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Part 2: The East Asian Medicine Perspective on Fueling Fertility: What Athletes Should Consider Before Trying to Conceive

October 16, 2025

This article is Part 2 of a collaboration between myself and a registered dietician, Rebecca Jaspan. To read her tips on fueling fertility from a nutrition standpoint, click here. 

 

Athletes tend to pay very close attention to their health, as they know how much it impacts athletic performance. However when you’re shifting the focus to preparing for conception, the same methods that got you a PR or 1st place in your age category may not be ideal for optimizing your fertility. This is true for both men and women.

An athletic lifestyle can potentially present challenges to fertility, but with careful attention, planning and some lifestyle shifts, most of the time there is no reason someone can’t continue pursuing athleticism at the same time they pursue parenthood. I recommend starting this journey 3-6 months before you would like to begin trying to conceive.

What is the EAM (East Asian Medicine) point of view?

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Guest Post: Fueling Fertility: How Athletes Can Prepare Their Bodies For Conception Through Nutrition

October 16, 2025

This is part one of a series of posts on how athletes can prepare their bodies for conception. Special thanks to Registered Dietician Rebecca Jaspan for sharing her knowledge and expertise! To learn about the East Asian Medicine Perspective, you can check out my article here.

A Guest Post by Rebecca Jaspan, MPH, RD, CEDS, CDCES

For athletes, peak performance is a way of life. But when it’s time to shift focus from podiums to parenthood, the same dedication to training can be a powerful asset—especially when it comes to fertility. Preparing your body for conception isn’t just about tracking cycles; it starts long before that with what’s on your plate.

Whether you’re a competitive runner, a HYROX enthusiast, or a recreational athlete, your nutritional needs are unique—and so are the steps you should take to support reproductive health. In this post, we’ll explore steps athletes, both female and male, can take to optimize their fertility, ensuring that their bodies are not just strong and fit, but also ready to support a healthy pregnancy.

Why Athletes May Struggle with Infertility

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Acupuncture for Pain Relief Demystified

September 29, 2025

You may have heard that acupuncture is great for pain relief, but why exactly is this true? Whether it’s migraines, headaches, musculoskeletal pain or menstrual pain, acupuncture helps quiet the noise of pain so your body can focus on healing.

When pain lingers, it doesn’t always mean that an injury is still present- sometimes your body’s signals are stuck on repeat. Read more

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My Favorite Really Boring Health Habits

September 16, 2025

There is so much noise out there about what you “should” be doing for health that sometimes we forget to focus on those frankly boring ideas that might not get a lot of likes on social media, but actually can make the biggest impact in how you feel.

I hope these ideas will help you to get re-grounded in a healthy post-summer routine. Also please keep in mind- pick one of these to work on at a time! If one idea isn’t doable for you, skip it and pick one that is.

 

Keep a Consistent Sleep/Wake Schedule

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What Is Considered A Heavy Period?

July 16, 2025

In the new patient intake form that my patients complete, there are a lot of questions regarding menstrual period details. How often does it come? Are there clots? Is it painful? And importantly- how heavy is it? You might have wondered what is considered a heavy period, after all, you only have yourself to compare with. In this article, I will give you some specifics to answer that question as well as information about what it could mean. Keep reading for more details. Read more