Dr. Anna Cabecca: Vaginal Microbiomes, Powerful Fertility Protocols & Harnessing Hormones

In this episode of The Art of Being Well, I chat with Dr. Anna Cabeca, a world-renowned expert in fertility, hormone health, and women’s wellness. Dr. Cabeca covers a range of topics including how to approach fertility proactively with specific lab tests and biomarkers. She dives into the role of progesterone and why bioidentical progesterone, used cyclically, can benefit many women. Dr. Cabeca shares her favorite herbs, botanicals, and micronutrients that can support hormone balance and fertility, and she offers clarity on misconceptions surrounding keto and fasting for women. Additionally, we discuss the importance of reducing toxic exposure in daily life and why the vaginal microbiome plays such a crucial role in overall health. Whether you’re struggling with fertility or just looking to optimize your hormonal health, this episode provides valuable tools to help you along your wellness journey.

Anna Cabeca, DO, OBGYN, FACOG, is best selling author of The Hormone Fix and Keto-Green 16 and MenuPause. Dr. Anna is triple-board certified and a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She holds special certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

She lectures frequently on those topics and shares the secret behind the ebb and flow of intimacy as she demystifies the fascinating hormonal changes over time. She will help you discover how the “love hormone”, Oxytocin can breathe life into your relationship, and how Cortisol can take it away - and how the delicate balancing act of those hormones can reignite your libido and support a healthy relationship, most importantly the one you have with yourself.

She is sassy, blunt, speaks from the heart and has a wonderful sense of humor, and this is why we call her The Girlfriend Doctor, because everyone needs a friend like her! She has personally developed natural products to help women balance hormones and thrive through menopause including the highly acclaimed Julva® cream for the vulva and MightyMaca® Plus, a powerful superfood blend. She lives in Dallas with her daughters, horses and dogs.

A few of my favorite things we cover in this episode: 

•  The current state of fertility in society: discussing fertility trends and statistics.
• Key labs for proactive fertility testing: exploring useful tests even for those without a fertility diagnosis.
• Hormone testing: comparing blood, saliva, and urine (Dutch test) to determine the best approach for hormone testing.
• Natural ways to support hormone balance and fertility: favorite herbs, botanicals, and micronutrients that aid fertility without pharmaceuticals.
• Bioidentical progesterone for fertility: when and how to use a cyclical progesterone protocol for optimal results.
• Symptoms of progesterone imbalance: recognizing the signs of low progesterone beyond fertility, such as PMS symptoms.
• Fertility-supportive foods: foods to focus on for hormonal balance and fertility.
• Male fertility: tips for men to support their fertility and overall reproductive health.
• The connection between cortisol and oxytocin: how stress and bonding hormones interact and tips for balancing them.
• Keto and hormone health: addressing myths around keto and fasting’s impact on women’s hormones and fertility.
• Reducing environmental toxins: actionable tips for minimizing exposure to endocrine disruptors and harmful chemicals.
• The vaginal microbiome: discussing the importance of vaginal health and what people should know about maintaining it.

Links to things we talked about in this episode: 

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Happy listening and we hope you learned a little bit more on the art of being well!

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In Health,

Dr. Will Cole