Insights & Resources
Our Fertility Blog
Explore expert tips, research, and real guidance from the naturopathic doctors at Conceive Health — all focused on supporting your fertility journey, naturally.
Fertility Friendly Recipes: Perfectly Peachy Popsicles
summer. It’s hot. And peach season is coming up! Are you totally craving something cool and refreshing? Sadly, many of the popsicle options out there in the grocery store aren’t so great, even if they claim to be on the healthier side. I’ve taken a look at many of the ingredients and the carbohydrate count […]
Fertility Friendly Recipes: Sweet Gua-Kale-Mole Dip
How about a little twist on guacamole that’ll get you some praise at your summer BBQs. It’ll also give you a taste of the tropics and I’m sure we can all use some of that right about now. INGREDIENTS 2 avocados 1/2 cup pineapple or mango, chopped 1/2 onion, diced 1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced (enough […]
Can You Get Enough Vitamin D From the Sun?
Vitamin D, our “sunshine” vitamin is so much more than a nutrient. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone with receptors located in almost every tissue in the body. Although many of us associate vitamin D with bone health or preventing seasonal affective disorder (SAD), this special hormone plays a significant role in our immune system, […]
How to Take Your Temperature for Fertility
Taking your basal body temperature (BBT) while trying to conceive is an important step to understanding what is going on with your menstrual cycle hormones. What is basal body temperature? This is the temperature of your body when you are at rest. What happens to basal body temperature throughout the menstrual cycle? Your basal body […]
Fertility Recipes: Avocado Devilled Eggs
Are you ready for a delicious and easy to make recipe for Summer (which is preconception and fertility-friendly)? Here is a recipe from the naturopathic kitchen of Dr. Rachel Corradetti- Sargeant. INGREDIENTS 12 large eggs 1 avocado, skin removed, pitted and diced 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon sea salt […]
Can Melatonin Impact Fertility?
Have you heard of melatonin? We usually hear of it as a way to induce sleep, however, did you know melatonin can be used to treat infertility? Yes, indeed, melatonin is an antioxidant that can assist in reversing oxidative damage to oocytes therefore improving egg quality and improving the chances of conception(1). Let’s take a […]
Secondary Infertility: What is it and What to Do About It
So you already have one (or more) kids, and want to grow your family. Secondary infertility is defined as difficulty in conceiving or carrying a child to term, following the birth of a previous child. It can have an incredible emotional toll, no matter how much or how little work it took to have your […]
The Ultimate Guide to Conception Planning for Newlyweds
So you got married, and you’re looking forward to kids – but maybe not quite yet. Awesome! Time to start planning your conception – just like you planned your wedding. I want to put it into perspective. We spent a year (or more?) planning our weddings. We knew we needed to book the hall first […]
Natural Cycle Monitoring at Home
Cycle monitoring is a process that follows the development of the ovarian follicles. This can be used to determine the health of a menstrual cycle and as a tool in preconception and fertility care. During the COVID-19 pandemic when we may not have access to conventional diagnostic cycle monitoring with ultrasound and bloodwork, we can […]
Should You Worry About Pesticides & Fertility?
Before the 1940s all foods could have been considered “organic,” but since the 1950s the amount of pesticides used agriculturally has more than tripled. These pesticides are found in our fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy and fish. There are two main categories of pesticides: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) (polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), and brominated […]
Is Your Thyroid Health Impacting Your Fertility?
Your thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped organ that sits at the base of the neck. It is part of the body’s hormone system, called the hypothalamus pituitary axis (HPA Axis), or simplistically the endocrine system. The thyroid makes two main hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). When these two hormone levels are low in […]
Can Healthy Fats Boost Your Fertility?
Healthy fats are extremely important for a fertility diet. Why? Not only for the nutrients fat provides, but for its effect on hormones. However, it is a bit of a “Goldilocks” situation, where we need a certain balance and too much or too little (known as dyslipidemia) can get us into trouble. “What is dyslipidemia […]