Fertility Friday | Fertility Awareness Mastery for Women's Health Professionals

Diane is Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist in Newport Beach, California, specializing in nutrition counseling for compulsive overeating, binge eating, weight management, diabetes, food allergies, as well as MTHFR gene mutation and methylation defects, and numerous other medical concerns.  Diane has her Bachelor of Science in Clinical Nutrition and has her Master of Nutritional Science as well. She has a specialized certification in treating eating disorders.

Joy is a Registered Nurse, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, and a Public Health Nurse. She is the Director of the Natural Family Planning Program at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Centre in Spokane Washington. Joy and her Natural Family Planning students began studying the effects of night lighting on the menstrual cycle in 1976. Joy is the author of the book Effect of Light on the Menstrual Cycle and Fertility and her work has highlighted the significant impact of light on the menstrual cycle and fertility.

In today’s show, we talk about Joy’s research and how limiting our exposure to light at nighttime can improve menstrual cycle health and fertility. We also talk about the philosophy behind Natural Family Planning which gives a window into the differences and similarities between Natural Family Planning and the Fertility Awareness Method. (Skip ahead to the 45-minute mark if you want to go straight to the discussion of the light elimination technique!

Topics discussed in today's episode

• What led Joy to discover that the menstrual cycle can be regulated by having women sleep in complete darkness
• How does exposure to light at nighttime interfere with hormone production?
• The connection between light exposure at nighttime and melatonin production and how that impacts the menstrual cycle
• What does a normal/healthy cycle look like?
• How many days of cervical mucus should a woman have in a healthy cycle?
• What are the 3 fertile signs and how can a woman use these signs to identify her fertile days?
• If a woman's menstrual cycle falls outside of this normal/healthy range how can sleeping in darkness improve her cycle?
• The philosophy behind Natural Family Planning and how it differs from the Fertility Awareness Method
• What is a "contact pregnancy"?
• Why Joy teaches the light elimination technique as a standard part of her Natural Family Planning classes
• How dark does it have to be for it to be effective? And why even the smallest light exposure can interfere with normal hormone production
• Using the light elimination technique to improve various menstrual cycle irregularities including lengthening a short luteal phase, restoring a normal cervical mucus pattern, correcting the length of the menstrual cycle, and addressing repeated miscarriages

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Music Credit: Intro/Outro music Produced by Sirc of (The Nock)

Kym is a musician, surfer, and blogger/podcaster who has been struggling with Infertility for a number of years now. I was inspired when I came across Kym’s blog because of her willingness to share her experiences and her fertility challenges experience to help women who are also struggling with infertility. In today’s show, Kym will be talking about her experiences with IVF and other reproductive technologies as well as her PCOS diagnosis.

Angelique is a Nutritional Therapist who trained at the renowned Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION) in London. She was trained in the principles of functional medicine, a science-based method that assesses the underlying causes of symptoms. Angelique has a passion for the healing power of food and nutrients. She works with her clients to enhance the systems in the body, including digestive function, strengthening the immune system, balancing blood sugar levels.

Donna Zubrod is a nationally certified and NC state Licensed Massage & Bodywork Therapist. She is a certified practitioner with advanced training in preconception wellness, fertility enhancement, and pregnancy of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®. She has numerous certifications including a certification in Mercier Therapy and various massage techniques including pregnancy massage, fertility massage and both pre and perinatal massage.

Eleni is a clinical nutritionist, geneticist and founder of Primal Baby. She has her Masters in Human Molecular Genetics. And she left the academic research environment to focus on her true passion, which is evidence-based natural health and alternative medicine. Eleni helps women, who are trying to conceive or are already expecting a baby, to optimize their diet and lifestyle in order to conceive naturally and have the healthiest baby possible.

Sarah is a Fertility Awareness Educator who has been charting her own cycles using Fertility Awareness since 1995, and she trained as a FAM educator with Fertility UK in 2011, and like all women who learn this amazing method of natural birth control, she is passionate about sharing this knowledge with women!

In today’s show, we talk about the Fertility Awareness Method, Sarah’s experience working with clients, and we delve into the topic of cervical fluid.

Saskia is a Motherhood Soul Purpose and Fertility Expert. She is the CEO of The New Code of Motherhood, and she works with people from all over the world who are often at a crossroads in their lives whether it is related to fertility, conception, and birth, or career and life choices. She holds certificates in Naturopathy, Transformational Healing,  Birthing, and Fertility Therapy, Integrative Life Healing Coaching, Advanced Hypnotherapy. Hypnobirthing, and many other specializations.

Andrea is a Natural Foods Chef, an author, and a television host dedicated to alternative healing and green, sustainable living.  Andrea was a featured contestant on Bravo’s hit reality TV show, Top Chef.  She is a regularly featured food and health expert on CBS News and has appeared on Barbara Walters, The View, Emeril Live and Whole Living on Martha Stewart Radio.  She is also the host of the Award Nominated Fed UP!

Dr. McColloch is a Naturopathic doctor who has been practicing for 15 years in Toronto (Canada). She is the founder and owner of White Lotus Integrative Medicine, a clinic specializing in women’s health and fertility. Dr. McCulloch’s clinical focus is on Fertility, PCOS, Autoimmune Disease and Thyroid Health, and she treats a wide variety of other conditions as well. Dr. Fiona just finished writing her first book on the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome – “6 Steps To Reverse Your PCOS.”