Fertility, Pregnancy & Postpartum

Functional Medicine for Women's Health

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Maybe you’ve spent months, or even years, struggling to conceive, dreaming of the family you’ve always hoped for. Maybe you’re covered in bruises from fertility injections, or emotionally drained from the hormonal roller coaster you just can’t seem to get off of.  

Maybe you feel sick and lost during your pregnancy, or have faced heart wrenching miscarriages that left you with lost hopes and unrepairable pain. Maybe you feel overwhelmed after birth, unsure how to care for your changed body while also caring for a new human.

The process of becoming a mother
will never be easy, but it doesn’t have to be so hard.

The process of becoming a mother will never be easy, but it doesn’t have to be so hard.

You should never feel alone in your fertility journey. we are here to hold your hand every step of the way and thoroughly care for you and your future family.

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The Stats

More and more women are struggling to get pregnant. 1 in 5 women younger than 49 are unable to get pregnant after a year of trying and 1 in 4 have difficulty carrying a pregnancy to term¹. Women are increasingly having fewer babies and choosing to start families later in life. The total fertility rate in the United States has declined from 2.1 to 1.6 between 2007 and 20202. In 2021 alone, there was a 15% decline in childbearing, more than double the decline seen during the Great Recession². 

Even with the advances in infertility treatments, the outcomes of IUI and IVF vary by many factors like age and sperm quality, but even in ‘ideal’ candidates, the rate of success with IVF is 50-60% and 15-20% with IUI³. Fertility treatments can cost thousands of dollars and only 18 states have fertility insurance coverage laws, making cost a tremendous barrier for many people³. 

Fertility Struggles Are Becoming Increasingly Common 

Fortunately, there are many safe and effective steps you can take to increase your chances of a healthy, successful pregnancy. 

Study after study shows that dietary and lifestyle factors have a profound effect on fertility outcomes for both men and women

Even if you decide to pursue fertility treatments, optimizing your health with diet, supplements and lifestyle can improve fertility treatment outcomes. Your health matters months, even years, prior to conception and a proactive approach is extremely important. 

Pregnancy comes with unique struggles that conventional care does a poor job addressing. Conventional medical care often falls short in addressing the unique needs of women’s health, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period by primarily focusing on reactive, symptom-based treatments. It tends to approach these aspects of women’s healthcare as separate entities and can overlook the interconnectedness of these phases. For example, in the postpartum phase, conventional care often concentrates on immediate concerns like wound healing and monitoring for complications, but may overlook emotional well-being. 

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In contrast, functional medicine recognizes that your health journey is continuous and dynamic. Functional medicine aims to reduce symptoms and optimize your health in order to prevent problems like nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances and high blood pressure. It aims to optimize your overall health, prevent complications, and promote well-being at every stage, emphasizing proactive, patient-centered care that honors your entire health journey. 

Furthermore, it's crucial to acknowledge that the needs of mothers in the postpartum phase are frequently unspoken and undervalued. The profound physical changes that take place during this period bring forth a range of mental and emotional challenges that deserve our sincere consideration⁵. These difficulties can sometimes leave new mothers feeling overwhelmed, isolated, and without the support they need to overcome them.

Functional Testing
for Women’s Health Issues

At Birchwell, we are deeply committed to your well-being, extending our care well beyond the arrival of your child. 

We are here to stand by your side, nurturing the health and happiness of your entire family, from the moments leading up to conception, throughout the postpartum journey, and every step in between.

how we work together

We'll investigate the underlying cause of your infertility, looking for hormone imbalances, chronic stress, inflammation, metabolic disturbances, insufficient nutrient intake, and gut microbiome disturbances. Once I’ve uncovered the root cause/s, we can address the issue at the source. 

If our interventions don’t work, we'll help support your body through the IVF journey, into pregnancy and beyond.

Many people are turning to alternative fertility treatments when there are still options on the table to help them conceive naturally. At Birchwell, we try integrative solutions first, hopefully saving you time and money.

Birchwell’s Approach
to Functional Medicine
for Women's Health

  1. Testing: We use advanced diagnostic testing to help identify potential root causes of fertility issues. We always start with comprehensive blood work, looking for nutrient deficiencies, inflammation markers, thyroid dysfunction, blood sugar management, autoimmunity, hormonal imbalances, and more. Often we will employ additional functional tests such as the DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Complete Hormones), which gives us better insights into sex hormones, adrenal (stress) hormones, and other nutritional markers. If needed, we will do further digging with additional tests to look for heavy metals, mold, gut infections/overgrowth and more. In addition to diagnostic testing, we’ll spend time getting to know you and your lifestyle, including sleep, stress, and exercise to paint the full picture of how these factors could influence your fertility. 


  2. Nutrition recommendations: We discuss nutrition education together so you can learn to eat to support your fertility. You’re given specific food recommendations and we do collaborative meal planning so you feel confident and comfortable eating in a supportive, yet flexible way. 


  3. Supplements: We recommend targeted supplements based on our comprehensive assessment and lab findings. We use therapeutic, professional grade supplements that are safe and effective without side effects.


  4. Lifestyle: You will learn how your day-to-day actions impact your fertility and be given actionable strategies to improve your lifestyle. You will learn how to optimize movement.

fertility

  1. We use detailed blood work to establish your baseline health and continually monitor labs for optimal pregnancy status, particularly for areas of concern such as iron, vitamin D, blood sugar and blood pressure. We use this information to proactively support your overall health and the wellbeing of your baby. We will run blood work again when you become pregnant and continue to monitor you and your baby throughout pregnancy. 
 

  2. Symptom management: You will receive natural remedies for nausea, heartburn, sleep troubles, food cravings and more. We know the body and you know your body, so we’ll work together to find solutions that ease your symptoms and leave you feeling your best. 


  3. Nutrition, supplements and lifestyle: We will hold your hand every step of the way to make sure that you are taking proper care for healthy baby development.

pregnancy

  1. The body goes through a lot to get to the postpartum phase and we want to support you in every step of your recovery. We look for nutrient deficiencies that impact physical and mental health, particularly iron, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3s. We'll consider a thyroid panel and advanced hormone testing with the DUTCH Complete to get insight on your hormones and how we can best restore them to homeostasis. If necessary, We'll keep digging with additional tests to restore your whole body and mind.


  2. Symptom management: You will receive natural remedies for fatigue, stress, sleep and overall restoration of your brain and body. We'll make decisions on how to best support you depending on your unique symptoms.
 

  3. Nutrition, supplements and lifestyle: You’re not alone in the postpartum phase and we will continue to support you with individualized nutrition, lifestyle, and supplemental support. Becoming a new parent can be an overwhelming season of change, and it can be easy to overlook your own needs. It’s essential that you take care of yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally so you can not just get through this massive life event, but be fully present for all of it. We'll take care of you so you can take care of your baby! 

postpartum

how we work together

We’ll investigate the underlying cause of your infertility, looking for hormone imbalances, chronic stress, inflammation, metabolic disturbances, insufficient nutrient intake, and gut microbiome disturbances. Once we’ve uncovered the root cause/s, we can address the issue at the source. 

If our interventions don’t work, we’ll help support your body through the IVF journey, into pregnancy and beyond.

Many people are turning to alternative fertility treatments when there are still options on the table to help them conceive naturally. At Birchwell, we try integrative solutions first, hopefully saving you time and money.

Birchwell’s Approach
to Functional Medicine
for Women's Health

  • PCOS 
  • Hypothalamic amenorrhea 
  • Endometriosis 
  • Uterine fibroids 
  • Autoimmune disorders 
  • Hormone imbalances 
  • Gestational diabetes 
  • Preeclampsia

women’s health conditions

Symptoms & Conditions
of Women's Health Issues

  • Hyperemesis gravidarum 
  • Heartburn 
  • Anemia 
  • Hypertension  
  • Multiple nutrient deficiencies
  • Postpartum depression 
  • Physical & mental recovery
  • Irregular menstrual cycles
  • Painful PMS 
  • Breast tenderness & swelling
  • Fatigue 
  • Mood swings 
  • Migraines 
  • Acne 
  • Blood sugar dysregulation 
  • Blood pressure irregularities 

women’s health symptoms

  • Depression, anxiety, irritability
  • Weakened immunity 
  • Loss of libido 
  • Vaginal dryness  
  • Uterine fibroids 
  • Cravings for sweets 
  • Unexplained weight loss/gain 
  • Difficulty sleeping & resting 
  • Frequent vaginal infections

 We use integrative, patient-centered solutions that prioritize your health every step of the way with advanced diagnostic testing, nutrition guidance, supplements, and personalized lifestyle recommendations. 

We are here to hold your hand, answer your questions, and provide you with the support you need to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your unique experience is at the center of our care, and we are dedicated to nurturing the health and happiness of your entire family. 

 We use integrative, patient-centered solutions that prioritize your health
every step of the way with advanced diagnostic testing, nutrition
guidance, supplements, and personalized lifestyle recommendations. 

We are here to hold your hand, answer your questions, and provide you
with the support you need to thrive physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Your unique experience is at the center of our care, and we are dedicated
to nurturing the health and happiness of your entire family. 

You have choices when it comes to your
fertility journey, and our goal is to support
you in whatever avenue you choose.

You have choices when it comes to your fertility journey, and our goal is to support you in whatever avenue you choose.

Book a non-obligation, complimentary discovery call to chat with one of our practitioners to see if Birchwell is the right fit for you.  To learn more about the process of working together, visit our service page.

Curious how we can help
support your fertility, pregnancy or postpartum health?

book a call

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conditions we treat