Gynecology and Hormonal Health

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?

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

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

“I Wish My Period Would Start”- PMS, PMDD and Liver Qi Stagnation

July 10, 2025

So often, I hear from patients that they can’t wait for their period to start. If PMS or PMDD is a part of your experience, the immediate and very noticeable reduction in emotional and physical symptoms after your period arrives can bring a dramatic sense of relief. If this sounds familiar to you, read on to learn more about PMS and its much more intense cousin PMDD, and what your treatment options might be. Read more

Eating Seeds? Yes! Seed Cycling? Not so much.

July 06, 2021

What is Seed Cycling?

I remember first hearing about seed cycling over 10 years ago as a new acupuncturist. The idea of seed cycling is that you can eat different seeds at different parts of your cycle to optimize your hormone balance. Which seed depends on the unique micronutrients in each one, with certain seeds thought to balance estrogen in the follicular phase (before ovulation) and balance progesterone levels in the luteal phase (after ovulation). The concept of being able to truly use your food as medicine and take control of your own health is really appealing of course! Who wouldn’t want a DIY answer to things like irregular cycles, painful periods, or other hormonal symptoms like premenstrual bloating and acne? Not to mention a little help with fertility?

Seed cycling seems to have surged in popularity on social media, so I wanted to take some time to really dig into the research to see if this is worth doing. Also, as a practitioner of East Asian Medicine (TCM), I am excited to discuss our medicine’s view of seeds and how they’re used, as well as some information on how our medicine would approach hormonal health at different phases of the cycle. Read more

Posts Categorized: Gynecology and Hormonal Health