A Natural Pathway to Health: Restorative Reproductive Medicine
As the host of CCL’s PeakDay Podcast, I have the gift and opportunity to talk about fertility and natural family planning with wonderful and inspiring guests. Over the past few months, I have interviewed more than a few medical professionals. Several have mentioned that they are practicing and promoting the benefits of Restorative Reproductive Medicine (RRM). The International Institute of Reproductive Medicine defines RRM as a branch of reproductive medicine that focuses on diagnosing and treating the root causes of reproductive issues. RRM restores and supports the natural functions of the reproductive system.
Conventional approaches rely on artificial reproductive technologies and treatments that suppress natural function. RRM seeks to work with the body’s physiology, treating reproductive issues not by bypassing the body’s processes but by diagnosing, understanding, and addressing underlying health concerns. This improves overall wellness for those looking to conceive healthy babies. I discovered many aspects of NFP are encouraged in RRM, like charting and understanding your cycle.
These recent guests on the PeakDay Podcast are medical professionals who have subsequently augmented and supplemented their professional education. They are practicing in a more holistic and collaborative way with RRM. These guests all have a shared passion for spending the time necessary for figuring out the root cause of symptoms. They are getting their patients back to a state of optimal reproductive and fertility health, while respecting natural pathways.
HOLLY SMITH, MD
Dr. Holly Smith, founder of Fiat Family Medicine, discovered a passion for women’s health, fertility and natural family planning while practicing family medicine. She is determined to bring back the importance of the doctor-patient relationship to improve the overall health of the patient. She feels that, in general, the practice of medicine has gotten away from relationships, understanding and root cause.
For couples wanting to achieve pregnancy, turning to RRM, rather than artificial means like in-vitro fertilization (IVF), allows her to see the underlying problems that are contributing to the prevention of the natural process of fertility. Dr. Smith says, “My goal is to figure out what those problems are and get the woman as healthy as I can so she can receive the gift from God that a child is, when the timing is right.”
Dr Smith points to recent research that looks at risks of pregnancies that are achieved through artificial reproductive technologies, like IVF, especially in situations where the couple didn’t get an evaluation of what the underlying problems were. “We are pushing pregnancies on women who likely have health reasons for not being able to conceive. There are significantly higher rates of complications during the pregnancy like preeclampsia and diabetes, and of preterm delivery.”
Cycle Tracking
Dr. Smith encourages the use of cycle tracking apps, like the PeakDay app, that can track many symptoms that, even just from a family care perspective, help her so much. “Having women track those general symptoms alongside their cycle and their swings of hormones says a lot about those hormones. It gives me information about how to evaluate and manage treatment.”
When asked what she would like to see happen in the traditional medical field in regard to RRM, she responds, “What would be truly revolutionary would be an improvement in the quality and quantity of (RRM) research being done. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence and a lot of case studies being done. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of money to be made in it (RRM). It will be difficult to get a large institution to fund a randomized, controlled trial on, say, using bioidentical progesterone. It is probably not going to happen.”
NICOLE SNYDER, APRN,FNP-C
For Nicole Snyder, a Board-Certified Nurse Practitioner, working with women using a holistic, patient-centered approach to healthcare helps her discover the underlying cause of symptoms and intervene at the root level to get her patients to a state of health. She shares, “Traditional medicine doesn’t allow for the time needed to make a diagnosis.” Appointments can run from 45 minutes to an hour to begin to determine a course of action. “Patients are hungry to actually be well and not just managed. People are desiring this type of approach, and they are seeking it out. They want to get to a state of health, instead of just suppressing symptoms.”
Nicole wants women to know how wonderfully made they are, and that fertility is a sign of health. “I want her to know that everything about her is ‘on purpose,’ including her fertility. If something is not working well, we can restore her body to a place of balance and health.”
MEGAN BLUM, PA
As a physician’s assistant, Megan Blum practices RRM because she wants to restore optimum health and healthy ovulation to women. Finding the root cause for a woman’s health issues is important to Megan. “When we are able to find a root cause, we are better able to bring health to Mom, but also to her baby and any future babies. We know those changes really trickle down to her grandchildren. By digging into the hard work of lifestyle, wellness, medication options, balancing hormones and fixing metabolism, her babies benefit from that. It’s rewarding to know we are making generational change.”
When a woman charts her cycle, Megan can begin to see patterns. “If I can look at a patient’s charts and discern those patterns, that provides me with a starting point and directs my work-up. Having her charts with all of the data points is crucial.” PCOS is the most common endocrine-metabolic condition that women present with, says Megan. “Women with PCOS typically have ovulation dysfunction. Cycle charting helps them target and identify their fertile window when the follicular phase tends to be rather long. It can help them have less anxiety, lean into that knowledge, and time marital relations. Looking at her symptoms allows me to see any hormone imbalances and intercede with medication, diet and supplement changes.”
TRISH RAWICKI, MD
After practicing as a primary care physician, Dr Trish Rawicki’s primary interest grew to being restorative women’s health and fertility. She developed and trained in her specialty with courses in NaPro, FEMM, and functional medicine. Dr Rawicki now works at Pearl Women’s Health & Surgery using RRM to focus on the root cause of conditions like infertility and hormonal imbalance. She employs natural, evidence-based methods that respect the integrity of human life.
When asked why RRM and functional medicine are so important to those who want to conceive using ethical means, she states that infertility is a symptom, not a diagnosis. “The problem is not due to the infertility itself but rather the infertility points to a deeper issue and gives us an opportunity to optimize the patient’s health at an earlier stage. We do not yet understand all the factors at play. But the field of RRM is making huge strides in discovering many of these root causes and developing effective treatments. Many RRM clinics are able to help couples conceive at rates higher than IVF clinics.”
Root Causes
In identifying and treating root causes of infertility, RRM goes beyond artificial reproductive technologies. “I have cared for many patients that have ‘failed’ IVF or egg retrieval. In these women, I find that there are many causes of infertility that have simply never been evaluated or, if found, no treatment was offered aside from IVF. Finding and repairing root causes will not only help our patients conceive but will also help them feel better and attain a greater state of health.”
“The outcomes and effectiveness of RRM and functional medicine,” Dr Rawicki says, “can rival or exceed those of IVF clinics, but we don’t know everything yet. Our own clinic is hoping to start publishing our data. The last 10 years have seen an explosion in what we are able to do to help a couple conceive naturally. There are true heroes in our field that are leading the charge. We also have to remember that life is always a miracle and a gift. We have to work as though everything is up to us but remember that ultimately life is only ever in God’s hands.”
— Written by Martha Haenni, CCL Marketing Events Coordinator, Content Editor, Family Foundations Assistant Editor, and PeakDay Podcast host.