Fertility & Preconception Support
You are not broken.
Fertility challenges can be heart-wrenching, defeating, take a toll on relationships, and become truly all-encompassing. All you yearn for is that positive pregnancy test, to grow your family…
I see you. I feel you. You are not alone.
After battling my own fertility challenges– feeling lost, alone, confused, and wanting more answers…I knew I wanted to use all I had learned to support other women with fertility concerns.
Did you know that women’s health physical therapy can actually support you on your fertility/preconception journey? I didn’t either…but once I learned more, I knew I needed to dive deep into learning all of the ways I could support women/couples in this capacity.
I am trained in Mercier Therapy and a certified Mercier Fertility Specialist. I have also completed continuing education diving deeper into fertility considerations for the pelvic health therapist and have learned and been mentored by naturopaths, registered dietitians, massage therapists, midwives, fertility awareness educators, and women’s health coaches. I merge my education and clinical experience to bring you custom guidance on your own fertility journey– bridging the physical body work, whole-person lifestyle approach, and tapping into your innate intuition to make your dreams of growing your family a reality.
What is Mercier Therapy?
Mercier Therapy is a deep pelvic organ mobilization technique that not only targets the reproductive organs but the surrounding region (pelvis, abdomen, spine). Similar to manual work performed on other regions of the body, the intention of Mercier Therapy is to promote improved organ mobility, blood flow, and optimize the health & function of the pelvic organs. Our blood functions as a transport system for oxygen, nutrients, and our hormones, which makes optimal blood flow to the uterus and ovaries that much more important when it comes to fertility/conception.
In addition to the profound physical benefits of Mercier Therapy and manual work as a whole, this work brings a woman’s attention to her womb space– where her baby will grow. I find this to be an invaluable piece of this work.
Mercier Therapy was developed by Dr. Jennifer Mercier, ND, PhD, Midwife, LMT in 2005 and has been extensively practiced and studied since. In her research, Dr. Mercier has shown an 83% success rate for conceiving within one year of receiving Mercier Therapy. These statistics are extremely encouraging, especially when factoring in the success rate of other more invasive fertility treatment options.
On your conception journey, Mercier Therapy can be utilized as a stand alone for fertility optimization, or in conjunction with ovulation induction, IUI, or IVF. Mercier Therapy sessions are performed over the course of 6-weeks, with 6 individual treatment sessions.
Mercier Therapy may assist with the following:
Natural fertility prep or to compliment ovulation induction, IUI, IVF
Regulate menstrual cycles and ovulation
Improve ovarian and hormone function for better quality follicles/eggs
Increase uterine blood flow and lining
Improve the success of IUI, IVF, and other technologies
Address high FSH, PCOS, premature ovarian failure, luteal phase defects, endometriosis, autoimmune infertility, and recurrent miscarriages
Healing after traumatic birth experience, c-section, and/or abdominal surgery
Address pelvic pain
Address GI/digestive issues
In addition to the hands-on work included with Mercier Therapy, we will also explore:
Your unique history
Lab work
Menstrual cycle charting– education and introduction if not already performing
Whole-person lifestyle considerations
Nutrition & supplement considerations as appropriate (in collaboration with your provider)
Beyond the body work, testing, menstrual cycle charting, & nourishment principles…
It is also my aim to bring you back home to you. A large part of our work together is reminding you of the power of your own intuition. There is a time and place for the lab work, the cycle charting, the focus on nutrition…but equally, if not more, important is supporting your nervous system and body-mind-spirit to cultivate feelings of safety.
A safe body is a fertile body.
I approach fertility and preconception support from a place of bridging the science and research with intuition, femininity, and embodiment.
