Patient Profile: Pregnancy

by Sarah Nosker, RN

For many couples, when a woman is pregnant, those nine months are filled with lots of preparing and planning. So much time is invested in preparing the nursery, shopping for adorable little onesies, reading the latest version of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” and of course, late night runs to the Dairy Queen for a hot fudge sundae.

Now think of all that preparation we do while pregnant; what if we spent just a portion of that amount of time in preparing our bodies for pregnancy? How is getting pregnant any different than preparing for a marathon? You can’t expect to win a race without conditioning the body and preparing it for what’s to come!

One such co-learner came to the Riordan Clinic to do that very thing. She was a healthy, young woman who wanted to conceive. A routine work up by her general physician determined there was no reason she couldn’t get pregnant. The only additional factor to be considered was whether or not she had poly-cystic ovarian syndrome, a disorder that would cause her to have fluid-filled sacs on her ovaries making it hard for them to function properly. She felt the Riordan Clinic could offer the best orthomolecular approach to help her body prepare to conceive.

Upon her initial visit here, the clinic doctor found that though she had a good diet and was at an ideal weight, she had nutritional deficiencies and imbalances that could be contributing to her having not yet achieved pregnancy. She had a deficiency in vitamin D with a level of 19! Anything less than 20 is a sign of significant disease. Vitamin D is crucial for hormone health and immunity. She also was low in folic acid, which is important for DNA replication and cellular health. In addition, she was low in chromium, a mineral important for proper insulin utilization which is a problem when a woman has cysts on the ovaries and can affect fertility. The doctor’s treatment plan included supplementing these items as well as having the patient focus on a whole foods diet as much as possible.

The patient is to have a follow-up appointment in six months to monitor her progress. Stay tuned for a future Health Hunters article, as we hope to be sharing with you another Riordan Clinic success story!

To find out more about how our medical team can help you or to make an appointment, call
316-682-3100 and start your journey to a healthier you.