Pregnancy is an exciting time but it can also be challenging if things go wrong.

Our Pregnancy Birth and Beyond Programs are designed to support you right through pregnancy and labour until you finish breastfeeding.

We design a highly nutritious diet for you to make sure are eating the right foods and are taking the highest quality supplements to create a perfect baby.

Our programs can help you avoid miscarriage , and also treat you naturally for any of the less pleasant side effects of pregnancy such as morning sickness, reflux and constipation.

Towards the end of your pregnancy we will prescribe botanical medicines which have been used effectively for centuries to ensure you have a successful and problem free labour.

We also work with you to reduce the risk of your baby being born with allergies.

Once your baby is born we support you with great breastfeeding tips, making sure you have plenty of rich nutritious milk and also treating your newborn for any issues such as eczema, colic and poor sleep patterns.

Our aim is to help relieve any worry or anxiety so that you can simply enjoy this wonderful time in your life.

For more information please read our webpages on Healthy Pregnancy & Birth program and Successful Breast feeding program. We also have some inspiring books in our e shop.

• exciting but challenging
• programs support you till finish breastfeeding
• highly nutritious diet, prescribe highest quality supplements to create a perfect baby
• avoid miscarriage, treat side effects
• end of pregnancy botanical medicines used effectively for centuries for successful and problem free labor
• reduce risk of allergies
• breastfeeding tips, plenty of rich milk
• test newborn for eczema, colic etc
• relieve worry, anxiety so you can enjoy this wonderful time in your life

Q. My partner and I have been trying to conceive for the past 2 years.  We are considering IVF treatment but want to try a natural approach first.  Can natural medicine help?

A. Great news!  Natural medicine has an 80 percent success rate for live births to previously infertile couples.  This compares to only a 20 percent success rate for IVF treatment.

These fantastic results are achieved when couples follow a four month program called Preconception Care.

Pioneered by the Foresight Foundation in the United Kingdom, this program involves eating a nutritious diet, following a healthy lifestyle and avoiding exposure to environmental pollutants.

Research published in The Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine has shown that couples following this program improve their fertility, significantly reduce their chance of suffering a miscarriage, premature or stillbirth, or of giving birth to a baby with a congenital defect.

It is now clear that every aspect of our reproduction is adversely affected in some way by our twenty first century lifestyle and living conditions.

Sadly that means that infertility is on the rise, and couples really need to work a lot harder to conceive a healthy baby.  In Australia, one couple in six is now infertile.

The good news is that I have been able to help many previously infertile couples conceive through this simple program.

Find out more on our video:   http://womenshealthnaturally.com.au/infertility-treatments/

Is low thyroid letting you down?

Under-functioning low thyroid or hypothyroid is very common in Australia, affecting up 15 per cent of women of child bearing age.

One of the main symptoms of an underactive thyroid gland is fatigue, so if you have been feeling overly tired lately, it may be a good idea to have a blood test to check your thyroid function.

Other symptoms include:

• weight gain
• constipation
• feeling cold
• dry skin
• depression

The thyroid gland is really the master conductor of the body, so when it’s underactive, everything becomes sluggish. It governs metabolism, in other words, how fast your bodily processes are occurring. So when it’s not up to speed, you may feel as if you’re running on flat batteries!

Fortunately there are lots of things that can help.

Exercise:  Although you are feeling tired, exercise is critical to your wellbeing. Exercise regularly – daily for 45 minutes.  It will improve your energy and also stimulate thyroid hormone secretion.  Try yoga or walking – the main thing is to just get moving!

Stress management: Try to reduce stress levels as part of your daily routine as the hormone involved in the stress response – cortisol – can contribute to hypothyroid issues.  Make sure you get 8 hours restful sleep every night.

Foods to increase:

• Iodine rich foods:  seafood, seaweeds such as nori in sushi
• Zinc rich foods: seafood especially oysters, lamb and beef
• Copper rich foods: Sesame seeds (tahini), cashews, barley, sunflower seeds
• Selenium rich foods: Brazil nuts – 2, 3 a day, sardines and most fish
• Vitamin A rich foods: All orange and yellow coloured fruits and veg, spinach
• Vitamin D rich foods:  salmon, sardines – and don’t forget 15 mins of sun every day!

Foods to avoid:

Goitregens – these are foods that can slow down thyroid function.  They include RAW cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, spinach, radishes, strawberries, soy, pine nuts, walnuts.

There are also very effective natural medicines available to support your thyroid.

For more information download our Low Thyroid Fact Sheet.

Did you know that one in six Australian couples are unable to conceive naturally? Sometimes this is due to male infertility.

And that one in every 25 men has a low sperm count?

No wonder so many couples are turning to IVF to help them conceive.

The good news is that IVF is not the only answer.  Studies show that many natural herbs and vitamins are highly effective in improving sperm health.

Anti-oxidants such as selenium, zinc, vitamin C, lycopene, CoQ 10 and vitamin E play a vital role.  As do the herbs Astragalus, Ginseng and Tribulus.

Sperm are very vulnerable to environmental toxins and so it’s important men clean up their diet and lifestyle to enhance their sperm health:

• eat a healthy diet high in protein, fruit and vegetables
• cut back on smoking and alcohol consumption
• avoid heat stress
• keep mobile phones well away from the groin area
• be checked for STIs
• lose some weight if necessary

There is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting the use of antioxidants and nutritional supplementation for men with low fertility.

I treat many men for poor sperm health in my clinic.  With four months treatment, I can make huge improvements in sperm count, shape and motility making fertilization more likely.  And it’s all completely natural.

See our Improving Sperm Health Program for more information.http://bit.ly/1atY1rA