Fertility preparation begins months, sometimes years, before you start trying to conceive. Knowing what to look for, and when, could change the entire shape of your conception journey.

If you've ever wondered whether your body is actually ready for pregnancy, or whether there's something your results aren't telling you, this conversation will change how you think about your health.

In this episode, Dr Renee White sits down with Megan Haralampou, degree-qualified Naturopath, Nutritionist, and Biomedical Science graduate, to unpack what a truly comprehensive pre-conception blood panel looks like and why the standard tests often aren't enough. Together they explore iron absorption, thyroid antibodies, cycle tracking, postpartum blood work, and how to read your results through an optimal lens.

This is episode one of our six-part Trying to Conceive series.

You'll Hear About:

• Why "normal" blood results can miss a fertility concern
• What a complete iron picture actually looks like
• How to track your cycle beyond a period tracking app
• When to get blood tests done after having a baby
• What postpartum thyroiditis has to do with depression

Understanding your body before pregnancy, and after, is one of the most practical things you can do for your health. You deserve care that looks at the full picture, not just what fits inside a reference range.

Share this episode with anyone who's thinking about trying to conceive and wants to go in prepared. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.

Resources & Links

Connect with Renee

Follow Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_

🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services

🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies

Connect with Megan

Website: thebiomedicalnaturopath.com.au

📲 Follow Megan on Instagram: @thebiomedicalnaturopath

This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.

Disclaimer The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

Have you ever been so sick in pregnancy that you couldn't keep water down, lost weight, or ended up in hospital wondering how your body was supposed to sustain a baby when it couldn't sustain itself? If that's your story, or the story of someone you love, you've probably also been told at some point that it was stress, anxiety, or something you just needed to push through.

It wasn't. And the science has finally caught up with what HG patients have been saying for decades.

In this episode, Dr Renee White unpacks the genetic and hormonal research that proved once and for all that hyperemesis gravidarum isn't psychological. It lives in a gene, it runs through a receptor, and it has nothing to do with how much you wanted your pregnancy.

You'll Hear About:

• Why HG is a distinct condition from morning sickness
• How a placental hormone called GDF15 drives severe nausea
• Why your baseline levels before pregnancy predict your risk
• What the beta thalassemia finding revealed about sensitivity
• How pre-pregnancy desensitisation could prevent HG entirely

Your body wasn't failing you. It was responding to a hormonal contrast it hadn't been prepared for, and now researchers know exactly why. The science sees you, and it's moving fast.

If someone in your life has been through HG, share this episode with them. It might be the first time the biology's been explained in a way that finally makes sense. And subscribe so you don't miss an episode of The Science of Motherhood.

Resources & Links

📲 Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_

🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services

🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies

This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.

Disclaimer The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.

⚠️ Content note: This episode contains discussions of sexual assault, suicide, and depression.

If you've been through fertility treatment, you already know it's more than a medical process. It's months, sometimes years, of appointments and numbers and waiting, with very little space given to how you're actually doing.

There's research showing that nearly 50% of people in fertility treatment develop PTSD, regardless of whether they get pregnant. Not because they're fragile. Because the system they're moving through wasn't built with their nervous system in mind.

In this episode of The Science of Motherhood, Dr Renee White chats with Nicole Lange, a trauma-informed acupuncturist who has spent 20 years working exclusively at the intersection of women's reproductive health and trauma. They explore why stress matters more than we've been told, why it matters less than we've been blamed for, and what whole-person fertility care actually looks like in practice.

You'll hear about:

• Why the stress of trying to conceive is on par with a cancer diagnosis
• How chronic stress affects every system involved in fertility
• What the 25/75 framework is and how it changes outcomes
• How acupuncture supports circulation, immunity, and nervous system regulation
• Why whole-person fertility care is the most evidence-based option available

You are not just a fertility outcome. And the care you receive shouldn't treat you like one.

If this episode resonated with you, share it with someone navigating their own fertility journey. And subscribe to The Science of Motherhood so you never miss an episode.

Resources & Links

📲 Connect with Renee on Instagram: @fillyourcup_

🌐 Learn more about Dr Renee White and explore Fill Your Cup Doula services

🍪 Treat yourself with our Chocolate + Goji lactation cookies

Connect with Nicole Lange

Nicole's website: www.lifehealinglife.com

Follow Nicole on Instagram @notafixer

Follow Nicole on YouTube @thebabyyouwant

This episode is proudly supported by Fill Your Cup, Australia's first doula village, with doulas available across Melbourne, Geelong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hobart and Perth.

Disclaimer: The information on this podcast presented by Fill Your Cup is not a substitute for independent professional advice. Nothing contained in this episode is intended to be used as medical advice and it is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes or as a substitute for your own health professional's advice.