Has anyone become pregnant using a naturopathic doctor when they were at a point where they could choose ivf versus naturopathic care for pregnancy? If yes I would love to hear how has it (or hasn't it) worked for you? Thanks in advance.
Assisted conception with naturopathic
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I haven't considered IVF because my issues are more on the 'cannot stay pregnant' end of the infertility spectrum than the 'cannot get pregnant' send. However, I use a naturopath regularly and have been a patient of his for the last 13 years. You experience will vary from mine because it depends on what your issues are, how they are treated, what methods/treatments/remedies your naturopath prescribes, how your body reacts to them, etc.
For me, it was a no brainer to see a naturopath. When my doctor flat out told me there wasn't anything more he could do for me, I told him he was wrong and I found someone who would listen. And my naturopath has never let me down. He's not only found several of my health issues but he has been treating them long before my doctor would even think of testing me. And every diagnosis the naturopath has found has been backed up with medical test results. I'm lucky that many of my issues are treatable with supplements, physical therapy and diet changes but I do still see specialists when necessary.
As to my experience, it has worked but only to a degree. That is because most of my issues are genetic and there's really nothing we can do to change my DNA so we're basically supporting things as best we can in hopes I will carry to term. I will say that I know for a fact that I would not have the four children I do have without the naturopath's treatments. This is because my doctor didn't believe I had an issue for so many years while the naturopath knew I did and treated me for it. The only successes I've had are when I've solely used the naturopath's treatment plan and I've had regular (as in weekly) appts with him during the first trimester.
But again, this is what has worked for me and it's specific to me. In my opinion , it's never a bad thing to use anything available to you. Natural medicine has it's place in healing just as much as modern medicine does. If you are curious about it, make an appt and go see the naturopath so you can at least have a consult to see what their recommendations would be. Then weigh your options and see which way you would rather go right now.
For me, it was a no brainer to see a naturopath. When my doctor flat out told me there wasn't anything more he could do for me, I told him he was wrong and I found someone who would listen. And my naturopath has never let me down. He's not only found several of my health issues but he has been treating them long before my doctor would even think of testing me. And every diagnosis the naturopath has found has been backed up with medical test results. I'm lucky that many of my issues are treatable with supplements, physical therapy and diet changes but I do still see specialists when necessary.
As to my experience, it has worked but only to a degree. That is because most of my issues are genetic and there's really nothing we can do to change my DNA so we're basically supporting things as best we can in hopes I will carry to term. I will say that I know for a fact that I would not have the four children I do have without the naturopath's treatments. This is because my doctor didn't believe I had an issue for so many years while the naturopath knew I did and treated me for it. The only successes I've had are when I've solely used the naturopath's treatment plan and I've had regular (as in weekly) appts with him during the first trimester.
But again, this is what has worked for me and it's specific to me. In my opinion , it's never a bad thing to use anything available to you. Natural medicine has it's place in healing just as much as modern medicine does. If you are curious about it, make an appt and go see the naturopath so you can at least have a consult to see what their recommendations would be. Then weigh your options and see which way you would rather go right now.
Thank you dairymomma for your detailed reply. I did visit a highly rated naturopath here. She is currently running some tests on me and I'll know the results next month. My ivf doctor is also running some tests in preparation if I choose IVF route (it's not likely I will due to all the ivf regimen).
My issue is similar. I haven't had a problem getting pregnant but I have had 2 losses which never made it past 1st trimester. I was also told by my ivf doctor that my tests came back that I have low AMH and low follicle count on day 3. It may be why that even if I have gotten pregnant but the egg quality isnt as it used to be
I'm hoping my naturopathic doctor can give me something to take to help me with these issues. Do you think naturopaths have ability to help in my kind of situation? It sounds a little like yours. I'm new to this but I wholly believe in natural medicine.
The unfortunate thing is naturopathic doctors arent covered by insurance so I am paying everything out of pocket. I am just so disappointed they arent covered by insurance! My naturopathic doctor also recommends supplements and pills backed by solid science.
My issue is similar. I haven't had a problem getting pregnant but I have had 2 losses which never made it past 1st trimester. I was also told by my ivf doctor that my tests came back that I have low AMH and low follicle count on day 3. It may be why that even if I have gotten pregnant but the egg quality isnt as it used to be
I'm hoping my naturopathic doctor can give me something to take to help me with these issues. Do you think naturopaths have ability to help in my kind of situation? It sounds a little like yours. I'm new to this but I wholly believe in natural medicine.
The unfortunate thing is naturopathic doctors arent covered by insurance so I am paying everything out of pocket. I am just so disappointed they arent covered by insurance! My naturopathic doctor also recommends supplements and pills backed by solid science.
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My naturopath is not covered by insurance so I totally understand how disappointed one can be by that. I'm currently seeing him once a week for chiropractic adjustments (I have a hypermobility disorder and regular adjustments are keeping my joints stable enough that I do not need heavy duty pain management, braces, or any sort of physical therapy beyond what my chiro/naturopath has prescribed.) and just general overall health care. Which runs up to a couple hundred bucks a week if you include supplements and treatments. But it's helping enough we feel it's worth the cost.
As far as my issues, I have had 13 miscarriages with 7 of those being blighted ovums (my left ovary only makes rubber eggs apparently), a couple of chemicals, and 2 twin losses between 4.5 and 10 weeks. I've also had a 14 week loss. We know my hormones aren't balanced generally but I tend to be estrogen dominant and have low progesterone when pregnant. When I'm not pregnant, I have mostly 'normal' hormone levels. Whenever we've tested my AMH, LH and all that, they are normal. I've also had a normal ovulation nearly every month and my cycle is regular enough, we do not suspect PCOS, premature ovarian failure or endometriosis. I was told I was entering early menopause a year ago but it was more my body's way of saying "I am tired of recurrent pregnancy loss. I need a break." than me actually being in menopause because I'm currently 17 weeks pregnant with a surprise baby. In that last year, we've learned I have a hypermobility disorder, genetic intolerances to several foods, a digestive disorder that leaves me deficient in certain vitamins, and a thyroid disorder (Grave's Disease). I also have a clotting disorder called MTHFR which affects not only clotting but leaves me chronically deficient in folate. My thyroid disorder likely plays a role too but since we didn't know about it until last year, it's hard to say just how much of a role it has played in all of this. Most of my losses are due either to it being a blighted ovum (which is due to left side ovulation) or the folate deficiency and I haven't been on a high enough dose of my special folate supplement. My 14 week loss has been attributed to a genetic abnormality and/or a blood clot near the placenta but testing on the baby came back inconclusive. My twin losses were due to at least one twin being genetically abnormal. We also have a very high risk for genetic birth defects, specifically heart defects and various Trisomies, as well as genetic disorders like Down's Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis.
Having said this, do I think the naturopath can help someone in your situation? Yes. I've seen many instances where naturpathic medicine has helped a woman with infertility and I myself have benefitted from it to a degree. But since nearly all of my issues are genetic in nature, there's only so much we can do to help me. Since your issues don't appear to be genetic, I would say there's a decent chance you'll have at least some luck with this path. I will say that, while I firmly believe I would not have children if it weren't for naturopathic medicine, it is not a cure-all. The amount of luck you have with it will depend on many variables and some have much better success than others. I know a woman who dealt with recurrent miscarriages until she saw a naturopath who had her vitamin/mineral levels tested. Turns out she was incredibly low in manganese, calcium and a few other things. She started supplements and got pregnant with their first child within 6 months. She now has 5 kids and hasn't had any further issues. I also know a woman who has had unexplained infertility (the 'cannot get pregnant' kind) for years. She came from a large family of 14 or something and many of her siblings have several children. Yet she has only had 3 and they are several years apart in age. She's seen 4 different naturpaths that I know of, two homeopathic practitioners, and at least 4 different medical doctors trying to figure out why she doesn't get pregnant easily. No one can find a reason for it and, while naturopathic medicine has helped ease many of her other health issues, it hasn't done as much to help her get pregnant. She only 3 years older than I am but she's pretty much given up hoping they'll have more kids because it's just not happening. But she hasn't stopped searching for answers despite it all. And that leads me to my final thought-you have to be willing to give these methods time to work. I have been seeing my naturpath for over a decade and it's only been in the last 2 years that we've finally begun to figure out the true sources of my reproductive issues. It's taken us this long to clear away all of the other health issues that were masking the real problems I was dealing with. I am hoping it isn't the same for you and as I said before, I am not the average case because many of my issues are due to genetic weirdness.
Good luck!
As far as my issues, I have had 13 miscarriages with 7 of those being blighted ovums (my left ovary only makes rubber eggs apparently), a couple of chemicals, and 2 twin losses between 4.5 and 10 weeks. I've also had a 14 week loss. We know my hormones aren't balanced generally but I tend to be estrogen dominant and have low progesterone when pregnant. When I'm not pregnant, I have mostly 'normal' hormone levels. Whenever we've tested my AMH, LH and all that, they are normal. I've also had a normal ovulation nearly every month and my cycle is regular enough, we do not suspect PCOS, premature ovarian failure or endometriosis. I was told I was entering early menopause a year ago but it was more my body's way of saying "I am tired of recurrent pregnancy loss. I need a break." than me actually being in menopause because I'm currently 17 weeks pregnant with a surprise baby. In that last year, we've learned I have a hypermobility disorder, genetic intolerances to several foods, a digestive disorder that leaves me deficient in certain vitamins, and a thyroid disorder (Grave's Disease). I also have a clotting disorder called MTHFR which affects not only clotting but leaves me chronically deficient in folate. My thyroid disorder likely plays a role too but since we didn't know about it until last year, it's hard to say just how much of a role it has played in all of this. Most of my losses are due either to it being a blighted ovum (which is due to left side ovulation) or the folate deficiency and I haven't been on a high enough dose of my special folate supplement. My 14 week loss has been attributed to a genetic abnormality and/or a blood clot near the placenta but testing on the baby came back inconclusive. My twin losses were due to at least one twin being genetically abnormal. We also have a very high risk for genetic birth defects, specifically heart defects and various Trisomies, as well as genetic disorders like Down's Syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis.
Having said this, do I think the naturopath can help someone in your situation? Yes. I've seen many instances where naturpathic medicine has helped a woman with infertility and I myself have benefitted from it to a degree. But since nearly all of my issues are genetic in nature, there's only so much we can do to help me. Since your issues don't appear to be genetic, I would say there's a decent chance you'll have at least some luck with this path. I will say that, while I firmly believe I would not have children if it weren't for naturopathic medicine, it is not a cure-all. The amount of luck you have with it will depend on many variables and some have much better success than others. I know a woman who dealt with recurrent miscarriages until she saw a naturopath who had her vitamin/mineral levels tested. Turns out she was incredibly low in manganese, calcium and a few other things. She started supplements and got pregnant with their first child within 6 months. She now has 5 kids and hasn't had any further issues. I also know a woman who has had unexplained infertility (the 'cannot get pregnant' kind) for years. She came from a large family of 14 or something and many of her siblings have several children. Yet she has only had 3 and they are several years apart in age. She's seen 4 different naturpaths that I know of, two homeopathic practitioners, and at least 4 different medical doctors trying to figure out why she doesn't get pregnant easily. No one can find a reason for it and, while naturopathic medicine has helped ease many of her other health issues, it hasn't done as much to help her get pregnant. She only 3 years older than I am but she's pretty much given up hoping they'll have more kids because it's just not happening. But she hasn't stopped searching for answers despite it all. And that leads me to my final thought-you have to be willing to give these methods time to work. I have been seeing my naturpath for over a decade and it's only been in the last 2 years that we've finally begun to figure out the true sources of my reproductive issues. It's taken us this long to clear away all of the other health issues that were masking the real problems I was dealing with. I am hoping it isn't the same for you and as I said before, I am not the average case because many of my issues are due to genetic weirdness.
Good luck!
