Preconception & Infertility
Q&A with Dr. Jen Riegle
What is preconception health?
Preconception health is your health before you become pregnant. Ways we may work with this include diet and exercise changes, supplements, herbs, medication, mental and spiritual counseling, and physical medicine.
Do I need to be thinking about my preconception health?
It's never to early to be thinking about your health, especially if you are of childbearing age (for women from onset of menses to menopause and for men from puberty until onset of andropause). And yes! Both men and women can benefit from preconception health programs! Becoming healthy before getting pregnant has now been shown to have life long effects on your child!
Do you offer preconception detox, or a preconception cleanse?
Yes, I do. I strongly recommend preconception cleansing if done 4 months or more prior to conception. I will create a personalized plan to help you detox so that you may create the healthiest egg and sperm for conception. Detoxification is also very important before breastfeeding, because many toxins are stored in the fat. Again, detox can only be done 4 months or more prior to conception, and cannot be done close to conception, during pregnancy, or during breastfeeding due to the health effects on the baby.
I have been given a diagnosis of infertility or have been unable to get pregnant. What can you offer to help?
I work with couples who have been diagnosed or are pre-diagnosis for infertility to restore health and balance, working toward a goal of a healthy baby. Together we will review and order labs, imaging, health history, and current health and create a personalized health care plan which may include tools such as supplements, diet, exercise, herbal medicine, pharmaceutical medication, and physical medicine.
What is your approach to working with patients diagnosed with infertility?
I have found that it is of the utmost importance when working with patients who have an infertility diagnosis to take a step back and look at the whole person and their entire health picture. Not only that, but when a couple is trying to get pregnant, it is very important to look thoroughly into the health of both partners, even if one partner has been deemed as the one with infertility. To accomplish this, we will meet together and go over both partner's health histories, recent workup and current health, and decide what further workup needs to be done before we start treatment. Sometimes no more workup is necessary, and other times, I will suggest a lab evaluation, diagnostic image, or trial with a therapeutic intervention before developing a complete health plan.
Will you work together with my other doctors?
Yes! The best way to offer complete health care to patients is to maximize on every practitioner's strengths. I am always happy to coordinate with other doctors involved in your care, including reproductive endocrinologists, urologists, family doctors, midwives, acupuncturists, or anyone else involved in your care! I may also recommend some of these practitioners should we decide that they would be helpful for your health goals.