My Fertology

It can get overwhelming searching for vitamins at the health food store or pharmacy and picking the best ones for you and your individual situation.  When you are pregnant, taking vitamins can be insurance that you and your baby are getting enough.  However, sometimes they are difficult to take, especially when morning sickness hits and for some women, the vitamins themselves make them f...

Losing weight is not straight forward. Today, we look at helpful habits to set you up for successful weight loss beyond what to eat and how much to exercise. We are talking about the many things that get missed about losing weight because you deserve to know. Instead of keeping it a secret, Dr. Tanya and Mary talk about: * How eating more premenstrually helps weight loss  * How to stop binge...

Want to lose weight but struggling? It's not just about food and exercise! Learn about the role of hormonal imbalances, nutrition deficiencies, and sleep on weight loss from Dr. Tanya and Mary. Did you know an underactive thyroid and insulin resistance can cause weight gain? Prioritize a healthy hormone balance, adequate sleep, and a balanced diet for a holistic approach to weight loss. Losing wei...

Everyone has a primary love language, and it's important to understand that how you feel and express love might be different than your partner. The 5 love languages or ways in which people feel and express love (by Dr. Gary Chapman) are: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch. Learning to speak your partner's love language in order fill their emoti...

Morning sickness, also known as “nausea of pregnancy”, can be exhausting.  Sometimes it starts as early as 6-8 weeks of being pregnant and ends when you deliver your baby.  To help you avoid this, we share effective holistic tips to help you address your nausea and get you back on track with feeling normal and functional again.  This is not medical advice but we give you amazing sol...

This is a must not miss episode where we interview Ob-Gyn Dr. Timea Belej Rak and Mary Wong gets deeply personal for the first time about her own story with egg donation. Considering egg donation as an option can be scary.  Although this is not one's first (or even third option), it is a highly effective pathway for those who need it. More importantly, there is a connection fueled by epigenet...

Let’s  debunk the idea that moms after infertility should feel grateful and happy all the time.  We do not need to be the perfect mom and never complain.  Being a new mom is hard and it's not only normal to need support, but we encourage you to take breaks from parenting out of necessity.  Self care is important for every human, especially new moms.  After infertility, we...

We embrace our curves and aspire to be body positive. Regardless of the number on a scale, or what our size is, here are some important questions to ask: Am I doing things to take care of myself that makes my body and mind stay healthy and feel sexy? Do I know who I am? How do I feel in my body? The bottom line is that we are all unique individuals. What’s healthy for one person may not be so for...

Did you know that one in three antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary? Learn all about the repercussions from taking too many antibiotics and what you can do about it. Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs, but with inappropriate use, we’ll lose the most powerful tool we have to fight life-threatening infections,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.  Overuse can affect our ability "to tr...

We interview Meganne, midwife of York Region, and mom of 3 children, all born at home with the care of midwives.  We review the following considerations when deciding on choosing a midwife or an ObGyn in Ontario… Why would someone choose midwifery care over an OB-Gyn? What's the difference between a midwife and an OB-Gyn?  At what point in your pregnancy should you hire a midwife? In wha...

It is diabetes awareness month.  Halloween has passed and next comes the winter holiday treats abound.  Although it's true that having each seasonal holiday to look forward to, improves our quality of lives and how long we will live, we need to find balance in how much of the sugary treats we eat that are associated with these holidays. Learn… -How to know if you are at risk of type two...

NEWS headlines have highlighted many times that  stress is impacting our fertility.  We hear well-meaning neighbors and friends telling us to JUST RELAX and that will help us get pregnant.   But is stress really the cause of our infertility preventing us from getting pregnant?  Can we even take it that next step further and say stress can cause a miscarriage?   One re...

Vitamin D3 is known as the sunshine vitamin.  There are so many benefits to having sufficient vitamin d3  levels but it seems so challenging, living in the northern hemisphere where we lack sunshine, to get enough. Learn… Where does Vitamin D3 come from? Can you get enough Vitamin D3 from your diet? What is Vitamin D3 important for? Can we live without extra vitamin D3? Why do we call Vi...

Suffering from insomnia, weight gain, fatigue, hot flushes, night sweats, irregular periods, joint pains, depression, or anxiety? Feeling frustrated that you are feeling out of sorts or imbalanced despite regular exercise, healthy eating and a balanced lifestyle?...  Or perhaps you feel out of control and unable to get back to the former healthier version of yourself as symptoms take over you...

We cover the following questions: What is cyclical Progesterone? When and why is progesterone helpful? How does Progesterone help women with heavy periods, irregular cycles, and PCOS? What is the difference between progesterone and progestins? Is taking progesterone risky or bad for you? What are some common side effects of progesterone vs. progestins? Does Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) cause...

Although women often feel responsible for miscarriages, the latest research tells us that men’s sperm contribute to miscarriage rates. 85% of miscarriages are due to abnormal chromosomes which means that there is something wrong with either the egg OR sperm leading to an extra or one less chromosome, says Dr. Kim Garbedian, fertility doctor and medical director at Pollin Fertility Centre.  Wh...

Any amount of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy may be startling and requires medical attention. That said, the most common cause of bleeding in early pregnancy is due to subchorionic hematoma (SCH) aka blood clot. Dr. Kim Garbedian, Chief Medical director at Pollin Fertility says, “ it’s a good thing because when little blood vessels around the gestational sac break, it creates a clot to stop ble...

The world is full of waste and toxins and one of the most important ways to eliminate these is through healthy bowel movements. But pooping is a problem for nearly 20 percent of adults (and 33% of adults over 60)  … which can start in infancy. It may not be a lifelong problem but is of concern when taking medications, while trying to conceive, during pregnancy, and postpartum. The good news i...

When experiencing irregular or non-existent menstrual cycles or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), doctors may prescribe the Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP). It works but NOT if you want to get pregnant. Furthermore, OCP may come with undesirable side effects such as mood swings, bloating, weight gain, breast tenderness, headaches, increased appetite, and increased risk of blood clots.  Thankful...

When it comes to being pregnant, most women stop smoking and drinking alcohol. And when you struggle to have a baby, you can’t help but worry about IVF drugs’ possible negative impacts. Although, Dr. Garcia dispelled the myth that IVF drugs cause cancer in episode 20, it doesn’t stop the fears surrounding the impacts IVF drugs may have on the health of your unborn child. Specifically, Dr. Bentov,...

Contagious laughter all started in a park in India. What we’re talking about is Laughter Yoga. Not only does laughing as an exercise release stress, but it’s also a cardio workout and tones the ab muscles better than crunches! Done daily, laughing 10 to 15 minutes a day releases a cocktail of feel good hormones, replenishes oxygen throughout the body, lowers cortisol, blood pressure, blood sugar,...

Need a little inspiration and hope? At 39, Lauren was single and although she had not met the right person, she felt whole and complete and knew that it was the right time to have kids. She wanted to be able to share her love, excitement, and Joie de vivre with a child of her own. The biggest take away she wanted to share was to tune out negativity and replace it with positivity. She did not dwell...

If you're struggling to have a baby, should you add the herb Vitex (aka Chaste tree) to boost your fertility when there's only so much room in the granny pill box?  There is research to support that Vitex can support hormonal and reproductive health.   The results from randomised, controlled trials suggest benefits for Vitex extracts more specifically for the treatment of premenstrual sy...

Ever find yourself scouring the internet looking for that one thing to increase egg quality and chances of getting pregnant?  One fertility supplement that can be easily found is DHEA. The good news is that there’s evidence that DHEA can help improve pregnancy rates, specifically for women with a low ovarian reserve.  According to a review of DHEA research; four of five studies analyzed...

Are Prenatals necessary? Maybe… The answer is not set in stone because how and what you eat, your age, reproductive health, and digestive function influences the ability to absorb nutrients. This episode, we talk about how the body requires nutrients crucial for egg (and sperm) quality when trying to conceive and fundamental for proper baby development during pregnancy. For many women, including D...