Description
The oocyte is most influenced by a woman’s maternal grandmother’s health and wellbeing than any other variable in her lifetime – known as the trigenerational effect. In a clinical context when we are presented with a woman diagnosed with oocyte aging or premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) we are given a clinical conundrum that challenges our belief in current literature, ethical framework of practice and an awareness that some patients recover from oopause to resume cycling normally. How is this so and how can we optimise this for all women? There are key strategies we can incorporate that implement an understanding of oocyte biology and mitochondrial efficiency that can swing a woman’s fertility back into optimal cycling and oocyte health. Fertility care is inundated with women who face these diagnostic limitations and yearn for offspring from their own gametes. By understanding the requirements, considering new research and clinical expertise we can improve these statistics significantly and support women in achieving this goal.
Learning objectives
• Participants will understand the role of genetics and epigenetic drivers in reproductive competence and oocyte health
• Participants will understand role of mitochondrial health in improving oocyte maturation and receptivity to fertility and appropriate treatment strategies to achieve these goals
• Participants will acquire strategic and optimal treatment strategies to effectively support their patients’ health and improve reproductive competence, fertility outcomes and oocyte viability
Leah is an experienced and respected clinician and has been in private practice for over 20 years. She specialises in fertility, pregnancy and reproductive medicine and holds fellowships and memberships with many International organisations.
She has completed extensive advanced training and is currently completing her PhD through the School of Women’s and Children’s Health (Faculty of Medicine [UNSW]). Her research is exploring ovarian biomarkers in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and Premature Ovarian Failure (POF).
Leah is the Director of The Natural Health and Fertility Centre, in Sydney Australia. Over the years she has helped thousands of couples conceive healthy, vibrant children often in situations where they were told there was no hope left.
She is a keynote speaker at conferences locally and internationally to both the functional and complementary medicine communities as well as the wider fertility and gynaecological areas of medicine. She is the author of multiple seminal naturopathic textbooks and is a contributor to journals and other texts within the Naturopathic and Functional Medicine areas as well as general gynaecology, fertility and infertility.
Most importantly, she is a mother to two gorgeous boys who keep her grounded, humbled and consciously aware.