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Fertility Support

Wellness

Support therapies and lifestyle changes can help to support you on your fertility journey.

Before Seeking Medical Treatment

Before you start thinking about fertility treatment, it is important to review your lifestyle as there are some common factors that can affect yours or your partners fertility including:

Smoking/Substance use –  Smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs can reduce fertility by negatively affecting hormone production, damaging DNA in sperm and ovarian follicles, reducing sperm density, count, and motility and harming the reproductive system. There are also many dangers of substance abuse and smoking during pregnancy that can impact the health and development of your baby. It is best to quit as far in advance as possible when trying to conceive, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Diet – Studies have shown that vitamins and nutrients provided by some foods positively affect fertility, while others can actually negatively affect your fertility. Taking too many supplemental vitamins can also be harmful in the stages of reproduction. It is best to talk to your GP, Specialist or a Dietician specializing in fertility to find out more about your personal circumstances. Read more about diet and fertility on our blog post ‘Foods You Should Be Eating To Improve Fertility’

General Health – Of course, general health can cause contributing factors to infertility, including prior or underlying health conditions, genetics and body mass index (BMI). Some health conditions that can affect fertility are PCOS, thyroid issues, diabetes, obesity, endometriosis and adenomyosis.

See your GP

Before seeing us it is recommended to talk to your GP. They may be able to help you find out any obvious or underlying causes for your infertility. Your GP can also help you get on the right track before you start trying to conceive, even through fertility treatment, to ensure the best chance for success. They may also run investigative tests that could include:

  • Checking your hormone levels
  • AMH Test
  • Pelvic Ultrasound
  • Cervical Screening Test – to exclude cervical abnormalities
  • Testicular Test
  • STI Screening

So, what can you do?

We understand that beginning the journey of conceiving, even naturally, can feel like it is out of your hands; but, there are some ways you can improve your chances by implementing a few strategies.

Tracking your menstrual cycle

Many of you will already do this either with a phone app or a calendar, some people use ovulation tracking kits as well. Tracking your own cycle is very helpful for determining when the best time to have intercourse is.

At our clinic we can run what is called ‘Cycle Tracking’ which helps us precisely determine when you ovulate, using regular blood tests and carefully timed ultrasound we can determine whether you are ovulating, confirm the best time for conception or if your treatment is imminent. Many people do not realise that ovulation can occur outside the ‘fertile window’, this would be early or late ovulation and could be the cause of your infertility. The only way to determine if your ovulating early or late is to do a tracking cycle.

Avoid Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine Disruptors are natural or man-made chemicals or toxins that can interfere with the body’s hormones; these are found all around us all the time. Endocrine Disruptors are found in plastics (BPA), pesticides, cosmetics, household cleaners, food packaging and more. It is best practice to avoid these by reading ingredient lists on chemicals you buy or avoid them all together, avoid fragrances, buy simple, less processed foods with less packaging, wash/peel your fruit and vegetables, avoid plastics and swap to organic cosmetic products.

Reduce Stress

Extended periods of stress can greatly impact on your body, including your fertility. Recent studies have linked day-to-day stress with reduced chances of conception in both men and women. Managing stress and implementing relaxation techniques have proven to reduce negative emotions and in turn increase chances of conception. Here at Fertility North we have two Fertility Counsellors to support patients during their fertility journey. Fertility Treatment is known to be a stressful time for most patients so we’re always looking for, and implementing, ways to support our patients. We strongly recommend our patients to take advantage of our Fertility Counsellors and the free counselling session you are entitled to with each of our Medicare claimable treatment cycles.

What is Fertility Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that involves the insertion of very fine needles through the skin at strategic points all over your body.

Fertility acupuncture involves the use of acupuncture to supplement conventional fertility treatments, and its popularity as an adjunct therapy has grown over the years.

Fertility North patients can access fertility acupuncture at Fertility North with the experienced practitioners from ACU8 Health.  You can find out more about their fertility acupuncture services here.

Learn More About ACU8 Health

There is so much more to Fertility Treatment

If you would like to learn more about the variety of our treatment options, affordable IVF prices and competitive IVF success rates, or if you would like to get started on your treatment journey with us, please contact our friendly administration team.

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