How to prepare your body for a healthy, optimal pregnancy

Planning to have a baby soon? Dr. Ardyce Yik ND offers the following tips to help you get started on your pre-pregnancy journey. Irregular periods or extremely painful periods? You need to ovulate to fall pregnant, and a regular menstrual cycle is an indication that you are ovulating when you’re supposed to. Excruciating pain duringContinue reading “How to prepare your body for a healthy, optimal pregnancy”

When should I check for hormonal imbalances?

Are you struggling with any of the following? Exhaustion/ fatigue, sleep or stress issues, decreased libido/ sex drive Fertility problems Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), ovarian cysts, breast cysts, breast fibroadenoma Irregular periods, peri-menopause Acne associated with the menstrual cycle Painful periods, endometriosis Fibroids, adenomyosis PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) with symptoms such as (but not limited to)Continue reading “When should I check for hormonal imbalances?”

Why am I still unwell? Addressing the root causes of complex ailments

Have you struggled with an unresolved health issue for months or years? Do certain symptoms or ailments keep coming back (e.g. recurrent warts, cold sores i.e. fever blisters, ovarian cysts, PMS/ pre-menstrual symptoms, infections, eczema, diarrhea/ loose stool, etc.)? If so, it’s time to take a deeper look at the various factors that contribute toContinue reading “Why am I still unwell? Addressing the root causes of complex ailments”

Fertility: can I get pregnant after 40?

By the time you are 40, the chance of falling pregnant naturally is about 5% each month, compared to 20% in those under the age of 30. You can still get pregnant after 40, but you may need some support. This is because younger women typically have more and healthier eggs than older women. And whileContinue reading “Fertility: can I get pregnant after 40?”

How to boost fertility and IVF success

Planning for a successful pregnancy? Many couples are encouraged, after a few months of trying without success, to consider assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as IUI or IVF. Though these fertility procedures help bring the sperm and egg (closer) together, they are rather costly and often stressful- not to mention not always successful. In fact, theContinue reading “How to boost fertility and IVF success”

Mediterranean diet may increase fertility and IVF success

It turns out that eating a Mediterranean diet is not only good for your heart and brain, but it may also boost fertility and IVF success. A recent study from Human Reproduction concluded that women who consumed a Mediterranean diet had significantly higher success rates of IVF compared to other women. The researchers, led by Associate ProfessorContinue reading “Mediterranean diet may increase fertility and IVF success”

Male infertility: what’s killing your sperm?

It is estimated that about one in seven couples faces difficulty conceiving.  If you’ve been having regular unprotected sex for more than 12 months (or less, if you’re over 35) and you’re still not pregnant, you may begin to wonder if you have a fertility problem. While people think that most fertility problems involve theContinue reading “Male infertility: what’s killing your sperm?”

PCOS and fertility- how natural medicine can help

The problem with PCOS Women with PCOS don’t ovulate regularly, resulting in irregular periods or amenorrhea (absence of period) and infertility. They may have high levels of testosterone which lead to acne, excessive facial/ body hair growth and head hair loss. On their pelvic ultrasound, ovarian cysts resembling a “string of pearls” can be seen. They alsoContinue reading “PCOS and fertility- how natural medicine can help”

Miscarriage and low levels of copper and zinc

A new study from the University of Granada has confirmed that low blood levels of copper and zinc in pregnant women may be a factor associated with miscarriage (spontaneous abortion). Dr. Jesús Joaquín Hijona Elósegui, one of the researchers in the study, points out that “despite the significant progress made in reproductive medicine, spontaneous abortion isContinue reading “Miscarriage and low levels of copper and zinc”

Planning for a (healthy) baby?

Did you know that: In a study done by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 35.6% of male partners of infertile couples had a whole blood mercury concentration higher than the normal range (concentration of sperm, percentage of morphologically normal sperm and percentage of motile sperm were reduced in these men, though the difference wasContinue reading “Planning for a (healthy) baby?”