Dr. Pentland

My reproductive health journey has been quite a challenge both physically and emotionally. My husband and I first started to try to get pregnant when I was 36 years old and he was 37. We got pregnant right away (first try) but had a miscarriage at 5-6 weeks. We got pregnant again 2 months later and had our daughter who is now 4 years old. During that pregnancy, I felt physically good but we were told at 18 weeks that she was quite small for her gestational age.

I am so blessed to have been given a chance to provide 2 healthy little boys a safe environment where they can grow into whatever they are meant to become, and I get to do it with the love of my life Chantal. There is no other way to put it other than 'being a dad is the best job in the world'. Every day is another opportunity to show my boys a virtuous way to walk through this lifetime. That is my guiding principle for each decision I make. Knowing my 'why' (family) gives me direction and guidance, and ultimately a peace that I never thought would be possible.

“Change is never a matter of ability, it is only a matter of motivation and a compelling why.” ~ Tony Robbins

The goal of anyone experiencing infertility is to have a child. When times are trying, and you are adapting your life style in what might be challenging ways, that is the goal that needs to be kept in mind. Sometimes when you’ve been trying for a while, this ultimate goal can seem frustratingly unreachable so breaking it down into more manageable steps is key. That’s what we’re going to talk about in this chapter.

I was asked by a woman for a list of tips and things she could do herself to best optimize for IVF success. The following is my ever growing list. Simply choose a few of the items below and commit to being consistent with their implementation. Your plan must be sustainable and in no way shape or form ADD stress to your life, that would be extremely counter productive. Many of the resources below are further explained by clicking on them or visiting here

Men who feel stressed have fewer, slower sperm -- which may diminish fertility

Psychological stress is harmful to sperm and semen quality, affecting its concentration, appearance, and ability to fertilize an egg, according to a study led by researchers Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Rutgers School of Public Health. Results are published online in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

One in three women who have their first baby through infertility treatment, become pregnant again naturally within two years of their first birth, a new study from Australia & New Zealand has found.

A Monash University study, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, was the first to examine the rates of unexpected conception in Australian women who had a first child through assisted reproductive technology (i.e. IVF).

general info - Melanie was a 31 year old lawyer trying to conceive for 1 year. Husband is 43 and travels a lot. Since coming off her IUD one year ago her cycles have been irregular in length.

There are many toxins in our environment that are known to disrupt hormonal balance and are contributing factors in conditions such as infertility, PMS, irregular menstrual cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, premature ovarian failure, recurrent pregnancy loss, and anxiety.

In Canada - corn (feed and some sweet varieties), soy, sugar beets, and canola are approved GMO's to be farmed and sold to market.

In the US (and many other countries) - the above as well as alfalfa, cotton, papaya, and squash (zuchinni and yellow) are cultivated.

So far these are the only 8 GMO crops approved for growing on planet earth.

The US, Brazil, and Argentina grow over 75% of the worlds GMO foods listed above.

Contrary to common beleif, there is no GMO wheat, tomatoes or potatoes.

It is important to understand when it is time to ask your doctor to begin to run basic testing, at the very least to rule out the obvious like ensuring the Fallopian tubes are clear via HSG (hystero - uterus, salpingo - tubes, gram - image), and whether there is any sperm being ejaculated. Once these two tests are done, at least you can take a breath and move forward knowing that sperm is present and that it can get to the egg. A Chinese medicine treatment plan, when committed for enough time, can make many changes in your life, overall health, and fertility potential.

If I asked you to come up with 50 ways to light up your lover, could you? One of my coaches just posted this on Facebook...
-Flowers
-Chocolate
-Card
-Ginger candies
-Take for walk on beach
-Give message
-Rake to comedy show
-Write a poem
-Buy a new ring
-Restate my marriage vows
-Tell my mom what she means to me in her presence
-Tell kids "
-Dance
-Challenge her to strip poker
-kiss her every time I see her
-Open the car door, other doors
-Hug her from behind
-Leave love note

Because modern scientific research gives many people confidence and for some the belief that the conclusion is ‘fact’, I need to be clear on my feeling about the pitfalls of modern research and how it is actually often not a good reflection of real life. We do not live in a vacuum and cannot be reduced to one aspect of health, as life is chalked full of variables and each individual is unique in their expression into the world.

Guest Post by Krista A. Parr

My Polish Babcia (Grandma) passed this recipe down to my mom, who passed it down to me. I’ve always loved it in late summer, as days are getting shorter and cooler and beautiful bunches of beets are plentiful at the farmer’s markets and in the garden. It’s a light soup, so it’s also appropriate for warmer summer days.

A big piece here is to understand how to guide intention. As the body ages it gives less and less resources to the function of reproduction. This happens as a result of the body’s decrease in overall resources and the growing need of other more life sustaining systems. Thus, a decline in the health of the reproductive organs (eggs included) when a woman is over the age of 35.

These simple facts direct our goals for treatment in traditional Chinese medicine;

Guest post by Krista A. Parr

The smells of roasting root vegetables and squashes with herbs and garlic is a hallmark of Autumn in my kitchen. There’s something so cozy and grounding about this type of cooking as it heralds the season of spending more time indoors baking, making soups & stews, and preserving the harvest through fermenting, canning, and dehydrating.

The short answer is ‘Yes’.

However, a more accurate answer is that stress affects some women’s capability to build a happy healthy family, and seems not to affect others.

Guest post by Krista A. Parr

During Autumn and Winter I recommend making a big pot of soup once per week so that there’s always some nutritious comfort food readily available. It’s also a great way to use up whatever veggies in your fridge need eating up.

In China, the line between herbs and food is not quite so clear. Herbs are commonly added to soups and dishes for their medicinal qualities, not taste. Simple food cure principles are always used as an adjunct to medical therapy. If you seem to fit the general and gynecological features below (you only need to exhibit a few to be diagnosed with 'Heat') then pay special attention to the ‘avoid’ and ‘emphasize’ sections. Caution should be taken to not create direct correlations between TCM diagnostic terminology and western medical conditions.

Please take a moment to read these 2 paragraphs written by 2 famous female doctors who have dedcicated their lives to the treatment of women's health and fertility...

"We became pregnant, without 'trying' within our first year of marriage (2012). I began light spotting and went to see my doctor. The doctor scheduled an ultrasound and though we thought I was almost 10 weeks pregnant, the baby was only measuring 7.5 weeks. I was prescribed Misoprostol to pass the tissue. My first miscarriage (Sept. 2012) was devastating. I was told that this is normal for a lot of women (though neither of my 2 sisters has ever miscarried; they each have 2 children). My mother miscarried twice, I believe. In Dec. 2012, we began 'trying' for the first time to get pregnant.

Infertility rates in Canada have been on a steady upward climb for the last many decades. I just wanted to share some statistics for the last 30 years, and some correlations that should not be overlooked. These correlations quite likely display some of the causes of the infertility trend, and they are either reversible or treatable.

"I stopped taking the pill after we had been married for about 2 years (2008). We were excited at the thought of becoming pregnant and starting a family. We were starting a family earlier than most of our friends so there was some trepidation. After about 6 months of not getting pregnant, I started looking for suggestions as to how to increase our chances. I started using ovulation strips and was also recommended the book "taking charge of your fertility". I started charting my cycles. This continued with no success.

2012 blessed Yinstill Reproductive Wellness with 57 women that fell pregnant while in our care. I am proud and deeply honored to have been chosen by these couples to assist in the manifestation of their dream. Of course we are always striving to provide care that surpasses that of any expectation.

Our clients success is our success.

Good luck creating your family.

"Been with hubby for 7 years, we got married in 2012 and started trying for a family. I have not taken the pill since 2007, I didn't feel that great on it, worked in tourism so was hard to always make sure I had a supply and I just wanted to let my body be. Hubby was very supportive and we used condoms until we started trying. For the first few months is was a more casual approach. My GP had asked me to take folic acid and ensure that we were having sex every other day around day 14 of my cycle.

An article posted yesterday in the Vancouver Sun spoke about the drugs fertility doctors are giving their patients. The cause for concern may stem from younger and relatively healthy women moving to these drugs as a means of attaining a pregnancy faster.

"My husband and I started trying to conceive shortly after we were married in July 2012. We didn't want to wait to long due to our age. We used ovulation urinary tests. Early in 2013 I began to talk to my family doctor about our concerns with fertility. I was referred for an ultrasound which led to a discovery that I had a polyp in my uterus. In the meantime my hubby had a sperm analysis and I had some other blood work done and then we went to Olive Clinic in the spring for our initial visit.

To properly and successfully treat PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome you MUST exercise. OK, this may sound simplistic, everyone needs to exercise to maintain health and wellness. But, when done properly, women with PCOS can expect many benefits from simply committing to a diet and exercise plan. Also, it should be noted, when exercise is done incorrectly, it can actually cause a great deal of stress in the body and contribute to irregular cycles and premature aging.

general info - Barb was 40 years old and had been trying to conceive for over 4 years without success. They got married when she was 35 and began the journey of making babies almost immediately after they were married.
history - Medical testing showed that her ovarian reserve was diminished and she was told that her egg quality was most likely poor. Semen analysis also showed low motility, morphology, and borderline low concentration.

Are you struggling to conceive this time around? Time and time again our Fit 4 Two alumni tell us how although they got pregnant quickly the first time, it just doesn’t seem to happen as easily the second time around.

"I remember having a conversation with a work colleague in my thirties about the similarities between having a baby and doing a PhD. His wife was pregnant at the time and i was several years out of a Masters degree wondering what my next steps in life would be. Being mostly single at the time and knowing i didn't want to raise a child on my own, i chose the PhD route. It took me a couple of years to find the right school and get accepted. In the meantime, i met the love of my life, and

It's the classic story; a brave knight worked tirelessly for one king then another, protecting their kingdom and ensuring its success and security of bounty. He grew wise in the ways of running a kingdom and was appointed the honor of becoming advisor to the king regarding all matters. The brave knight dreamed of one day having his own kingdom, his vision manifest, yet it felt out of his grasp, something else was needed, a piece was missing. Along comes a fair maiden (didn't see that coming right!), they fall in love, have children, and wake each day happy, full of passion and desire.

Just finished reading a study in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics and wanted to share how research keeps pointing out the importance of omega oils and sperm. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to make a daily habit of either eating some wild salmon (better yet, herring, anchovies, or sardines) or popping a daily supplement of fish oil.

The study showed that sperm from bovine studs thawed much better from its frozen state when it was supplemented with omega oils and vitamin e. Triangulate these findings quite simply into; sperm stronger if take fish oil.