Conceive Baby Podcast Series

So, you know a regular pap smear is important, but what do the results really mean? What are they screening for? Does is affect your fertility or the progression of a healthy pregnancy? In this episode I speak with Dr Alice Huang who answers these important questions and explains everything you need to know about Pap smears, including the new advances which are providing more scope in testing and why they are not officially called pap smears anymore! Dr Alice Huang is an experienced specialised gynaecologist who has been training or working in the field of gynaecology for the past 15 years, and working in the field of infertility and IVF for the past 10 years. Dr Huang specialises in IVF / fertility treatments Fertility preservation and egg freezing Ovulation induction and cycle tracking Endometriosis and laparoscopic surgery Fibroids and myomectomy surgery Abnormal CST and colposcopy PCOS Abnormal vaginal discharge and recurrent vaginosis Dr Huang's professional practice is not just built on evidence-based-medicine, but also on a holistic understanding of the individual, she understands that it’s the small things that make the difference between good, and exceptional medical care. If you’re trying to fall pregnant If you’ve ever had an abnormal Pap smear If you want to be proactive in supporting your reproductive health Then this interview is for you!

Whether it's plan A, plan B or plan C, there is a path to your baby. In this episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast, I speak with Dr Genia Rozen about the evolving world of fertility preservation. We discuss egg freezing, embryo freezing, sperm freezing and uterine tissue freezing. How they work, what the the benefits are and when they may be appropriate for you. Genia Rozen is Gynaecologist and Fertility specialist from Melbourne. She trained at the Royal Women’s Hospital, where she now works as a consultant. Her private practice is based in East Melbourne and the Peninsula. Genia has a special interest in medical fertility preservation and is the deputy head of the well-known Fertility Preservation Service at RWH. Dedicated to the field of reproduction and oncofertility, she is also undertaking a PhD aimed at helping women conceive after cancer. I hope you enjoy this inspiring discussion! You can find out more about Dr Rozen at her website http://www.geniarozen.com.au/ And more about Fertility Preservation at the Royal Women's Hospital http://www.geniarozen.com.au/fertility-preservation/

In today's episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast we’re talking about a topic which is growing enormously and that’s Fertility over 40. I know in my practice I’m seeing more and more women starting or growing their families in their 40’s. But biologically, how fertile are we? What are your chances, really? And what can you do to stack the odds in your favour. Today we’re going to be answering all these questions and more with the lovely Angela Hywood, who understands this topic intimately, both personally and professionally. Angela is an experienced naturopathic clinician with over 20 years of clinical experience. She runs a busy clinic in Perth Western Australia, specialising in integrative endocrinology, fertility and women’s health. Prior to Angela’s career in naturopathy, she studied at the School of Pharmacy, Curtin University of Technology. Angela practiced at the world-renowned Jocelyn Centre of Natural Fertility Management, Australia’s first specialist practice in the area of Preconception Health Care & Fertility Management and has dedicated her career to fertility and women’s health practice. With her uniquely integrative approach she has assisted many of couples overcome their fertility obstacles and fulfil their dream of becoming parents. Angela shares my passion for helping couples become parents and seeing healthy families thrive. She is a mother of 2 little ones herself, both carefully and consciously planned and both naturally conceived (after 40). Angela has written a chapter on miscarriage for a medical text book, and in addition to her practice and education roles, Angela is a well-known featured speaker at complementary and integrative medicine conferences nationally and internationally.

If you’ve been trying to conceive for a while you probably know about ovulation trackers and temperature charting, well today we’re going to be looking at a different way of charting your menstrual cycle and that’s via your lunar cycle. In this intriguing discussion we talk about the origins of the lunar cycle and how you can use your lunar cycle to optimise you chances of conceiving (and perhaps even increase your odds of having a boy or a girl!)

In this episode I speak with Women's Health Dietitian Stefanie Valakas. We discuss the most common hormonal disorder found in women, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS as it’s most commonly known. PCOS affects around 10% of women in Australia and can have a significant impact on fertility and our ability to fall pregnant. We discuss symptoms and diagnosis, but most importantly in the episode we do a deep dive into diet and the simple changes you can make to improve symptoms, improve your fertility and improve your chances of conceiving and carrying your healthy baby.

In this episode I speak with renowned Melbourne Fertility Specialists, Dr Lynn Burmeister about a very topical issue. One which is growing rapidly. And that’s egg freezing. More and more women are turning to egg freezing as an 'insurance policy', if they haven’t met Mr Right or are just not ready for a baby right now, but know it’s something they want in their future. But how much of a guarantee of a healthy baby is it really? What’s involved in the process and what can you do to optimise your chances of a healthy egg collection and a healthy baby? We’ll be answering all these questions and more! Enjoy!

Whether you are going through IVF, struggling with infertility or just wanting to prepare for a healthy pregnancy in this episode we talk about the fundamental things you need to know about your diet and lifestyle that will have a significant impact on your ability to conceive; on your ability to carry a healthy pregnancy and on the long term health of your future baby. It is in this precious preconception period that you have the opportunity to optimise the DNA you pass on to your future child. So regardless of what stage you are at in your fertility journey, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

In this episode I speak with Moira Bradfield who is currently completing PhD research into the vaginal microbiome. Moira will be providing her insights into the role of the vaginal microbiome in fertility as well as practical tips and advice to help you support a healthy vaginal environment to improve your chances of conceiving and carrying your healthy baby. We cover topics including * what is a microbiome? * how our vaginal microbiome differs from our gut microbiome * what role does it play in candida/thrush? * other infections of the vaginal impacting fertility health * Strep B and pregnancy complications * what discharge is 'normal' * douches, washes and intimate products, should you use them * tampons vs pads vs menstrual cups, what should you use * ways to optimise your vaginal health to support a healthy conception and pregnancy Moira Bradfield, founder of Intimate Ecology clinical and education services, is a Naturopath, Acupuncturist and educator with over 18 years clinical experience. She has a passion for helping people experience optimal health in sustainable and sensible ways. Clinically she has a niche interest in recurrent vaginal infections, the vaginal microbiome and their associated impact on health and disease including fertility, loss and post partum health. Moira holds a Bachelor of Naturopathy Southern Cross University, a Masters degree in Acupuncture from Southern Cross University and is completing formal research with Griffith University as part of PhD studies in the area of the vaginal microbiome and conditions of vaginal dysbiosis. In addition to her role as a Naturopath Moira has lectured in Naturopathy both overseas and in Australia and is currently the Senior Lecturer for Nutrition at The Endeavour College of Natural Health, Southport. Finalist for Naturopath of the year, Nutritionist of the year and Educator of the year in the 2018 BIMA awards and nominee for the 2018 ANS Educator of the year and Naturopath of the year, Moira is focused on excellence in education and clinical practice in the management of the vaginal microbiome. You can find out more about Moira and her services at www.intimateecology.com.au

In this episode of the Conceive Baby Podcast we talk about fertility, as always, but from a different perspective. We discuss a wonderful, collaborative, celebratory event, which is on a mission to change the conversation around fertility and infertility. Fertility Fest. I speak with inspiring founder Jessica Hepburn who shares with us her personal journey, as well as insights into the evolution of Fertility Fest and what you can expect at this year's event. Jessica Hepburn is one of the leading patient voices on fertility, infertility and assisted conception. She is the author of two books The Pursuit of Motherhood (2014) and 21 Miles: Swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood which is launching in a few weeks. In 2016, following her ten year tenure as Executive Director of the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith in London she founded Fertility Fest, the world's first arts festival dedicated to fertility, infertility, modern families and the science of making babies. The third edition of the festival will be held in Barbican, London from 23rd April to 18th May 2018. For more information head to www.fertilityfest.com www.jessicahepburn.com

In this episode I speak with Dr Jemma Evans about the impact of your diet on the most important and amazing organ when it comes to fertility, and that’s the uterus. We hear a lot these days about egg health in relation to fertility, which is obviously super important but there is another important player and that’s your baby’s first home. The place where this tiny fertilised egg will have the opportunity to grow into a thriving, healthy baby. The health of the uterus plays an important role in supporting implantation and supporting the health and development of this precious new life. In this episode we delve deeper into the role of the uterus, as well as ways to optimise uterine health, through diet, to improve your chances of conceiving and carrying your beautiful, healthy baby. Jemma will be sharing exclusive insights from her new research. Jemma is a research scientist with a focus on understanding the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus into which the embryo must implant. Her previous work has contributed to significant changes in IVF, by characterising the endometrium in women during IVF cycles, and demonstrating that, in most cases, a ‘hostile’ local environment is presented to the embryo.  This has led to a significant increase in the number of frozen embryo transfer cycles being undertaken. Her current area of research aims to improve the local environment within the uterus to provide an optimal ‘home’ for the baby by intervening well before conception. She has identified a ‘toxic’ inflammatory environment within the uterus which appears to compromise endometrial quality, embryo implantation and development of the placenta. Jemma is about to embark on a clinical trial to determine if a simple dietary intervention can improve the local uterine environment leading to improved fertility and pregnancy health. She hopes this will also improve the long-term health of the child as the environment within the uterus can determine if the child will develop health disorders such as diabetes and obesity later in life. I love her mantra which is healthy uterus, healthy pregnancy, healthy life!