Eating disorders before and during pregnancy, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are more common that we might presume. Women can enter pregnancy with a lifetime of disordered eating, or become triggered by normal weight gain of pregnancy and relapse into disordered eating despite previous...

Living in the Yukon, I have many patients who have opted not to supplement with Vitamin D in the summer months given our long days and seemingly endless sunlight. Many are surprised to find out that their Vitamin D stores actually drop without supplementation...

Anemia during pregnancy can cause a host of problems, including fatigue, dizziness, frequent infections, and poor concentration and sleep. It also raises the risk for low birth weight and pre-term labour. In an earlier blog post I talked about how to test for anemia in pregnancy, and...

In an earlier blog post I shared the important role that progesterone plays in maintaining pregnancy – progesterone literally means “pro gestate” and is critically important in sustaining a healthy pregnancy. I routinely assess my fertility patients for progesterone deficiency and treat during the first...

The impacts of chronic stress during pregnancy are well-documented – for mom and baby, including infant behavioural and attention problems and low birth weights. In my online program I dedicate an entire module to stress and the adrenal glands in pregnancy. I focus on...

There are countless good reasons to keep the sugar monster at bay during pregnancy – including healthy mom and baby weight gain, keeping energy levels constant, and decreasing the risk of developing gestational diabetes.  A recent study has highlighted another important connection: higher maternal intake...

Miscarriage can be a traumatic and disorienting experience for women and their partners – and deciding if, and when, to try again is a challenging question for couples to tackle. There are many factors to consider, so I wanted to share with you how I...

Awareness of post-partum depression is growing amongst all spectrums of health care providers, which is a truly important shift for mothers who struggle after the births of their children and need extra support. However, PTSD following a birth experience – despite being quite distinct...

Your body’s need for protein increases significantly during pregnancy – to support growth of maternal tissues (breast and uterus) as well as fetal growth and brain development. Low protein intake during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of “small-for-gestational age” babies, and animal studies...

The “gut-brain-axis” is getting a lot of buzz these days as we better understand the connections between intestinal function and cognitive/emotional centres in the brain. In short, the billions of microbes living in your gut affect how we think and feel – both positively...