Hormones, the chemical messengers in the body, have a profound impact on our reproductive system and overall health. They regulate a ton of bodily functions, such as growth, metabolism, reproduction, and even mood. In the context of vaginal health, estrogen plays a key role.
Read MoreSexual health is a complex and multifaceted aspect of wellness. It is not always a topic that is readily discussed in the health space despite its impacts on relationships, quality of life, and overall happiness. While many factors contribute to sexual satisfaction, hormones play a pivotal role in shaping desire and arousal. More specifically, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone influence both the physiological and psychological aspects of sexual experiences. This is why many people notice fluctuations to their sexual desire and arousal depending on where they are in their menstrual cycle.
Read MorePerimenopause is the years of hormonal fluctuations that occur leading into menopause. Unlike menopause, which is technically 1 year after your last period, perimenopause lasts anywhere between 4-8 years. Perimenopause is the more tumultuous time and we’re a lot less educated on what to look out for. This has left a lot of people struggling with their hormones unnecessarily. Read on to learn more about the common and unexpected signs of perimenopause!
Read More1 out of every 5 women will go into perimenopause at the age of 40 so let’s make sure you know what to look for so you don’t spend weeks, months, or years suffering with changes that can be safely managed! Here are the 5 things every woman in her 30’s should know.
Read MoreThe term perimenopause often signals to women the end of their most vital and engaging years. The shame that can be associated with this, and aging in general, has kept women quiet for decades. We want every woman to understand the hormonal shifts in perimenopause so that she can take control and make choices that make sense for her own, personal experience.
Read MoreIf you’ve heard of IV Therapy, you’ve also likely noticed there are health claims for IV therapy for just about every condition under the sun. At our clinic, our goal is to deliver the highest quality integrative health care, and that means laying out the facts so you can make an informed decision when it comes to your health. This also means helping you avoid getting wrapped up in fad or trendy medical treatments! With that said, today, we’re answering the question, can IVs really help support your fertility?
Read MoreJune is World Infertility Awareness Month and the perfect time to discuss some of the foundational changes every single person who is struggling with infertility can make. One of the best places to start is by assessing your dietary habits and patterns. There is strong evidence that healthy preconception dietary habits can impact fertility rates.
Read MoreWhenever we get new PMDD patients, we always find ourselves going over the importance of understanding the 6 possible underlying causes of PMDD. The reason we put so much emphasis on understanding the root cause is that when we can start to identify your individual factors that are contributing to your experience of PMDD, that is when we can find a true diagnosis for your symptoms, start to correct these imbalances, and help you to start feeling more like yourself again.
Read MoreFor many of my patients, one of the first thoughts that arise after a diagnosis of PCOS is if they will be able to get pregnant. Despite what you may have been told, a diagnosis of PCOS does not automatically mean you will struggle with fertility. Whether you’re just starting along your PCOS and fertility journey, or if you’ve been trying to conceive for some time, there is so much you can do to support your fertility in PCOS.
Read MoreFor many of women, the second half of our cycle can feel like a real struggle. Whether we’re dealing with physical symptoms or mental-emotional symptoms, the one to two weeks leading up to our periods can be truly difficult to deal with. In many cases, the symptoms of PMS can feel so intense that they actually interfere with our ability to function normally. In these instances, we have to wonder if what we’re dealing with is actually PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) rather than PMS.
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I shared my story to help bring awareness to how medicine is failing people with period pain. If you’re struggling with period pain, I want you to be able to navigate our health care system effectively and get the treatment you need to support your pain and potential complications of endometriosis. In this blog, I summarize what I learned over my 20 year journey with this disease, and the next steps to take if you’re worried you might have endometriosis too.
Read MoreMy story with endometriosis isn’t a story I thought I’d ever share. Part 2 is where the story gets really sad for me. This part of the story is about why I started fighting for a diagnosis, why it took so long to get a diagnosis, and finally what treatment and recovery was like for me.
Read MoreMy story with endometriosis isn’t a story I thought I’d ever share. I’m definitely a perfectionist, and my experience with endometriosis has been far from perfect. In Part 1, we’re starting from the beginning. I’ll take you through what it was actually like to live with endometriosis, and why it took me so long to get treatment.
Read MoreDeciding that you would like to start expanding your family can be such a beautiful and exciting time in life, but if you have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, these feelings of excitement can start to be overshadowed by fear, frustration, and confusion. In this blog we go over exactly HOW Hashimoto’s impacts fertility so you can go into trying to conceive from a place of knowledge rather than fear!
Read MoreMaking dietary changes can be difficult and confusing because there is so much contradicting information on which foods or "diets" are best for optimizing your thyroid function and Hashimoto’s. The key to any dietary changes is ensuring that they are sustainable long-term!
Read MoreIf you have a thyroid condition and have done some Googling, you’ve probably come across many blogs saying that a gluten-free diet is a must in order for your thyroid health to improve and for you to feel better. Maybe you’ve tried going gluten-free and it made you feel much better, or maybe it didn’t make a difference at all. So is gluten-free the way to go or not?
Read MoreHave you ever been told that your thyroid function is normal since your TSH is within the "normal range"? Or maybe your TSH is higher than the range stated on the lab report, but it's not "high enough" to initiate treatment, so you're told to watch and wait. Whether you're having symptoms but your TSH appears to be "normal," or if your TSH is high but you're not comfortable with the watch and wait approach, there's more to the puzzle we can (and should) look into!
Read MoreInflammatory PCOS, Adrenal PCOS, Insulin Resistant PCOS, Post-Pill PCOS, thyroid PCOS – these are all the ‘types’ of PCOS you’ve likely read about online. The reality is that these are not real types of PCOS. In this blog, we’ll take you through the REAL types of PCOS, that way, you’ll have a way better understanding of what PCOS is and isn’t, as well as how to go about finding care that is individualized to you!
Read MoreUsing ultrasound as the sole way to diagnose or rule out PCOS can lead to both over-diagnosing and under-diagnosing of this condition. Let’s talk about the important difference between polycystic ovaries and PCOS, and what is needed for a proper diagnosis to clear up this common misconception!
Read MoreWhen you think of symptoms around our menstrual cycles the first thought is often there must be something going on with my hormones. While this may be the case, it is important to remember that our hormones are impacted by every system in our body. With that in mind, the cause of your menstrual related symptoms may not actually be your hormones themselves but the way that other systems are interacting with your hormones, including our immune system.
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