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[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
If you’re dealing with unexplained infertility, chances are you’ve been told you don’t have any options besides IUI or IVF (and maybe you’ve already tried those and they failed). But there is another option, one that I personally see as even more beneficial than IUI or IVF: functional medicine. Before I go into the 5 reasons why it’s worth trying, let me explain:
My experience with functional medicine
I don’t know where I first heard about functional medicine– on some blog somewhere, probably– but I was intrigued, mostly because I wanted to try more natural approaches to conception before anything else. At the time I didn’t even know what functional medicine was! Then, as I researched more information online, I found countless stories of women who had had multiple failed IVF attempts, only to see a functional doctor after. They then found out they had an autoimmune disease, food sensitivity, or some other condition that would have prevented them from ever conceiving (at least until they got that condition under control first).
After several months of hemming and hawing over it, I finally made an appointment with a functional doctor. I’m fortunate to have a highly-rated one who specializes in fertility (among other things) just twenty minutes from my house. She had me do a full blood panel first, and I got the results before meeting with her. Literally all of my levels: within the normal range. Here we go again, I thought. Unexplained. What a waste.
You can imagine my surprise when, upon meeting with her for the first time, she remarked, “Based on your blood results, there are definitely a lot of things we can work on changing.” Turns out there is normal, and then there is normal for pre-conception, and some of my results that were “normal” were not actually normal. In the end, my doctor ordered more bloodwork and hormonal testing (read more about the extra testing she did here!) that I’m optimistic will get to the root of the problem. But in the meantime, she gave me six different things to do (either diet changes or supplements) to help change certain blood levels so that I will have a better chance of getting pregnant. (You can find out more about the possible causes of unexplained infertility she suggested here!) This is in contrast to every other doctor who labeled my infertility “unexplained” and sent me on my way.
Is functional medicine going to work for me? I honestly don’t know, no more than I’d know if IUI or IVF were going to work for me. But I’m optimistic! Here are five reasons why you should give it a try too, before you jump into anything else:
1. You will get a personalized treatment plan from someone who will look at EVERYTHING related to your health
Individualized treatment is THE most important thing I believe you need if you have unexplained infertility. A typical fertility doctor simply doesn’t have the time to give you individualized treatment (hence the standard Clomid, IUI, and then IVF procedures). My functional doctor sees 3% of the volume of a typical doctor. 3%! She has the time, then, to pore over my information, do research on my specific results, and give me a personalized treatment plan that goes beyond, “Let’s try IVF and see what happens.” I had to fill out hours of forms before I even went to my appointment– including a 3-day diet diary, what age my mom introduced me to solid foods, anytime I’ve ever been on antibiotics, and more. I am convinced that this doctor is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding out the cause of the problem. This leads me to:
2. There’s a great chance you’ll get to the root of the problem
No, this is not guaranteed, either — all of your numbers could literally be perfect — but I truly think functional medicine is your best chance. Figuring out the root of the problem has been important to me from the beginning. And after I read those stories of women with failed IVFs because of an unknown underlying condition, I was convinced. Before considering any assisted reproductive techniques, I want to make sure my infertility isn’t actually caused by something else I can fix (that other doctors don’t have time to investigate). For me, that means getting my blood levels at optimal levels. (As I mentioned, there is a normal, and then there is a normal for pre-conception. Turns out although TSH levels up to 5 are “normal,” below 2.5 is optimal for getting pregnant. And that’s just one example!) It also means doing more testing — read more about further testing here.
3. It’s natural
Doctors prescribe synthetic drugs. Functional doctors (in my experience) prescribe natural supplements or recommend diet changes. Although I suppose I could still have a reaction to a natural supplement, I am not worried about side effects as I would be with other medications.
4. You will learn how to be healthier in general
Regardless of whether or not this helps me achieve pregnancy (though I believe it will), at the end of this, I will be healthier. This doctor (and dietician!) is looking at ALL of my results, and telling me exactly what I should be doing to be healthier in general– diet-wise, exercise-wise, and supplement-wise.
5. It’s cheaper
Notice I didn’t say it’s cheap — I said it’s cheaper. (The price tag, honestly, is why I was hesitant to try it at first.) By cheaper, I mean cheaper than IVF. All in all, with 6 appointments (3 with the doctor and 3 with the dietician), multiple full panel blood tests, advanced nutrient testing (urine sample, saliva sample, and plasma sample), advanced hormonal testing, and supplements, I’m expecting to spend around $3,000 total. Having only had 2 appointments so far, I’d say it’s worth it already.
If you’re interested in hearing more about functional medicine and unexplained infertility — the possible causes — check out my post here. Or see my post on more testing for unexplained infertility here.
