Lecture Summaries
Gerda Hayden, PT
The Role of Pelvic Health Physiotherapy in the fertility journey
The pelvic floor plays an integral role in a women’s fertility. In this lecture pelvic floor anatomy will be covered with a focus on pathophysiology of pelvic floor dysfunction, especially over activity. You will learn the pelvic floor responses to conditions including vaginismus, pelvic pain due to endometriosis and PCOS. The lecture will also discuss the autonomic nervous system status and its impact on the pelvic floor and then discuss treatment options and approaches.
Dr. Zeynep Uraz, ND
Insulin Resistance, Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Infertility: NDs to the Rescue
During this session you will learn the impacts of insulin resistance (IR) and glucose dysregulation (GD) on female fertility. Dr Uraz ND will discuss the best method of assessing IR and GD and the role of the ND in the management and treatment of IR and GD. She will provide evidence based strategies for managing and treating IR using the following modalities (lifestyle strategies, dietary strategies, sleep strategies, managing the microbiome, continuous glucose monitoring and nutritional supplementation
Alissa Magwood, MSc
Microbiomes of the Reproductive Tract; Is it worthwhile to test and treat?
In recent years, our understanding of the existence, and importance, of microbiomes in the female reproductive tract has rapidly increased. In this lecture we will review the existence of these microbiomes and the factors known to influence them. We will also review recent data that indicates that these microbiomes can affect reproductive success and explore possibilities to test and treat. Finally we will explore if treatment can change outcomes.
Mary Wong BSc, R.TCMP, R.Ac
How Acupuncture improves IVF Success and emotional burden of infertility
This session will discuss the prevalence of anxiety and depression in women and men undergoing ART and the types of TCM diagnosis involved with anxiety. Then through cases explore the efficacy of acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation as options to improve IVF related anxiety and IVF Success.
Dr. Tracy Malone, ND
Nutrigenomics in Reproductive Medicine. Case Studies & Application in practice
Dr Malone has studied SNP for over a decade. This knowledge has allowed her to understand the metabolic pathways that are impacted by SNPs. This lecture will focus on SNPs you should be aware of for your fertility patients. Dr Malone ND will present cases with varied outcomes based on patients SNP profiles. You will also learn the nutrients or botanical medicines to help support these biochemical pathways and optimize function and fertility for patients.
Dr. Jaclyn Smeaton, ND
Sperm - The canary in the coal mine for men's long-term health
Data on male reproductive health shows a compelling, and sometimes bleak, picture of declining sperm health, reduced androgen production, and reduced fertility. These declining health parameters have a much broader impact than simply a man’s ability to reproduce- it turns out they are the canary in the coal mine. In this presentation, we’ll review the compelling data describing how male fertility is deeply connected to men’s short and long-term health, and how often, reproductive health parameters are one of the earliest signs of physiological dysfunction that lead to some of North America’s most impactful chronic illnesses. This includes health parameters related to cardiovascular function, metabolic health, bone health, and much more. A deeper understanding of this story may offer more insight into the best strategies to truly treat male subfertility, and possibly, even more importantly, how to utilize male reproductive health as an important health assessment tool, informing the best strategies for short and long-term disease prevention.