MY NOT-SO-PERFECT JOURNEY TO MOTHERHOOD & FERTILITY AS WHOLE BODY HEALTH

By Dr. Melanie Reidl, N.D.

I am blessed to now have two beautiful girls, but I do remember being on the other side. The uncertainty, the doubt; the fear of it not happening. For me, it actually happened when I was hoping to conceive my second child.

Around the time that I was wanting a second baby, my menstrual cycle had disappeared. My body was showing numerous signs of hormonal chaos. I was extremely anxious about my health, about not being able to conceive again. 

My anxiety led me to (in hindsight, prematurely) set foot in the world of reproductive endocrinology (a fertility clinic) & had a host of tests done to understand what was going on with my reproductive health. 

In the end, nothing was truly wrong with me. However, I did a DUTCH hormone test at the time as well, and my Cortisol levels were 2X the normal morning limit. My CORTISOL was basically suppressing my reproductive hormone signalling, so I wasn’t getting normal hormone release in order to ovulate & menstruate. 

Several months later, after a comprehensive approach to Cortisol reduction & hormone balancing, my cycle came back and I conceived quickly (again, I am fortunate that it was relatively easy for me).

I share my story because I know how stressful & emotional it can be to struggle when trying to have a baby.

In the end, I learned a lot about the importance of whole body health, how all systems of the body impact fertility, not just the reproductive system.

Digestive health, mental health, hormone health, immune health – ALL of these are important and require assessment & individualized treatment. 

I don’t believe in ‘UNEXPLAINED INFERTILITY’. If we dive deeper into whole body health, there absolutely are answers & solutions.