Dr. Fiona McCulloch's Integrative Medicine Blog

How to Prepare for Your IVF Cycle : 10 Ways to Increase IVF Success for Women

DrFiona — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:53:51 +0000

An IVF cycle is a such big emotional, physical and financial investment. A single cycle costs somewhere in the range of $15,000. Hormones and emotions run at their peaks. So who wouldn’t want to do everything humanly possible to optimize their outcome? Every day I have patients who ask me what they can do to . . . → Read More: How to Prepare for Your IVF Cycle : 10 Ways to Increase IVF Success for Women

New thyroid guidelines for pregnancy ( and fertility! )

DrFiona — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:13:24 +0000

The American Thyroid Association has updated their guidelines for the management of thyroid concerns in pregnancy, the details of which were published in the journal Thyroid this past month. Many of us who work in the field of fertility have long been aware of research suggesting that ranges for TSH should be lower in pregnancy. . . . → Read More: New thyroid guidelines for pregnancy ( and fertility! )

Natural Treatments for Autoimmune Infertility Concerns

DrFiona — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:40:09 +0000

Autoimmune Infertility and Natural Treatment Options

By Fiona D. McCulloch BSc ND

Here is my article on autoimmune infertility which was published in the March 2011 NDNR Journal. I’m in the last few days of my pregnancy and so on the eve of my little one’s arrival I wanted to post an article which has touched . . . → Read More: Natural Treatments for Autoimmune Infertility Concerns

What causes PCOS ? Some new ideas on an ancient disease and modern women

DrFiona — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 22:37:17 +0000

Sometimes I am asked – is PCOS caused by eating too much sugar, unhealthy fat and our sedentary lifestyle? Interestingly, the disease of PCOS does not appear to increase in areas of the world where obesity is more prevalent. This indicates that this disease is not caused primarily by obesity. There are many ancient medical . . . → Read More: What causes PCOS ? Some new ideas on an ancient disease and modern women

Pregnancy after Miscarriage : What should I know?

DrFiona — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:45:30 +0000

Miscarriage is very common and can happen as often as in an estimated 50% of pregnancies. Many miscarriages happen before pregnancy is even detected, however with the availability of early pregnancy testing women are becoming increasingly aware of early miscarriages. Statistics compiled on miscarriage often include only reported miscarriages and since many miscarriages happen before . . . → Read More: Pregnancy after Miscarriage : What should I know?

Endometriosis and Diet – The Role of Fats

DrFiona — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:04:32 +0000

A recent study completed at Harvard Medical School found that eating a diet high in trans fat was associated with a 48% higher risk of developing laparoscopically confirmed endometriosis. It was also found that there was a 22% reduction in endometriosis in the group of patients in the highest fifth of long-chain omega 3 fatty . . . → Read More: Endometriosis and Diet – The Role of Fats

Top Fertility Tests for Women: An Integrative Medicine Perspective

DrFiona — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:40:31 +0000

Top Fertility tests : A Quick Reference for Women from an Integrative Medicine Perspective

FSH – Follicle Stimulating Hormone

Day 3 FSH can indicate how hard the pituitary is working to stimulate the ovaries. Though traditionally a higher FSH is given a poor prognosis, I don’t always see it this way clinically. The FSH can . . . → Read More: Top Fertility Tests for Women: An Integrative Medicine Perspective

Resveratrol for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

DrFiona — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:38:26 +0000

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a complex condition involving multiple hormonal components. Treatment of this disease therefore must be multifold: low glycemic index diets, exercise, therapies to reduce excessive tissue androgens and estrogens, enhancement of insulin resistance and antioxidant status, and improvement of luteal phase health and progesterone balance. In this article I will discuss . . . → Read More: Resveratrol for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Stress and Infertility

DrFiona — Tue, 04 May 2010 04:54:19 +0000

Everyone hears that stress can have a negative impact on your fertility and reproductive health, but have you ever wondered exactly how? Stress seems like such an abstract term, and not long ago the entire medical profession underestimated its effect on our health. We now know so much about the profound effects stress can . . . → Read More: Stress and Infertility

Acupuncture for ovulation disorders and PCOS.

DrFiona — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:17:15 +0000

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is the number one reproductive disease in women. This disease disrupts normal ovulatory cycles which can result in heartbreaking infertility for millions of women. Known hormonal changes in PCOS include excess androgens (ie: testosterone), and insulin resistance. Most thought now is leaning towards insulin resistance being the primary cause of PCOS, with . . . → Read More: Acupuncture for ovulation disorders and PCOS.