The Reproductive Microbiome & Its Effect on Fertility with Leah Hechtman, ND

The placenta is no longer considered sterile and it has its own microbiome.

Semen is important and filled with various microbes supportive of conception.

A mother’s digestive microbiome is a direct reflection of the baby’s microbiome in utero.

All these new truths are rapidly changing our perception and support of fertility and pregnancy. It beckons the inquiry into all aspects of our care of couples, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and neonates.

There is much to learn, much to understand, and much to explore.

The human body contains trillions of microorganisms — outnumbering human cells by 10 to 1. Because of their small size, however, microorganisms make up only about 1-3% of the body’s mass (in a 200-pound adult, that’s 2 to 6 pounds of bacteria), but play a vital role in human health.

We now understand the potential influence we can impart to our children and evidence is mounting that we can change and improve the health of our children just by influencing the paternal and maternal microbiomes pre-conceptually. Research is now helping us to understand the intricacies and interconnectedness of everyone involved. As we evolve our understanding, we can learn strategies to optimise microbial balance and thus improve the health of the next generation.

More than ever before, the health of the reproductive microbiome is a platform with which to base all fertility treatment.

Learning objectives:

• Participants will understand the importance and balance of the various microbiomes within the male and female body
• Participants will understand strategies to optimise microbiome health to ensure the health and wellbeing of both parents and fetus (infant)
• Participants will understand the impact of bacteria and other microbes and the importance of supporting healthy commensals and treating opportunistic infections
• Participants will learn useful clinical treatment strategies to improve the health of both parents, improve pregnancy and labour outcomes, and the health of the child

Course Structure:

Due to time zone difficulties, we are pre-recording the classes and releasing them on the Monday by 9 am, before a live Q&A on the same Thursday at 9 am. We hope this allows more of you to fit the classes into your week in time for a fruitful Q&A session with Leah.

05.10.20 | Lesson 1: The reproductive microbiome, conception, infections
08.10.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 1

12.10.20 | Lesson 2: The seminal microbiome
15.10.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 2

19.10.20 | Lesson 3: Maternal microbiome part A
22.10.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 3

26.10.20 | Lesson 4: Maternal microbiome part B
29.10.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 4

02.11.20 | Lesson 5: Pregnancy, fetal microbiome, and labour
05.11.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 5

09.11.20 | Lesson 6: Breastmilk/lactation microbiome
12.11.20 @ 9-9.30 am | Live Q&A for lesson 6