Seed Fertility Program Featured on Goop.com!

Goop.com recognized that the Seed Fertility Masterclass offers hope and a unique approach to help women trying to conceive.

Read below for some of the highlights from the Q+A with Seed founder, Dr. Danica Thornberry:

Q
What is the Seed Fertility Program?
A

The Seed Fertility Program is an online fertility education program that I launched in 2013 to introduce women around the world to the concepts I share in my acupuncture clinic. It’s a personal empowerment program that’s self-led and rooted in two simple concepts: fertile thoughts and fertile foods. Women learn to eat certain foods at different times of their cycles to support their hormones. They learn how to change the way they think about what’s happening or not happening in their pursuit of baby.

The program is structured to work alongside their doctor’s protocols, whether they are trying to conceive naturally or doing IVF or IUI (intrauterine insemination). As they’re taking a birth control pill or going through the suppression phase, they’re taught to eat certain types of foods to support their low estrogen level. When they begin ovarian stimulation or approach ovulation, they are taught to shift their diet to nourish the egg and follicular development. After fertilization, women are taught a different set of food options to support implantation. Later, as they approach their pregnancy test, there’s a fourth phase of foods and mindset tools to calm their anxiety and help them stay balanced as they wait for the test results.

 

Q: How long have they typically been trying to conceive?
A: 
 
On average, women who seek my help have spent nearly two years trying to conceive. That includes the time spent trying on their own, as well as any failed IVF attempts with a fertility doctor.

Q: What approaches do you use to support fertility?
A

As an acupuncturist, I approach fertility holistically—addressing any obvious dietary issues, sources of stress, and unreconciled emotions. I use thoughtful conversation to start the process of rebuilding a woman’s confidence, knowing that it has likely been lost to repeated disappointment. I align my treatment plan with her doctor’s medical plan and help her feel empowered about her particular journey. Sometimes women need help making important decisions, so I help them learn how to quiet their nervous thoughts and bring their focus inward to listen for quiet wisdom.

All of these tools are taught and shared through the Seed Fertility Program. Some women combine the program with acupuncture to reduce stress. The key is to help women learn how to reframe what’s happening into something more spiritual and transformative.


 
Q: What’s an example of a food you might recommend for a specific time in a woman’s cycle?
A

Let’s imagine a woman who’s menstruating, or starting her IVF cycle with birth control pills to suppress hormones and synchronize follicles. I would recommend some type of mineral-rich leafy green recipe, such as sautéed kale with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and sea salt. The minerals found in that recipe can help calm her nervous system, and leafy green vegetables containing chlorophyll help support the upcoming proliferation of the uterine lining.


 
Q: What did your clinical study show?
A

I found that women using the program’s tools created more eggs in IVF, with better egg quality, resulting in a higher number of normal embryos and increased numbers of full-term live births. The Seed Fertility intervention pilot study has been submitted for publication and it’s currently in peer review. Nine of the ten women had no embryos to show for their most recent IVF. And none of the ten women had ever had a successful pregnancy. The women participated in the Seed Fertility Program in their subsequent IVF cycle. Collectively six normal embryos resulted, and a total of three pregnancies—all of which resulted in live births. After the study concluded, I learned that a fourth woman from the study made the decision to use donor eggs and gave birth.

The intervention study showed that online fertility education is a valuable resource for women trying to conceive.


Q: Does the Seed program have anything to offer men?
A

The Seed Fertility Program contains a course specifically for male partners. It provides a unique script for them to know how to support their partner at each phase of her cycle. Also, the Men’s Seed Program provides men with dietary recommendations that support sperm health, as well as a few emotional tools to help them manage their own grief.


Q: How important is the emotional component?
A

When women run from the emotions arising during fertility treatment, they’re not helping themselves. While we don’t necessarily want women opening up old traumas and not knowing what to do, there’s a need for personal discovery work that comes with infertility. We can learn how to open ourselves up, face often scary emotions, and reframe what’s happening in a way that allows us to grow stronger in the process.

I want women to know that when they feel emotional, like they’ve lost themselves on their journey to motherhood, and they’re feeling confused or overwhelmed, there is a supportive program full of resources to help them trust the changes and emotions coming up along the way.

To read the full article, click here.

 

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