Women, and men, who struggle to conceive OR who want to optimize their health prior to pregnancy can focus on a few simple changes to enhance fertility.

Sometimes, our own personal body can feel like a mystery. It feels like we know all about our own body, but there are also unanswered questions about "what's really going on" in there.

It took me until I was 35 yrs old to finally feel grown up enough and ready to be a parent. Maternal or paternal feelings just don't happen for some woman, or men, earlier in life. The road to parenthood is a longer journey.

'Detox' has become a popular and catch all phrase to mean 'get healthier', 'get cleaner', 'prevention', and can be worn like a badge of honor, "I can't, I'm detoxing". Which I love, all of that is GREAT! But, WHY does someone need to detox, and how? Where are all of these so-called "toxins" coming from?

Getting your mind and heart prepared for baby is as important as getting your body ready for the journey ahead. Genetic testing is one tool we use to prepare for all the possibilities.

My own journey toward motherhood began with a lot of doubt about what exactly I wanted from my life and how I would ever find time in my already overly busy schedule to raise children. Or, raise children the way I wanted to.

In preconception planning, there is a tenancy to focus heavily on the Mom-to-be and only give general, limited advice to the Dad-to-be. Yes, the woman carries, nourishes, delivers, and breast feeds the baby and so optimal health is essential for a longer, deeper time.

There is one aspect of creating healthy babies we can all agree- Nutrition! Prepping for pregnancy is all about eating well, and more than just eating good food, eating GREAT food.

A landmark study by Environmental Working Group (EWG) in 2009 demonstrated there were 232 industrial chemicals found in the cord blood of newborn babies they tested in various regions of the country. 232...let that number sink in.

The steps to prepare for pregnancy are best begun 6 months, minimum in advance. While this may seem like a long time, it is the minimum needed to improve nutritional status, detox the body, and balance hormones.

Dr. Shannon and Luscious Lorraine's created a menu for each pregnancy stage, plus options for fertility-boosting foods and men's fertility.