My Unconventional Infertility Treatment Plan
Written By Dr. Chelsea Dakers BSc ND
I want to share a story with you; to inspire the courage to choose the path less travelled… this is what it has looked like for me.
Technically, I meet the criteria for “infertility”… Considering this is my area of clinical focus, this was not hard for me to deduce.
There was a point in my journey where I was panicked. Thinking I was not doing enough. Pressuring myself to become fanatic about cycle tracking, because I could be doing more. Maybe I should do more testing? Should I add in another layer of supplementation? …. a bottomless pit of all things I “could” or “should” be doing.
As time moved on and my menses returned, over and over again, every month, there was a kind of surrender that was unfolding. Not consciously, but oozing through my physiology.
In truth, for the majority of my reproductive years I held two beliefs and I enforced them adamantly:
1. I will never have children.
2. I must not get pregnant.
This idea of procreating is a new concept. I had lived almost two decades so deeply devoted to the previously mentioned reproductive beliefs, I never saw this shift coming.
I’ve previously said that this path of reproductive advocacy chose me. Really, I had absolutely no intention of working in this field or even living it in my own life. Oh, how things change…
There was an evolving state of consciousness taking shape — “what if I decided to stop pathologising my experience and choose to sink deeper into what feels right for me?”…. With this shift, acceptance bloomed. “Maybe I’ll get pregnant, maybe I won’t”… the frenetic over-doing and over-thinking slowly dissolving like a teaspoon of sea salt in fresh water.
And just like the swirl of a spoon mixing salt into water, I was being transformed.
This process of imagining having children is changing me. Creating the conditions for my fertility to emerge naturally is changing me. Ultimately, this process has reminded me of a fire that has been quietly burning all along. My spiritual essence, always knowing this was a path to wholeness, even when I couldn’t see, feel or taste it.
As I’ve deepened into a lifestyle that feeds all of me — mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual — the urgency continues to collapse: I am enough with or without children. The judgement has dulled: there is room for spirituality in reproductive health care. My sense of peace strengthening: I am who I am.
My “infertility treatment plan” has looked different than what is often promoted by care providers and influencers. It’s slower, softer and asks for me and my partner to come into deeper and deeper awareness of ourselves. I’m doing lots of things that are fertility oriented (I’ll share more on that later) but without the intensity or sense that something about this process is “wrong”. I know what it takes to get pregnant naturally— heck, I’ve helped many people do it after being told by doctors it was absolutely impossible. For me, it has been and continues to be a beautiful walk of faith.
So this is your permission slip (you don’t actually need one, but I think you get the point): your hormone healing journey is entirely yours. It can look and feel however you want it to be. I want mine to bring out all the best that I have to offer this world, and yours can to, if you choose it.
With So Much Love,
Dr. Chelsea
xo
P.S. Join me on Instagram @chelseacreateshealth, if you haven’t already yet :)
The disclaimer… The amazing thing about humans is that we all have incomparably unique health profiles and needs. The health-related information contained in this article is intended to be general in nature and should not be used prescriptively or a as a substitute for a visit with a naturopathic doctor. This info is intended to offer general information to individuals. If you have questions about how these strategies could be used in adjunct to your current heath regime, book and appointment with us or consult a licensed naturopathic doctor for individualized care.