Women Deserve Better Fertility Support — Why I Created Fertility Maximizer
A functional medicine approach to helping women feel informed, supported, and hopeful on their fertility journey.
For so many women, trying to conceive becomes an emotional roller coaster they never expected to be on.
One month turns into several. Pregnancy announcements start to sting. Mother’s Day feels heavy. Every cycle brings another wave of hope followed by disappointment. And when they finally work up the courage to ask for help, they’re often told things like:
“Everything looks normal.”
“Just give it more time.”
“Relax and it’ll happen.”
Meanwhile, deep down, they know something feels off.
That’s exactly why I created Fertility Maximizer.
I wanted to create a space where women who are trying to conceive could finally feel heard, supported, educated, and guided by someone willing to dig deeper than surface-level answers. Because struggling with fertility is not something to be taken lightly. Women deserve more than being dismissed and sent on their way to hope things magically improve.
How My Own Story Led Me Here
I’ve been a registered nurse for over 12 years and a board-certified nurse coach with a focus on functional medicine since 2020. Today, I specialize in women’s health and fertility support, primarily helping women in their 20s and 30s optimize their hormones and prepare their bodies for conception.
But my interest in fertility didn’t begin professionally. It started personally.
Growing up, I knew that my mom had experienced two miscarriages between having me and my younger brother. Even as a young child, that stuck with me. I always dreamed of having a big family of my very own someday, and although I had no obvious reason to believe I would struggle with fertility myself, I still carried fear about it for years.
Then, several years ago, after stopping hormonal birth control, I lost my menstrual cycle for over nine months.
It completely freaked me out.
At the time, I wasn’t actively trying to conceive, so my concerns were brushed off by my provider. I was essentially told not to worry about it. But I did worry about it. Deeply.
That experience pushed me into researching hormone health on my own, and that’s when I first discovered functional medicine — first as a patient and consumer, long before Wellness with Vanda was created.
What I learned changed everything for me.
The Problem I Kept Seeing Again and Again
Early on as I began working with women in my virtual practice, I noticed a heartbreaking pattern.
Women with painful periods, missing cycles, heavy bleeding, PMS symptoms, infertility concerns, and hormone imbalances were constantly being dismissed.
They were told:
- “Your labs look normal.”
- “This is just part of being a woman.”
- “These things take time.”
- “You haven’t been trying long enough yet.”
Many of these women intuitively knew something wasn’t right in their bodies, but they were left without guidance, education, or real answers.
At the same time, women are growing up in a culture that teaches them almost nothing about their menstrual cycles.
Most women are never taught:
- the phases of the menstrual cycle,
- what hormones are supposed to do,
- how to identify ovulation,
- when the fertile window actually occurs,
- or how nutrition, stress, sleep, minerals, and lifestyle impact fertility.
Instead, they’re taught their period is a burden. Then when it’s time to get pregnant, they’re left to piece together conflicting information online while feeling increasingly anxious and overwhelmed.
I knew there had to be a better way.
The Moment Everything Clicked
Originally, my practice focused more broadly on helping women balance hormones and improve their periods.
But over time, more women began coming to me because they wanted to optimize their hormones for pregnancy.
Then something happened that changed the direction of my practice completely.
One of my clients got pregnant.
I still remember how honored I felt knowing I had played a small role in helping her begin her family. That moment lit something up in me. I realized this was the work I truly wanted to do.
Since then, I’ve shifted my focus heavily toward fertility support while still helping women improve their overall hormone health along the way.
I’ve also watched friends and acquaintances walk through years of infertility struggles and pregnancy loss. Seeing that heartbreak firsthand only strengthened my desire to help women feel less alone and more supported during this season of life.
Why My Approach Is Different
One of the biggest differences in Fertility Maximizer is that we focus on understanding why the body may be struggling instead of simply waiting, guessing, or masking symptoms.
Inside the program, we start by confirming whether ovulation is truly happening through at-home hormone testing. This is incredibly important because ovulation timing matters most when trying to conceive.
I’ve worked with women who assumed they ovulated around day 19 of their cycle, only to discover through testing that they were consistently ovulating closer to day 13. That difference can completely change the timing of intercourse and significantly improve their chances of conception.
We also use Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA), a functional medicine test that helps assess mineral imbalances and heavy metal exposure. Minerals play a major role in healthy ovulation, hormone production, conception, and pregnancy, yet this is something many women have never had evaluated before.
Beyond testing, we focus on the foundational lifestyle factors that often get overlooked:
- nutrition,
- blood sugar balance,
- sleep,
- movement,
- stress management,
- environmental toxin exposure,
- sunlight and circadian rhythm support,
- and nervous system regulation.
These are the “low hanging fruit” that can have a massive impact on fertility, yet many providers simply do not have enough time to cover them in depth during standard appointments.
I also place an emphasis on education.
Many of my clients are learning about their cycles for the very first time — and honestly, I relate to that deeply.
As a Catholic woman, I attended Fertility Awareness Method classes with my husband before we got married. I remember sitting there as a 27-year-old nurse thinking, “How have I never learned this before?”
That experience stayed with me.
It reminds me every day that many women have never been taught the basics about how their bodies work. Fertility Maximizer helps change that.
Supporting Women Beyond the Medical Side
Trying to conceive affects so much more than just the body.
It impacts mental health, relationships, confidence, faith, identity, finances, and emotional well-being.
Many women feel isolated watching others around them get pregnant easily. Some feel conflicted about fertility medications or procedures because of personal beliefs or financial limitations. Others feel exhausted from searching for answers online while consuming endless conflicting advice on social media.
I wanted Fertility Maximizer to feel different.
That’s why my clients receive a high level of personalized access and support. Most of the program is delivered one-on-one, but clients also have access to a shared community group chat and optional office hours where they can join me on zoom to ask questions and receive guidance in real time.
Some office hours calls have multiple women learning alongside one another. Other times, a client may be the only person there and receive individualized attention. Either way, at each session every woman gets the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback directly from me.
The Wins That Matter Most
One of the most rewarding moments for clients often comes long before a positive pregnancy test.
It’s the relief they feel when they finally have answers.
Even when testing reveals imbalances, many women tell me they feel hopeful because they finally know what they’re working on instead of feeling lost and confused.
They begin understanding their bodies in a new way.
They experience:
- more regular cycles,
- less PMS,
- more manageable periods,
- increased confidence around ovulation timing,
- and a renewed sense of hope.
And of course, the biggest wins are the positive pregnancy tests and healthy babies that follow.
So far in 2026 alone (as of May), I’ve already helped three women get positive pregnancy tests, and there is nothing more rewarding than watching families begin to grow.
The Future I Hope to See
I believe women deserve far better education and support around fertility and hormone health than they’re currently receiving.
Women should know what healthy cycles look like. They should understand how hormones fluctuate throughout the month and how those shifts impact mood, sleep, hunger, energy, and fertility.
Fertility support should also be more accessible. Too many women feel priced out of getting help, which is one reason I’ve worked hard to keep Fertility Maximizer as accessible as possible.
My hope is that this program helps bring hundreds of healthy babies into the world while also helping women feel more connected to, informed about, and empowered within their bodies.
Because our menstrual cycles are not inconveniences to ignore or suppress.
They are important signals from the body. They deserve attention, understanding, and care.
Ready to Learn More About Supporting Your Fertility Naturally?
If you’re trying to conceive and feel frustrated, confused, or unsupported, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone.
I created my free Minerals for Fertility Guide to be your first step to better understanding one of the most overlooked pieces of hormone and fertility health.
Download the guide and start learning how to better support your body, your hormones, and your fertility naturally.
Vanda, Functional Medicine Nurse and Hormone Coach for Women
Helping women boost their fertility and have pain-free, predictable periods through my Fertility Maximizer program because I believe women deserve real answers & support!