Fertility wellness with Aimee Raupp. Your FSH & AMH do not define you

Photo Credit: Christa Meola

I have been drawn to Aimee for years, before I conceived and was deep in the throes of my initial bout of infertility. I came across Aimee when I was searching for fertility resources and was impressed by her gentle yet confident nature which comforted me into believing that as a late thirty something, there was still hope that I could pregnant.

Aimee and I finally met in person when I moderated a panel last year on (in)fertility at Claudia Chan’s S.H.E. Summit. I loved Aimee’s approach towards wellness as a lifelong journey rather than just for fertility. I also admired her authenticity in sharing that her personal story hasn’t always been perfect either.

It is my esteemed honor and privilege to introduce you to Aimee Raupp, health, wellness and fertility expert who also has earned the title of Fertility Detective. Read on below to learn more about Aimee and join us this Sunday for our bi-monthly Sunday Session. Aimee will be joining me live to share more about her story along with several fertility wellness tips.

You’ve been called the fertility detective. How did you earn that title and when did you know that you were on to something?

AR: I initially gave myself the title, mainly because that's how I feel about the work I do. I am a fertility detective. I literally look under every single rock to help my clients figure out why they're having challenges. I'm so much more than just an acupuncturist, or an author, or a woman who's been in the field of women's health and fertility; I am a fertility detective. I look at the emotional component, the physical component, the nutritional component, and I put all the pieces together to figure out why a woman isn't getting or staying pregnant.

In your view, what is the most major roadblock to getting pregnant?

AR: Environmental toxins. They are endocrine disrupting chemicals that can be found in our bath and beauty products, the hormones in our foods, processed packaged foods, or stress, poor sleep hygiene and other environmental stressors.

Are there any fertility myths that you would like to debunk?

AR: AMH and FSH aren’t everything.

Your AMH and FSH should not define you as these numbers are not static and they can change all the time.

AMH and FSH only tell us about the guesstimate amount of eggs you have left. These numbers tell us nothing about the quality of those eggs. You can improve your egg quality. Age has very little to do with your fertility, if you are menstruating and ovulating you can biologically get pregnant.

You’ve proven that women get pregnant after 40; can you share why not all hope is lost?

AR: I got pregnant without medical intervention at the age of 40. I have helped hundreds of women over the age of 40 get pregnant and stay pregnant. Age is just one factor that comes into play in regards to fertility, but it is not the ultimate factor, and it is not the end game. As I just said if you are menstruating and ovulating regularly pregnancy is a possibility. And a lot of times even if you're not menstruating and ovulating regularly you can potentially get pregnant eventually too.

Is there anything about your own personal journey that you would like readers to know?

AR: That I personally still have hope. 

Even at the age of 45, I believe in my body and its ability to get and stay pregnant with a healthy vital child.

Why is optimizing overall health important when we think about fertility and beyond?

AR: Your fertility is an extension of your health. Health is mental, emotional, physical and nutritional. They are not separate. All of these factors contribute to your overall fertility and ability to get and stay pregnant.

What are several tips for someone looking to conceive for the first time or even facing secondary infertility?

AR: I think the most important things to realize is that your health is an extension of your fertility. So if you are dealing with digestive issues, skin issues, sleep issues, mental and emotional issues or other problems, they are all a reflection of your health which ultimately impacts your fertility. So when you are thinking about trying to conceive or actively trying to conceive, the main goal should be first to get your health in the best shape possible.

Food is medicine. You cannot out supplement a crappy diet.

Stress plays a major role in your house and ultimately your fertility. Sleeping 7 to 8 hours and night is crucial for balance hormones. Eating enough protein and fat is crucial for balance hormones.

What are your go-to resources for self care during fertility?

AR: I always bring it back to: how are you nourishing you?  How are you feeding yourself? How are you treating yourself? How are you talking to yourself? Who are you surrounding yourself with? Are you taking time for you? Are you prioritizing you? These are the points that are so important to understand when it comes to self care and fertility. You need to put you and your health and vitality first. 

Blogger’s note: Aimee believes that bone broth is medicine. It’s not only nourishing for the soul, but also for the womb. Check out her tutorial on how to make bone broth here!

Interested in learning more? Visit aimeeraupp.com. Also, if you purchase anything in Aimee’s shop, use the promo code FERTILUST10 for 10% off!*

About Aimee Raupp: Aimee Raupp, MS, LAc, is a renowned women’s health & wellness expert and the best- selling author of the books Chill Out & Get Healthy, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant, and Body Belief. A licensed acupuncturist and herbalist in private practice in New York, she holds a Master of Science degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a Bachelor’s degree in biology from Rutgers University. Aimee is also the founder of the Aimee Raupp Beauty line of hand-crafted, organic skincare products. She has appeared on The View, and has been featured in Glamour, Allure, Well + Good, GOOP, Shape, and Redbook, and has received endorsements from Deepak Chopra, Dr. Christiane Northrup, Arianna Huffington, and Gabby Bernstein for her work in helping thousands of women to improve their vitality, celebrate their beauty, and reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. Aimee is also the Head of Chinese Medicine at The Well, an active columnist for media outlets such as Thrive Global, Well + Good, MindBodyGreen and is a frequent speaker at women’s health & wellness conferences across the nation. She engages her large community worldwide through her online programs and with her website, www.aimeeraupp.com.

 *I am an affiliate of Aimee Raupp’s because I believe in her services and products. If you purchase anything from her store from my link, I will receive some funds. Just wanted to let you know. Thank you!

NIAW Feature: Options are Valuable

Anthea King-Pascual captured by Alexis Mera. Shirt designed by Kayla Kleinman.

I had the opportunity to sit down with fertility warrior, Anthea King-Pascual to discuss her journey of secondary (in)fertility, IVF and the relief she found in the egg donor option. Read on to find out how Anthea is redefining the conversation around (in)fertility through her story of loss, heartache and love.

Anthea’s story:

I got pregnant with my daughter when I was 35 after three months of trying. When I was 37 and my daughter was one, we tried again for a second. We got pregnant after trying for a while and discovered at five months that the fetus had trisomy which meant it wouldn’t be a viable pregnancy. We then turned to IVF and after four times, had an ectopic pregnancy that resulted in a miscarriage, DNC, and chemotherapy to flush out my fallopian tubes. After the ectopic, we took the mandatory break from treatment for six months.

We decided to try (IVF) again by bundling embryos over three more rounds (of retrievals) and banked a total of 11. Our embryos were sent for genetic testing and every single one came back abnormal.

I was now 42 years old. Our insurance had been covering up to 80% up until that point and we were about to go entirely out of pocket. We consulted with our Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) and he shared that the chances of a viable pregnancy was about 1% based on my age and our history. As a result, our RE recommended that we consider the egg donor route which I hadn’t really thought about up until that point.

We decided to move forward and initially had two failed attempts with possible egg donor candidates. As a result, we decided to go the frozen rather than fresh egg donation route and purchased multiple eggs from one donor. The first egg that we transferred resulted in my son, Simon!

The media gives a false sense of expectation and hope by covering celebrities who get pregnant at 45 or 50. It is very likely that these pregnancies could be the result of donor eggs. It’s so important to voice the option about leveraging donor eggs. In fact, our clinic, RMA NJ does approximately 2,000 egg donor transfers a year!

What was your high?

My high was making the decision and the plan to go the egg donor route. It was the hope in knowing that there was an option (to have a baby), and that it wasn’t the end of the road for us. It wasn’t the original way we thought that we were going to (have a baby), but it was the way that it happened for us.

What was your low?

The low over my entire journey was after banking multiple eggs over three cycles. After all the emotions, medications and money, and then finding out that none of them were viable. My husband and I felt completely defeated.

Do have a silver lining?

My husband. He was so supportive of everything that I was doing, wanted to do, and the decisions that I made. I felt like I really wanted to have another child and give my daughter a sibling.

I knew that I married the right man because we hit rock bottom and were able to get through it together by supporting each other. I know my husband very well but we had never been in this situation before. There is no way of knowing how a partner may be or react during an extremely trying experience, and he was beyond supportive.

Do you have any words of wisdom?

I think that it is important to remember that there are options. I remember someone sharing with me that “only you are going to know when/if you need to change your path”. Be honest with yourself and don’t give up hope. Consider going about the process a different way such as donor egg or adoption. It could save you a lot of heartache, time and money.

People also question whether they could love their (donor egg) child as much as their biological child. Speaking from experience, the answer is YES, you most definitely love that child just as much!

Anthea, her husband and her two children live in New Jersey. Anthea’s love for her children’s care and safety inspired her to launch Homepaired, the first online marketplace connecting families with motivated and talented American students, with the goal of making live-in childcare affordable, accessible and ethical.