Dr. Sami David preformed New York’s first IVF treatment, and now says there is often a better way
If you have a menstrual cycle, you should have this book. I was shocked when I realized how much both I and my girlfriends didn't actually know about our cycles.
In this 3-part video series from Julie Menin’s Give and Take, Dr. Sami David shares a ton of critical information for future mamas, as well as clinicians concerned about fertility. Some of the points that I most appreciated include:
- The need for clinicians to be dedicated diagnosticians–it is becoming a tragically lost art
- Real stories that highlight the fact that there is often hope for mamas who have been told there isn’t any
- How silent infections can get in the way of getting pregnant, and the need to treat the couple to effectively clear them up
- Discussion of sperm health–sperm quality and quantity has diminished significantly over the last couple of decades
- Acknowledgement of environmental contributers to suboptimal fertility
- The value of blending the best of East and West in healthcare
- Mention of Guaifenesin–the primary ingredient in Naturade’s Herbal Expec and Robitussin–for improving cervical mucus. This is a great tip I first read about in Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility, a must have book for everyone with a menstrual cycle (the book is in the HDNYC Store under “Books: Women’s Health” and Herbal Expec is under Products: For Sexual Health and Fertility).
I had a wonderful paradigm shift a few months ago when I read that true infertility is incredibly rare, and what most couples are dealing with can be more accurately characterized as suboptimal infertility. This differentiation is important for a few reasons. First of all, it is often simply more accurate. As you will see in the interview, many people who are told they are infertile do in fact achieve pregnancy. Secondly, the mind-body connection is real–as is the placebo effect–and “optimizing one’s fertility” is a whole different mindset than “struggling with infertility.”
I hope you will join me in shifting the dialog from infertility to suboptimal fertility. It really changes the tenor of the dialogue, and I believe will have a positive effect on the bodies, minds, and spirits of anyone looking to invite a pregnancy into their lives. On that note, let me know what you think of the videos, and here’s wishing you great success in your fertility optimization!
