FERTILITY AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

Reproduction is such a broad term: fertility, trying to conceive, pregnancy, and post-pregnancy changes. Some women are able to progress through this journey naturally; others require a bit more assistance and care. Whatever your prenatal, postnatal or pregnancy journey looks like, we are compassionate, understanding, and educated.

Fertility and prenatal care

Acupuncture helps to reduce stress, balance hormones, regulate cycles, improve egg quality and support ovulation. Fertility acupuncture is often used for a variety of conditions and issues related to fertility including anovulation, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, low ovarian reserve, irregular periods, and other hormonal concerns. For those trying to conceive through IVF, acupuncture starting at least 3 months before an IVF cycle can increase its success rate. It also helps prepare your internal environment to support a healthy pregnancy.

Naturopathic medicine for infertility includes non-invasive strategies that address the root causes of your fertility problems. Our NDs work with patients to support hormone balance, reduce stress & toxin load, and support the body for all types of fertility concerns. Oftentimes, the body may be out of alignment in specific areas which can be addressed through lifestyle changes, proper nutrition, detoxification protocols, homeopathy, supplementation and other naturopathic approaches. Our Naturopathic Doctors also offer comprehensive testing options to get to the root cause of your infertility to ensure you are being supported in the best way possible.

If you are trying to grow your family and have shifted into the care of a fertility specialist, or have concerns around your own genetics, we provide tremendous support by way of reproductive genetic counselling. This can be information around carrier screening for you and your partner/donor, education on tests that are available to you, and interpretation of genetic test results.

Pregnancy Health

Acupuncture can help with a lot of the bodily functions that are being impacted during pregnancy. For instance we can use acupuncture to reduce nausea and acid reflux, to reduce water retention in the legs and feet, to ease lower back pain or any strain on the hips, and to help with hemorrhoids. Using moxabustion and needling can make more room in the hips to prepare for natural birth.

Closer to your due date, acupuncture can be a very powerful tool to turn breech babies, and to induce labor if you are past your due date (and have been cleared by your doctor).

The way your body changes as the baby develops can make it more difficult for you to do the day-to-day. What we try to do is reinforce how to decrease pain and move within your own limits; be it physio or pelvic floor physio of any kind. For pregnancy, Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy can help with pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain, urinary symptoms, bowel concerns, and hemorrhoids. Your physiotherapist can also provide exercise counselling for your pregnancy to ensure that you are remaining active and healthy, while decreasing complications associated with inactivity. Most importantly during this process a pelvic floor physiotherapist will help build awareness about the pelvic floor and help you engage with it. As you approach your labor, we recommend spending additional time learning how to prepare for your birth. This includes understanding the sensations when you are in labor, working with contractions and preventing tears.

Massage Therapy can be both a physical and mental stress aid. Pregnancy can put a lot of added load on the back and hips, which can be quite painful. Sometimes you feel tension and stress in your neck and shoulders. Whatever the cause or location, massage therapy is great for loosening the muscles. It can also provide you with a quiet space where you can take care of yourself for a minute. It is a good idea to have a massage before giving birth, as it loosens things up for you, such as the hip rotators. Try to schedule a week before your due date so we can properly set things in motion.

New moms and postpartum care

Physiotherapy is a great idea once you have allowed your body to heal post-pregnancy. Your body is still quite fragile after giving birth, whether you experienced a vaginal birth or c-section, so it's important to give yourself the rest you need. Once you are at least 6 weeks post partum and have been cleared by your doctor if you experienced significant complications, physiotherapy can help with urinary or bowel symptoms, pain, reconnecting with the pelvic area, and introducing therapeutic movement back into your life.

Massage Therapy for new moms is much like we would do for muscular and stress work during pregnancy. Much like with physiotherapy though, we want you to rest and heal as best you can. After 3 weeks, your body will tell you how it is holding tension and what we need to focus on. An abdominal massage can also facilitate bowel movements, and help prevent scarring such as adhesions (internal) and C-section incisions (external). We are also mindful that your breasts will be lactating so we will ensure you are super comfortable during your massage by adjusting your positions.

Acupuncture helps regulate all of your body's systems and tissues after you have given birth. It helps balance hormones in a gentle way that regulates your body while still providing nutrients through your breast milk. We can also assist with low milk supply and can reduce the incidence of mastitis. Our acupuncturist also provides a unique one-on-one session with mother and baby. In this postpartum acupuncture treatment Carine works through the lens of a doula and lactation specialist to facilitate that early bond, followed by care for the baby while mom has a calming acupuncture treatment.

Miscarriage

If you are experiencing a pregnancy loss, genetic testing can be performed on the miscarried tissue to help identify the reason for the loss. We will walk you through every step of this process from learning if it is right for you, collecting the tissue at home or in the clinic, and understanding what the results mean. We hope no one needs this testing but if you do we are here to support you through it.

If you are undergoing a miscarriage and require an urgent appointment with Meaghan, feel free to use the link below.

Support groups

Let’s talk a little bit about support groups. Through the experiences of our patient advocates, we have curated several safe spaces for your journey. We also appreciate that no two journeys are the same, so take the time to understand what each support group is intended for, and please feel free to join as many or as few as you need in this moment. Go to our Support Groups page to learn about each group and when they are hosted.