Pegasus Lecture Hall
9:45 - 10:20 AM - Why do I have to travel to the USA for Egg donation?
by: Dr. Joseph Doyle, MD
Couples needing to move forward with Egg Donation are bewildered and find the process daunting. And then being told to utilize a clinic in the USA is quite overwhelming. In this session, Dr Joseph Doyle will highlight the pros (and some cons) of Canadian couples choosing to work with an American based clinic and explain the benefits of traveling for treatment.
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: Shady Grove Fertility
10:30 - 11:05 AM - How to get pregnant
by: Dr. Tom Hannam, MD, FRCSC, REI
We have all been taught how not to get pregnant, but very few of us have ever been told how to get pregnant. Dr. Hannam will help you gain a clear understanding of your cycle as it relates to natural conception. He will dispel the common myths & share with you low intervention methods that may help you to achieve pregnancy. He will also provide clear direction on how to know (under what circumstances) when it’s time to consult with a fertility specialist.
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: Hannam Fertility Centre
11:15 - 11:50 AM - Optimizing fertility with nutrition and supplementation
by: Dr. Jodie Peacock, ND
The long-term health of your future children can be significantly impacted by the choices you make in the 3-6 months leading up to pregnancy.
What can you do during this time to optimize your diet and lifestyle to prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy. Nutrition is often an overlooked therapy when it comes to fertility and is an area where you can have tremendous positive benefit.
Learn what foods to focus on and some nutrients you may want to consider supplementing on top of your diet to achieve optimal hormonal balance, egg and sperm quality and overall health.
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: Enhance Fertility
12:30 - 1:30 PM - IVF 101
by: Dr. Marjorie Dixon, MD, FRCSC, FACOG, REI
For many adults experiencing fertility and reproductive challenges in growing their families, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a procedure that provides an opportunity for a positive outcome of fertility treatment, when other options may not have been warranted or successful. A medical specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI), Dr. Marjorie E. Dixon will be providing us with an insightful IVF 101 presentation describing the IVF process, the medical indications for this treatment option, and the considerations for intended parents. If you have any questions about IVF, this is the session to attend!
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: Anova Fertility & Reproductive Health
1:40 - 2:15 PM - Age & Fertility - Fertility & IVF after age 35
by: Dr. Samuel Soliman, MD
Fertility changes with age. Both males and females become fertile in their teens following puberty. In today’s society, age-related infertility is becoming more common because, for a variety of reasons, many individuals are delaying to begin their families. Dr. Soliman will take you through the various factors and challenges that both male and females undergo while sharing insights on how to maneuvering the factors affecting fertility."
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: NewLife Fertility
2:25 - 3:00 PM - Practical Steps to Reduce Your Miscarriage Risk
by: Dr. Jordan Robertson, ND
Couples working on their fertility are looking for ways to be proactive in their health and to put their best foot forward in their natural, or medically supported fertility cycles.
In this lecture, Dr. Jordan Robertson ND, the author of Carrying to Term: a practical guide to reducing your miscarriage risk (Amazon 2018) reviews the tests every couple should have, simple dietary strategies and the supplements and medications that reduce miscarriage risk. Whether couples have already experienced loss, or are just beginning their fertility journey, they will leave this talk with take-home advice on how to have a healthy pregnancy and carry to term.
Room: Pegasus
Sponsored by: Nature's Source
3:25 - 4:00 PM - Optimize Your Egg Quality to Improve Your Chances of Success
by: Dr. Zeynep Uraz, ND
Fertility struggles are challenging enough! You don’t need a bunch of unnecessary dietary restrictions and stressful lifestyle changes on top of all of that. Dr. Zeynep Uraz, ND will be discussing the most important foods you should be eating and avoiding, the most important changes to make in your life and a couple of supplements that can help, or hinder egg quality. She will take an evidence-based approach, to help you sort through all the information out there and make sense of it all.
Room: Pegasus
4:10 - 4:45 PM - Treating the root cause: A natural approach to the treatment for PCOS
by: Dr. Laura Von Hagen, ND
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common causes of female infertility. As an endocrine disorder, PCOS presents a variety of challenging issues for those who are trying to conceive. Current research points to the strong evidence of incorporating acupuncture and lifestyle changes, in addition to conventional medicine, to improve fertility outcomes. Although the cause of PCOS is unknown, blood sugar dysregulation and insulin resistance are key factors in most cases. As a Naturopathic Doctor with a strong clinical interest in PCOS, Dr. Laura von Hagen, MSc, ND will teach you how to naturally manage your symptoms. Her talk will focus on:
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Discovering the true cause of PCOS
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Understanding the signs and symptoms of PCOS, and when to get tested
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The importance of diet and exercise for symptom management
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The benefits of acupuncture for PCOS and overall fertility
Room: Pegasus
Phoenix A Lecture Hall
9:45 - 10:20 AM - Sex on demand to Intimacy all around - Practical workshop for couples struggling with relationship challenges with infertility
by: Pradeepa Narayanaswamy, ICF-PCC, CPCC
Infertility puts a big stress on marriage and family relationships. Many times, couples are not intentional about how they want to show up in their relationship, how they want to support each other and how they can tackle tough questions and conversations around the act of “making babies” with family and friends. With infertility, making a baby is not sexy anymore. Having sex on demand can feel more like an unwanted chore and can be a big turn-off. It can feel robotic. Infertility can affect both the sex life and the social life. It definitely tests the relationship.
In this session, Pradeepa will share 6 tips and techniques to repair, rejuvenate and strengthen your relationship for a more positive experience as a couple irrespective of the outcome. This session is presented in a workshop style where the participants get hands-on practical experience with the 6 tips and will take home the valuable learning on how they want to apply these techniques in their real life moving forward.
Room: Phoenix A
10:30 - 11:05 AM - Donor Egg IVF vs. Adoption: Which is right for you?
by: Heidi Hayes, MA
Making the decision to pursue an adoption or donor egg treatment is difficult. This session will provide a comparison of the donor egg process and outcomes with that of a domestic or international adoption. It will also explore additional issues to consider before making the leap into either pathway to parenthood.
Room: Phoenix A
Sponsored By: Donor Egg Bank USA
11:15 - 11:50 AM - Fertility Preservation: What you need to know about egg freezing
by: Dr. Gwen Goodrow, MSc, MD, FRCSC (OBGYN), FACOG, REI, Partner
Dr. Goodrow will discuss how egg freezing provides the opportunity to protect the current health of your eggs and why that can increase your chances of conception in the future. She will walk attendees through the process of egg freezing as well as the reasons why patients choose to pursue fertility preservation
Room: Phoenix A
Sponsored by: The Reproductive Care Centre (RCC)
12:45 - 1:20 PM - How your genes affect fertility
by: Dr. Robyn Murphy, ND
Dr. Murphy will walk attendees through a look into how genetic testing can help uncover risks for nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances and sensitivity to chemicals that impact pregnancy.
Room: Phoenix A
Sponsored By: AOR
1:30 - 2:05 PM - Through thick and thin: Strategies to improve implantation
by: Dr. Jennifer Fitzgerald, ND
The endometrial lining is a highly dynamic tissue that changes constantly with the natural flow of female hormones, creating a time sensitive window for implantation. Even with the best of medical intervention, implantation does not always occur. This presentation will review what is happening during implantation, what can go wrong, and what patients can do to improve the odds of their next cycle being successful.
Room: Phoenix A
Sponsored By: Conceive Health
2:15 - 2:50 PM - Acupuncture for fertility
by: Michelle Kapler, R.Ac
Acupuncture is a treatment option for infertility that has become more well-known in recent years. It has been recognized, by the medical profession, as a useful adjunct treatment within the context of assisted reproductive technologies. However, adding acupuncture to fertility treatments can be overwhelming for a patient, as there is very little general knowledge on the subject. This presentation will unpack the basics of how acupuncture works, the research to back it up and how to use acupuncture in the best way, to get the most out of treatments for infertility.
Room: Phoenix A
3:25 - 4:00 PM - Pre-implantation genetic testing in IVF - What you need to know!
by: Alissa Magwood, B.Sc, M.Sc
This lecture will walk you through what you need to know about genetic testing including:
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What are aneuploid (abnormal) embryos and what does it mean in IVF?
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The keys to success in PGT
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PGT is not the same everywhere – ask the right questions!
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Mosaicism
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Who should consider PGT?
Room: Phoenix A
Sponsored by: Access Genomics
4:10 - 4:45 PM - How to manage stress during infertility treatment
by: Katelyn Paquin, RSW, RTC
Recent mind-body research shows that chronic stress causes long term physical side effects. So while we know that managing your stress during what can be a lengthy fertility journey is a daunting task, with the help of mindfulness, meditation, breathing techniques, and small, everyday life changes you will be better equipped to reduce your stress level in order to focus on what is really important- your fertility!
Katelyn Paquin, RSW, RTC, CEO & Founder of Her Helping Habit uses a holistic approach based on scientific research and therapeutic counselling training to give you the tools to calm your body and mind so that if you are looking to conceive or are already pregnant, you can improve your overall well being, chances of conceiving and of having a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Room: Phoenix A
Phoenix C Lecture Hall
9:45 - 10:20 AM - Planning Your Surrogacy Journey
by: Frank Nelson, Men Having Babies board member
Introductions and a comparison of surrogacy with other parenting options. We will then provide a comprehensive surrogacy workshop that was developed based on the accumulated knowledge of hundreds of gay men who have already gone through the process.
Topics covered will include:
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Basic terminology, types and components of typical surrogacy arrangements.
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Typical sequence and timeline for gestational surrogacy journeys.
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Legal considerations in the USA and Canada.
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Major decisions regarding IVF, egg donation and surrogacy options.
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Considering your family vision, financial constraints, risk tolerance and ethical preferences.
Room: Phoenix C
Sponsored by: Men Having Babies
10:30 - 11:05 AM - The Scoop on Sperm. Male fertility is half the equation
by: Dr. Tracy Malone, ND
Recent research shows that Western men have been experiencing a sharp decline in sperm concentrations.Male fertility plays a critical role in fertilization of the egg, embryo growth, and placental development. Sperm cells are among the smallest cells in the human body, ,and are exquisitely sensitive their environment . The entire population of sperm cells regenerate approximately every 100 days. Early testing with an andrology lab is essential to guide treatment. We will review some male fertility treatment and testing options including: lifestyle modification, nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants have been shown to effective in improving male fertility.
