywork Explained

Bodywork for fertility problems is centered around clearing adhesions in the pelvis through visceral manipulation on the outside of the abdomen. Bodywork has shown fertility success rates of over 80% pregnancy rates within one year of finishing the therapy program.  (IVF cycles generally average anywhere from 20%-40% success rates with costs that are typically 4-5 times higher)

Additional components to our bodywork program include oxygen therapy to optimize blood oxygen levels, infrared heat therapy to promote circulation, BHRT, and Traditional Medicine Rx.

Additional Information

We highly recommend our exhaustive analysis of blood and saliva before Dr. Skip provides you with your fertility protocol to guide Dr. Skip to address any underlying health issues that could be contributing to your infertility.  The values Dr. Skip assesses are rarely the same as your gynecologist, reproductive endocrinologist or primary care physician due to the uniqueness of his mastery training in ‘functional medicine and functional endocrinology’.  Through our full analysis of all of the systems in the body, an individualized health protocol will be provided to address contributing factors.  This could lead to correcting thyroid function, immunological issues, detoxification and even digestive issues should your body not be properly absorbing nutrients. All could contribute to fertility challenges and all are evaluated for a holistic approach.

Perhaps you have heard of auricular therapy where ear seeds are placed on specific points in the ear to stimulate a healing response in the body.  This is an inexpensive fertility treatment kit that we can help you apply, and you can take with you for continued home use. It includes different points for each phase of your cycle and includes a protocol to help your man as well. These may be utilized in tandem with your TCM cycle optimizers and bioidentical hormone replacement.

  • Phase 1 / Period: Support blood flow for the complete shedding of the old uterine lining to make room a fresh healthy lining.
  • Phase 2 / Pre-ovulation: Build a healthy new uterine lining and support the maturation of a healthy egg (or eggs) for ovulation and fertilization.
  • Phase 3 / Ovulation: Promote healthy circulation for the release of the egg at ovulation, support hormone balance and relax the fallopian tubes for successful fertilization.  Lift energy in the uterus to support implantation of a fertilized embryo.
  • Phase 4 / Post-ovulation: Balance hormone, continue to support implantation and pregnancy, or relieve PMS symptoms’ if not pregnant.

Should scarring from C-Section or other abdominal surgeries be contributing to your fertility challenges, additional comprehensive scar therapies can be added when needed.

If you are currently undergoing IVF, our protocol would be initiated/completed prior to the stimulation portion of a medically assisted cycle. This is to help limit your number of cycles. No work will be done during ‘stim’ as it may disrupt the process and over stimulate the ovaries causing cancellation of the cycle. It is crucial to schedule your appointment well in advance of your cycle start. Our ultimate goal is to assist you physically and emotionally, so you will enter your cycle with healthy pelvic organs, hormonal balance and a positive state of mind. Dr. Skip will help you create an optimal environment within your pelvis and entire body to ensure a successful first IVF cycle.

You are encouraged to become educated, explore and better understand your own body’s rhythms prior to going through an IVF cycle. The program will help you recognize natural signs of fertility.  Building a solid foundation is a healthy non-invasive solution to many fertility problems. We are often surprised by the number of women we see who misunderstand the signs of fertility, or who accept as normal a cement-like tension in their abdomen. Our program is woven specifically to meet the needs of each individual client and offers each couple a wonderful opportunity to build a family.

– a gentle and very effective approach to a conscious conception

Some families choose the Shared Journey Fertility Program as a stand-alone regime without undergoing IVF. One of the most common reasons is minimal insurance coverage for IUI/IVF which costs around $12,000 per attempt.  Others prefer to use a more natural approach to achieve pregnancy. No matter your choice, we are here with you during the entire process.

These techniques and recommendations come from years of research, clinical practice and many, many hours of continued medical education since my graduation over a decade ago. By adding one or some of the following practices into your healthy new lifestyle you will be increasing your body’s natural fertility and overall wellness and reducing the burden on the overtaxed systems in your delicate body.

These techniques discussed below have been selected for the efficacy, safety and ease of use at home. Some of them may seem somewhat unusual if you are new to the more traditional methods of healing. We have used them for many years with great success and their inclusion in Dr. Skip’s regiment is not taken lightly. Your protocol should be tailored for your issues specifically, but these are some general therapies that, if done correctly, are very safe. Please use your best judgment and be sure to read my disclaimer prior to making any decisions – and be sure to use common sense when/if you employ them, and remember you are doing so of your own choosing and volition.

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