79. Beyond the Myths: Science-Backed Fertility Awareness for All Women

Think fertility awareness methods are only for the ultra-religious or outdated for modern life? Think again! In this episode of Cycle Wisdom, Dr. Monica Minjeur debunks five common myths about restorative reproductive medicine. Learn how these science-backed, modern, and accessible methods empower women to manage their health, fertility, and address root causes of reproductive issues—all without artificial hormones. Tune in to reclaim your menstrual health with evidence-based solutions!

Transcript

Monica: 0:00

Before we jump into the episode today, I want to share some exciting news with you. We have continued to expand our medical services into multiple different states across the U. S. And I'm pleased to share that we can now provide telehealth visits if you live in the states of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan. Connecticut, and now Florida and Texas. We also are always adding on new states for medical services, so if you are looking for someone to care for you in a way that promotes your long term health and fertility, please come check us out. As a reminder, our charting instructors and health and hormone coaches are able to serve clients in any state or country. If you've been a longtime listener and you have friends or family that are in some of those states that need this kind of medical care, please send them our way. I would love the opportunity to visit with them more and chat with them on a free discovery call with me, which you can book from our website, radiantclinic. com. And now, on to the episode. Welcome back to Cycle Wisdom, where we empower women to restore natural menstrual cycles to improve health and promote fertility. I'm your host, Dr. Monica Minjeur, and I'm so glad you're listening today. Have you ever dismissed natural fertility methods as too niche or too religious or maybe just not practical for your modern life? You're not alone. But today I'm going to debunk some of the more common myths we hear in regards to restorative reproductive medicine. I want to show you how these approaches are for everyone. So in this episode, we're going to tackle five persistent myths about fertility awareness methods and restorative reproductive medicine. I'm going to clarify how these approaches aren't just effective, but they're also modern, accessible, and built on a foundation of evidence based science. So let's get started with myth number one. Restorative Reproductive Medicine and Fertility Awareness. Now, although many of these methods are often associated with faith based practices, they can be dismissed as something that only religious individuals would use. The reality is that restorative reproductive medicine and science backed fertility awareness methods are rooted in biological science, charting, evidence based medical care, as well as well controlled research studies. These approaches are accessible and applicable for all women, regardless of their beliefs, because they focus on understanding the body's natural signals. Women use these methods for managing their health, for trying to conceive or for trying to avoid pregnancy, and understanding their bodies, not just for religious reasons. In fact, many non religious individuals choose fertility awareness based methods for their natural, empowering, and non invasive nature. I actually recently just treated a young woman who had no religious affiliation. She came to me because she was struggling with menstrual migraines that were caused by her birth control. And we got her started charting her cycles with a fertility awareness method. Learning to chart her cycle not only helped her to be able to come off of birth control, but also gave her an effective way to avoid pregnancy without hormones. Additionally, we were able to address the root cause of those menstrual migraines and use science based research in order to help improve her symptoms. Fertility awareness based methods and restorative reproductive medicine aren't exclusively about faith. They're about giving women the tools to take charge of their health and fertility in a safe, natural, empowering way that is backed by science. Myth number two. Fertility awareness based methods aren't suitable for the modern woman. This myth involves the fact that fertility awareness methods are outdated and impractical for women who have busy modern lives. The reality is that there are so many modern tools that are available for modern women and this makes fertility awareness based methods more accessible than ever. For example, we have so many more apps that are available as well as wearable devices, online resources, group chats, All of these things which make fertility awareness based methods more accessible than ever. The other beautiful thing is that fertility awareness methods can be tailored to each woman's schedule, whether she's working outside of the home, a student, or a stay at home mom. Tracking biomarkers like cervical mucus or basal body temperature I recently helped a working mom who initially thought that fertility awareness methods would be too complicated. We worked together to develop a system where she utilized an app as well as a wearable thermometer to help seamlessly fit into her busy schedule. This helped her to track her cycles and manage her health while balancing her career and family. Fertility awareness based methods aren't old fashioned. In fact, they are continuing to evolve with modern tools to meet the needs of women in today's world. Myth number three. Restorative reproductive medicine and tracking your cycles can be expensive compared to conventional care. Now, many people assume that restorative medicine is more costly than conventional treatments like birth control or IVF, and the reality is we need to look here at both short term and long term costs. Conventional treatments like birth control or artificial reproductive technologies involve recurring expenses that add up over a woman's lifetime without ever really solving the root cause. This not only creates excessive cost over time, but also doesn't affect or make a positive impact on underlying health issues, which can be much more costly in order to fix down the road. Restorative reproductive medicine focuses on lasting solutions by finding the root cause. This often leads to fewer medical interventions over time and lower overall costs in the long term. Here's an example of a cost breakdown. For many women, the cost of being on the birth control pill runs about 10 to 25 per month over many years, potentially decades. Added up over a lifetime, this can be a significant cost. If you're trying to get pregnant and you're referred for in vitro fertilization, this cost on average runs somewhere between 15, 000 to 25, 000 Per cycle, oftentimes requiring multiple attempts in order to even get that first positive pregnancy test. Restorative reproductive medicine may have some initial investments upfront that seem higher. However, we are always looking to address the root cause, which reduce the cost over time and especially over your lifetime. I oftentimes talk with couples who are concerned about the high upfront costs of restorative reproductive medicine. However, when we compare that to the thousands of dollars worth of savings that they get from avoiding expensive IVF treatments, We find that the cost over time is a significant improvement compared to these artificial reproductive technologies. The other benefit is that we are improving long term health, we're able to try to conceive naturally, and if these couples want to go on for subsequent pregnancies down the road, we've been able to address and fix those underlying causes so that we don't have as much expense in subsequent pregnancies. Although restorative reproductive medicine may have higher upfront costs, we are ultimately solving root issues. Reducing the reliance on costly medical interventions, and in the end, it ends up oftentimes being a much more economical option. Myth number four. Fertility awareness methods are too niche, and they're unproven. Many conventional physicians will tell you that fertility awareness is seen as something more of fringe medicine. It doesn't have the scientific backing or widespread recognition that's needed in order to make sure that it actually works. The reality is that there have been many studies published in major medical journals that demonstrate the efficacy of fertility awareness methods for both avoiding pregnancy and In fact, there's a brand new journal that's out, it's called the Journal of Restorative Reproductive Medicine, and it is an international collaboration of medical professionals from all across the world who are researching and continuing to advance this field. There are also organizations like FACTS about fertility, which is the Fertility Appreciation Collaborative to teach the science. FACS works collaboratively to educate healthcare professionals, starting from medical students about these different methods. As women seek out natural and empowering alternatives to hormonal contraception Fertility awareness based methods are becoming more mainstream. Many obstetricians, gynecologists, as well as primary care physicians are now starting to offer restorative reproductive medicine and fertility awareness based methods as options for their patients because women are asking for it. Fertility awareness isn't just niche or something that's on the fringe. It's a growing movement backed by science and embraced by more women and couples every day. Myth number five. Natural methods don't work for severe fertility issues. Women with complex fertility issues or complicated medical histories, like recurrent miscarriage, anovulation, or PCOS, are often told that natural methods won't work for them. The reality is that restorative reproductive medicine focuses on diagnosing and addressing root causes, even in severe cases. Examples include utilization of bioidentical hormones. Correcting luteal phase defects, addressing issues like thyroid dysfunction or adrenal gland insufficiency, treating conditions like PCOS and endometriosis. All of these things will address the root cause in order to be able to manage even the most complicated situations. I have actually cared for many women who have gone through failed IUI or failed IVF attempts. Sometimes they suffer multiple miscarriages before they come to find us. And through restorative reproductive medicine techniques, we're often able to uncover the root cause of whatever the issue was, treat that underlying abnormality, and help them go on to carry a successful full term pregnancy. Even in complex cases, even in the times where women have perhaps failed conventional medical treatments, natural methods like restorative reproductive medicine can provide solutions and hope for women who thought their only option was artificial reproductive technology in the past. So let's recap the five myths from today. Myth number one, restorative reproductive medicine and fertility awareness methods are only for religious people. False. These methods are based in science and accessible to anyone. Myth number two. Fertility awareness based methods aren't suitable for modern women. False. Modern tools like apps and updated charting tools make these methods easy to integrate into your daily busy life. Number three. Restorative reproductive medicine is expensive compared to conventional care. False. Although the upfront costs may be higher, we provide long term solutions that often save money over the course of your lifetime. Myth number four, fertility awareness is too niche and unproven. False. These methods are evidence based and continue to grow in popularity. And myth number five, natural methods don't work for severe fertility issues. False. Even complex cases can benefit from addressing root causes to find the answers for severe fertility issues. If you've been told these myths or feel like your options are limited, please know that there are alternatives. Learn more about restorative reproductive medicine. Start charting your cycle or connect with our office to help you take charge of your fertility and health. You are worth investing in. Don't let these myths hold you back from finding real solutions that work for you. If you're ready to work with our elite team of healthcare professionals, go to our website, radiantclinic. com, to schedule a free discovery call with me and learn more about our package based pricing for comprehensive care. We are currently able to see people for in person appointments in our Cedar Rapids, Iowa clinic or can arrange for a telehealth visit if you live in the states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut, Florida or Texas. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. Please share this podcast with someone in your life who would benefit from our services. Remember to subscribe to this podcast for more empowering content that I look forward to sharing with you on our next episode of Cycle Wisdom.