Can a data-driven, Functional Medicine approach really affect fertility?
I invite you to read Kristen’s story below to find the answer!
In 2017 at the age of 37, Kristen and her husband Ryan began fertility treatments. They started first with IUI, and when that wasn’t successful, moved on to IVF. For years they stayed the course, following the guidance of their well-renowned fertility specialist with only large bills and much disappointment to show for it. Kristen and Ryan had nearly given up on their dream of being parents when she came to see me. Kristen wondered if there were any answers a data-driven, Functional Medicine approach might be able to offer in the fertility conundrum she and her husband were encountering.
Where we began our work…
Kristen and I spent 90 minutes together. Acting as a detective, I learned about her health history, her current health, her family health history, about her digestion, her energy levels, her diet, her stress levels, her movement and exercise and much more.
As I listened, I began to put Kristen’s fertility-puzzle together. As I listened, I began to identify missing puzzle pieces – pieces we would have to gather through lab work.
Following this first appointment, we sent Kristen to complete a very comprehensive round of blood tests. “I’ve never had so many tests completed – not even in all these years working with my fertility doctor!” This was Kristen’s report when we reconnected for her follow up appointment.
The data we gathered from Kristen’s lab work completed more of her fertility-puzzle, but it also highlighted new, essential missing puzzle pieces. Kristen’s labs showed us her body was struggling with a biochemical process known as “methylation”. Healthy methylation is crucial to become pregnant, to maintain pregnancy and to birth a healthy baby.
While this was a very important clue in cracking Kristen’s fertility code, the labs didn’t show us precisely *why* her body was struggling with healthy methylation. I suspected a common genetic mutation, and we confirmed that with a simple swab test. But given that we couldn’t change Kristen’s genes, we needed to discover how to *treat* and best care for her genes. I ordered a specialty lab test known as a “Methylation Profile” for Kristen to find the actionable answers we were seeking.
A targeted approach…
The results of Kristen’s Methylation Profile were very enlightening. It showed us what enzymes weren’t working well and how to support them. I think about this like identifying “kinks in a hose” – finding the biochemical backups that were interfering with Kristen’s healthy methylation. With this information, I prescribed a customized supplement approach coupled with nutritional interventions and lifestyle. Kristen’s targeted treatment plan was designed to restore healthy methylation and promote fertility.
What came next?
Two months later, we sent Kristen back to the labs to test our work. Were we effective in restoring healthy methylation? This was the question we were seeking to answer.
The result??? YES!! Kristen’s labs were absolutely beautiful. They showed healthy methylation and a body well-prepared for a healthy pregnancy and birth.
The next stop? Back to the fertility specialist.
Given our work, Kristen, her husband and I believed their fertility specialist was now set up to produce the healthy pregnancy she too wanted for them. Calling on all of the great tool kits for fertility – conventional and Functional Medicine – would best serve their path to parenthood.
Then I received an email.
The subject? “It worked!” The message?
“I wanted to share some good news with you. We had our embryo transfer 10 days ago, and we are pregnant!”
While still too early to throw a baby shower, I had tears of joy in my eyes reading Kristen’s message. More joyful tears followed as she shared ultrasound photos over the months ahead and reported that she felt great – energized and calm – throughout her pregnancy.
And then the most beautiful photo of all arrived:
Kristen, husband Ryan and beautiful, healthy son Matthew, leaving the hospital.
Kristen and Ryan had realized their dream of becoming parents. Their lives were forever changed with the arrival of their dear son, Matthew, and it was the utmost privilege to be a part of their journey to bring Matthew into the world.
Sound magical?
Yes, data-driven natural medicine does seem like pure magic. And in the experience-lived – what becomes possible with the health outcomes that matter most to you – “magic” is what comes to mind.
But the answers to many health conundrums lie in the work of being a detective, gathering puzzle pieces and taking a targeted, Well Empowered approach to produce the health – and life – outcomes that matter most to you.
Wondering how a data-driven Functional Medicine approach might (re)solve your fertility conundrums?
Schedule a complimentary virtual consultation today to explore working together.