A Natural Fertility Treatment could be an option for you if…
01
You’re hoping to start a family soon and want to get your body ready.
02
Your hormones are out of whack (ex. your period is irregular)
03
Trying to get pregnant on your own isn’t working.
04
You’re looking for ways to boost your fertility naturally.
A Hormonal Imbalance May Be A Cause of Decreased Fertility
There are many potential causes of decreased fertility. One possible cause of decreased fertility in both men and women is a hormonal imbalance.
How do you know if you may have a hormone imbalance? You may be experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:
Women
- Absent or irregular periods
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Chronic adult acne
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Hair thinning or fine, brittle hair
- Heavy or painful periods
- Headaches
- Hot flashes
- Increased or irregular hair growth (ex. on the face, neck, chest, and back)
- Increased sensitivity to cold or heat
- Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
- Low libido/Decreased sex drive
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Migraines
- Muscle aches, weakness, tenderness, and/or stiffness
- Night sweats
- Pain during intercourse
- Puffy or rounded face
- Pink or purple stretch marks
- Spotting between periods
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Vaginal dryness
- Weak bones
Men
- Breast tenderness
- Brittle bones
- Changes in heart rate and blood pressure
- Decreased beard growth and body hair growth
- Difficulty concentrating
- Dry skin or skin rashes
- Erectile dysfunction (ED)
- Excessive sweating
- Gynecomastia (development of breast tissue)
- Headaches
- Hot flashes
- Increased thirst and urination
- Increased sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures
- Irritability, anxiety, or depression
- Migraines
- Osteoporosis
- Sudden, unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Trouble sleeping
Our Natural Fertility Treatment and Natural Family Planning Services
We want to get to know you and your fertility journey first before recommending which treatment option may be best for you.
Everyone has his or her own story of what they want their family to be like. Each person is at a unique stage–some are just getting started while others have tried many rounds of IVF before coming to us.
We offer a wide range of services to help increase fertility and what is recommended will vary. However, a majority of our fertility patients can expect to have a combination of the following services in their Fertility Plan:
For patients that may desire to seek a traditional fertility medical option, like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), natural fertility treatments like acupuncture can still help improve a successful IVF treatment. We have experiencing collaborating with other physicians in those cases.
Please let us know during your initial consult if that is an option you are exploring, so we can work with your medical doctor to develop a treatment plan together.
Below is a selection of services that may be recommended at Loehr Health Center to help boost your odds of conceiving.
Chiropractic
Research indicates that chiropractic adjustments may help to enhance fertility. How does that work? Chiropractors correct subluxations or misalignments of the spine and other areas of the body. And the nerves to your reproductive system run through your spine. By alleviating the pressure on the nerves that control your reproductive system, your body’s reproductive organs can perform at their best.
If your hormones and organs are functioning as they should, you have a better chance of becoming pregnant.
Acupuncture
While getting poked with needles barely bigger than a human hair may not be the first thing to pop into your head when you think of fertility, it is definitely worth exploring.
Acupuncture is the process where sterile acupuncture needles are placed into specific points on the body to help regulate different functions in the body including your hormones.
Acupuncture can help with a wide variety of issues such as:
- Hypothyroidism (under-functioning thyroid)
- Hyperthyroidism (over-functioning thyroid)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Menstrual difficulties
- Sleep irregularities
Reproductive Medicine has been an important part of Chinese culture throughout the ages. While initially used to help prevent miscarriage and regulate menstrual cycles, Oriental Reproductive Medicine has earned a place of great respect in the realm of natural fertility.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has shown to be helpful in treating:
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
- Endometriosis
- Luteal phase defect
- Recurrent miscarriage
- Ovulatory dysfunction
- Partially blocked fallopian tubes
- Diminished ovarian reserve
- Elevated FSH
- Uterine fibroids
We offer a couple of different types of acupuncture at our office: Five Element Acupuncture (traditional Western acupuncture) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to Western doctors, the needles stimulate your nervous system to release chemicals that help alleviate pain and promote healing. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the needles unblock energy (or chi) thus increasing blood flow to promote a state of balance in your body. Our providers Loehr Health Center will collaborate with you to develop a personalized plan. Regardless of which acupuncture for fertility approach is taken, BOTH styles of acupuncture agree that the outcome is the same–a healthier you.
And get this. MRIs even show that acupuncture has an effect in the brain.
When it comes to fertility, acupuncture…
- Improve the blood supply to your reproductive organs,
- Stimulate hormones,
- Regulate ovulation, and
- Decrease stress,
…all of which may help to boost your chances of getting pregnant.
It’s easy to understand why acupuncture is one of the most popular natural fertility treatments. But, fertility acupuncture is not not just for women.
Acupuncture has been shown to increase both the quality of a man’s sperm as well as the overall sperm count.
Hormone Panel
Your hormones are your body’s chemical messengers and if they firing on all cylinders, getting pregnant can be a real challenge.
At Loehr Health Center we offer a variety of hormone testing options including:
Female or Male Hormone Panel
The female hormone panel is a blood test that checks hormone levels that are associated with aging and over-all well-being. Blood will be drawn on specific days of a woman’s cycle and will test for a wide variety of hormones including:
- Thyroid
- Estrogen
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- Pregnenolone
- Testosterone
- Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
- HGH
- IGF-1
- SHBG
- Parathyroid
- DHEA-s
DUTCH Hormone Testing
The Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH) is the most advanced type of hormone testing.
DUTCH testing provides an extensive hormonal profile of your sex and adrenal hormones and includes:
- Cortisol
- Cortisone
- Estradiol
- Estrone
- Estriol
- Progesterone
- Testosterone
- DHEA and DHEA-S
- Melatonin
Weight Management
A CNN article entitled, “Can a “fertility diet” really help you conceive? In some cases, yes” cited multiple studies showing that eating high-fiber foods, vegetable proteins and monounsaturated fats can increase your fertility levels and help keep your weight in the recommended range. According to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, around 12% of all infertility cases are the result of being over or underweight. So keeping your weight within the recommended levels boosts not only your overall health, but it also ups your odds at baby-making success.
Loehr Health Center’s customized Weight Management program can give you the knowledge, tools, and encouragement you need to maintain your optimal weight, so you improve your fertility, and feel like the very best “you.” Our weight management program is a functional medicine specialty and may include:
- Our proprietary Wellness Panel test
- Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis or BIA – a non-invasive way to assess your body composition
- Food Sensitivity testing
- Hormone Blood Panel
Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching
Loehr Health Center’s Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching can help you live a healthier lifestyle and feel better, both physically and mentally. And a healthy body and mind are critical to peak fertility.
Our office has multiple providers who approach Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching by using a variety of traditional and nutritional approaches. In our office you have the unique opportunity to select the type of health care and treatment-style you prefer, whether that be:
Vitamins and Supplements
In the same way that eating healthy can help boost your fertility levels, getting the right amount of certain nutrients may also help you conceive.
Having adequate amounts of…
- B6
- B12
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Folic acid
- Selenium and
- Zinc
…can help to ensure your fertility level is at its peak.
And our Wellness Panel eliminates the guesswork by pinpointing any deficiencies you may have and which supplements may be best for you.
Natural Fertility Treatment and Natural Family Planning FAQs and Answers
Depending on the provider you choose, your treatment path may look a little different. However, your initial appointment will always include a thorough health history followed by an extended visit with your doctor to discuss your health history, lifestyle, and diet. At your appointment you will have plenty of time to ask any questions that come to mind and discuss any concerns you may have.
Next, based on your conversation and goals, your doctor will schedule follow-up visits and may order lab work, such as a Hormone Panel.
Absolutely! Infertility isn’t just a problem for women. Male infertility plays a part in around 30% of all infertility cases.
So how can we help? At Loehr Health Center we offer a male hormone panel. This blood test measures a variety of hormones including Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). LH impacts your testes’ ability to produce testosterone, which dictates male libido and erectile function. FSH, along with testosterone, regulates your sperm production. If either of these are out of whack, your body is experiencing a hormonal imbalance which may be affecting your fertility.
Our Male Hormone Panel will check a wide range of hormone levels, including:
- Thyroid
- Estrogen
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- Pregnenolone
- Testosterone
- Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
- Luteinizing Hormone (LH)
- HGH
- IGF-1
- SHBG
- Parathyroid
- DHEA-s
Yes, we are happy to collaborate with other fertility specialists. Our doctors can take a Natural Family Planning approach, or we can co-treat with your medical fertility specialist. The path you choose is entirely up to you, and we are fully supportive in whatever decision you make.
At Loehr Health Center we have multiple providers who approach Natural Fertility Treatment by using a variety of traditional and nutritional approaches. Pricing will depend on the path you choose. Prior to your first appointment, a patient coordinator can give you an estimate of your first appointment service fees based on who you are scheduled with. At your second appointment, the doctor will review your recommended treatment plan. The second appointment is when you will be given an estimate of your customized treatment plan.
Here are the prices for the most common tests ordered for fertility patients:
- Wellness Blood Panel: $185
- Female Hormone Panel: $28
- Male Hormone Panel (Springfield): $256
- Male Hormone Panel (Weaubleau): $240
- DUTCH Hormone Panel: $500
A health savings account (HSA) may be used to pay for lab fees if they are part of medical care, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A patient may also submit a claim to their insurance company for potential partial or full reimbursement of lab work. We accept Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSAs) to pre-pay these services in advance. We will provide you with all the required receipts to submit these services. Please note that most HSAs and FSAs will allow you to pre-pay for these services in advance. However, it is the account holder’s responsibility to determine the limitations with their contact person who holds these specific guidelines.
For many other services at our office, we are in-network with various insurance companies. We will run your insurance benefits prior to your first appointment so that you know exactly what is covered before receiving treatment.
Have another Natural Fertility Treatment or Natural Family Planning (NFP) question? We’re happy to help.
Contact Us7 Natural Ways To Boost Your Infertility
Infertility affects 6.1 million people or about 10% of those at child-bearing age (American Pregnancy Association). The search for an affordable solution and complementary treatments can lead patients down a path of trying multiple rounds of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), medications,…
Continue ReadingChiropractic Care for Pregnant Women
Pregnancy can be one of life’s most beautiful and rewarding experiences, but as your body moves through pregnancy, aches and pains can arise. Women often believe this pain is just a part of pregnancy and they must deal with it…
Continue Reading