Preconception

Abbey felt like her dreams of having a biological child were over.

Abbey and her husband wanted to start a family right after they got married, but over a year of trying and nothing happening, they tried 3 rounds of artificial insemination. She remembered feeling on top of the world – “this is our answer! We get to start our family!” She thought.

Sadly, none of those took, so they did additional testing. They found out her husband had some issues with his sperm, and now IVF was their best option.

She was crushed instantly and emotionally drained and upset. Why hadn’t they tested Mike sooner? Didn’t the doctor know what rollercoaster he just put them through? IVF is very expensive and they were fortunate they were able to pay for it since insurance doesn’t cover anything.

Abbey remembers, “I don’t think one can really prepare themselves for IVF until you go through it yourself. I have a high pain tolerance and the shots didn’t necessarily bother me, but the fact that I was shooting all of these hormones into my body seemed barbaric and unnatural and I was very worried about the long-term effects of these drugs. But once again I went into IVF feeling extremely positive and on top of the world as I thought this was going to be the answer to our prayers.” 

When that pregnancy test came back negative, she was devastated.

Abbey tried to be strong with her family and friends but she knew her heartache hurt them as well. She felt so alone in her pain. 

A month after failing at their first attempt of IVF, Abbey met Dr. Marcia Schaefer. That night, she told her husband she was going to call Dr.Marcia and tell her their story. She even called her mom that night to tell her about the woman she met, and told her mom how she felt that she was meant to meet this doctor.

At Abbey’s first appointment, she asked Dr.Marcia’s advice for fertility, and while she was told chiropractic care often helps with fertility issues, Abbey didn’t necessarily believe it would help her.

She obviously had some belief that Dr. Marcia would be able to help her or she wouldn’t have started seeing her, but at the same time, she was a little skeptical as she had never heard of anyone going to a chiropractor to get pregnant. 

Abbey not only received adjustments with Dr. Schaefer, but was also provided nutritional and fitness advice as well. Abbey felt that Dr.Marcia was engaged and determined to find answers – something she didn’t feel she was getting anywhere else. She felt like a number at the other clinics. Here, she felt the personalized care and plans would help her find answers.

One morning Abbey woke up at 5:30 in the morning like a kid at Christmas and grabbed the pregnancy test out of her purse that she had bought the day before. She didn’t even tell her husband of her suspicion because she really thought there was no way she could actually be pregnant. 

Abbey took the test into the bathroom and laid the applicator flat on the floor after taking the test. She couldn’t believe her eyes as it immediately turned positive. She must have opened her eyes and closed them to re-look at the test 100 times before she would finally believe it was real. 

Abbey went screaming her husband’s name into the bedroom and he irritably asked what the heck was going on since he was sound asleep. She told him she was pregnant and he immediately hopped out of bed to come to look at the test. June 28th is forever a day they will both never forget.

One day Abbey came in for her adjustment and it was the same day as her anatomy scan. Much to her shock and surprise, the ultrasound showed not one but TWO babies! They were going to have TWINS!

Abbey and Mike welcomed their beautiful identical twin baby girls after a healthy, happy pregnancy.

What makes Abbey’s journey so similar to so many others?

Maybe you’re feeling like Abbey was – completely helpless, like no one could hear her, or give her answers she so desperately desired. 

You may be on the schedule of the fertility medications, dealing with side effects and the emotions right along with it, or you’re at a standstill, stopped due to the huge financial and emotional toll the fertility journey is.

Will we ever have a baby of our own?

With every month that passes, every negative pregnancy test, every procedure, every positive pregnancy test that didn’t hold…you start to wear down.

You want to be “you” again.

Your partner is supportive, but you can tell emotionally, physically, and financially it’s a draining journey to be on.

You hold on to hope because your desire for a baby is so great, you’ll do whatever it takes. Little do you know, the true concern with all the drugs is greater than you know..for you and baby.

At one point, you convince yourself that maybe it’s time to look for different options, never knowing that a simple choice will make all the difference in the world…

You start thinking differently and due to that, you ask different questions.

You start to have more hope, the journey seems to brighten, your load lessens.

You spend time learning yourself, growing and changing and you’re in awe of what your body is actually capable of

No drugs, no procedures, but using physiology, logic, and the connection that was so distant with your spouse/significant other – your entire world has shifted.

You knew life could be better, you knew it was supposed to be like this!

Are you ready to see that world?

Have you heard any of these Fertility Myths?

• Fertility Myth #1: Your first pregnancy will dictate any future pregnancies. 

Sometimes the scariest part of becoming pregnant a second time is the fear of reliving your first pregnancy. I hear a LOT of moms who have had such a bad first pregnancy, they are scared (and rightfully so!) to have a second pregnancy. The truth is, with preconception work done prior to pregnancy, we have a very low rate of moms not feeling well in pregnancy, but if they do, there is typically an easy fix to improve it!

• Fertility Myth #2: My husband has sperm issues, or I’ve had multiple miscarriages – I’ve been told there is nothing that can be done naturally.

This is also a common concern we hear. The truth is, any time someone improves their diet, mindset, and lifestyle habits, they will achieve greater health. I specifically address issues like these and what to do in those situations, and what has worked in our clinical setting. We work in cycles of 120 days as your egg quality has been shown to change every 120 days – the hard part we have is to try to prevent pregnancy for 120 days!

• Fertility Myth #3: Lifestyle changes will never be enough for conception to happen without medication. 

Scientific research shows preconception work will dramatically improve your chances of a natural conception taking place, and some studies report as much as an 81% increase. It also doesn’t have be an either/or situation. If fertility methods like IVF are needed, research shows you are 47.1% more likely to be successful. It’s about finding balance in the best of both worlds!

• Fertility Myth #4: No one has found a reason for my infertility, so IVF is my only option.

That’s ok! There are tons of reasons people are diagnosed as “infertile” or challenged with fertility. Of the unexplained infertility couples who have worked with us, The great news is, we address the root cause, so regardless of the reason or unknown reason, you will benefit!

• Fertility Myth #5: Medical intervention has the best chance at success when it comes to fertility.

No one can guarantee conception, not even the most sophisticated medical interventions. What I can guarantee you is you will be significantly better prepared for pregnancy through this new understanding and information. We’ve proven over and over again, outcomes are significantly better when utilizing preconception work – on the quality of the pregnancy and in the health of mom and baby.

A message from Dr.Marcia

It’s amazing what tragedy can bring out of you. 

2010 was “my year” – I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic, got married, and found out I was pregnant! Talk about everything happening at once! 

My dream year came crashing down around me on December 3rd, 2010. 

Do you know what the worst 3 words a new doctor, mom, and wife could hear?

“You have cancer”

Within a few short months, I had three different cancer diagnoses and was given an 8.5% chance at 5-year survival with conventional chemo, radiation, and surgery.

A friend of mine reached out in the middle of my storm and offered a new option. “What about this?” he asked, “Have you considered it?”

A different approach to health – one that understood that our bodies aren’t dysfunctional and broken, rather, they’re responding appropriately to the environment they’ve been given.

That was a hard pill to swallow.

In my search for meaning, I decided that quality of life mattered more than quantity. I made a plea with my higher power, and said if I get the opportunity to live, I’ll do everything in my power to show others just how powerful their bodies are.

Just 6 months after I began working on myself, my mindset, and my health – in September of 2011 my scans were clear – no evidence of disease, and to this day, they remain that way.

With a renewed lease on life, I opened my practice, and while at a Chamber of Commerce dinner, I was approached by a woman wondering if I could help with a fertility concern she was having – her name is Abbey – you may have read about her 😉 

After all the work I had done on myself for healing, I thought why couldn’t this work for her too?

In Abbey and Mike’s story – they had beautiful identical twin girls – one of the many couples who have had twins on The Schaefer Protocol!

Who knew out of such disaster an amazing gift could be brought forward.

The Schaefer Protocol was created through my research, clinical experience, and the lens that has me asking different questions on every turn – it keeps me curious, evidence informed, and possibility driven. 

We CAN change the world, it starts with us.

You’ve spent so much time on this journey, what have you got to show for it? 

Our focus is unique and works well because of that approach. The science of epigenetics focuses on understanding how your environment changes how your body expresses different genes within your body.  For example; vitamin D3 activates 2000 genes in the body and has been shown to decrease chances of asthma, eczema, and/or allergies when mom is taking vitamin D3 during preconception and pregnancy. Dad has some great epigenetic changes as well!

This is why our approach is focused on the health of mom and dad – baby will gain so much more health if certain things are in place prior to pregnancy – it’s a win-win!

When the focus is getting pregnant, health isn’t the first focus, and our kids are paying for it. For example, take melatonin – this is praised in the medical fertility world as they give medication to time ovulation, but melatonin prevents ovulation if you’re naturally trying to become pregnant. How do you know where to start or how to distinguish what model they use

We’ve never lived in a time that we have had sicker kids. Right now our kids are dealing with more adult-onset diseases and cancer, autoimmune issues, and diabetes than ever before.1 in 5 adults are dealing with an autoimmune disorder, and 1 in 2 are dealing with metabolic syndrome in pregnancy.  Learning to be healthy as an adult is hard enough – eating healthy, working on gratitude, moving your body – imagine how difficult it is to get a child to do the same!

My goal has been to teach the habits to the parents prior to conception, so the habits not only stick to create better health in mom and dad but the health of the baby is significantly improved as well! 

Imagine if you could slow or even stop potential health issues in your children by taking care of yourself first. That’s my focus, my passion, and my drive. Empowering healthy families from fertility forward.