Online Women’s Health Ontario

Navigating Your Health with Confidence: Evidence-Based Naturopathic Support for Women

 

A comprehensive, evidence-based approach to women’s health prioritizes a thorough understanding of your unique symptoms, health history, and your lived experience. My goal is to provide care that is both medically thorough and deeply validating—ensuring that your concerns are heard, your symptoms are taken seriously, and your treatment plan reflects your unique needs. Together we work toward meaningful, lasting improvements in health and well-being.

Women’s conditions I commonly provide care for include:

  • Perimenopause & menopause
  • Prenatal care
  • Premenstrual syndrome
  • Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
  • Bacterial vaginosis
  • Chronic yeast infections
  • Painful, irregular, or heavy periods

 

Perimenopause & Menopause

What Is Perimenopause?

Perimenopause is a natural, but often challenging, transition that can significantly affect a woman’s physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The perimenopausal transition can start as early as your late 30s and last up to 10 years before menopause. Hormonal shifts over this time contribute to symptoms commonly including:

  • Irregular or heavy periods
  • Mood swings, anxiety, and depression
  • Fatigue and sleep disturbances
  • Weight changes, especially around the abdomen
  • Brain fog and memory lapses
  • Changes in libido and vaginal dryness
  • Frequent urination and leaking
  • Hot flashes and night sweats

I help women navigate this complex life stage with clarity, validation and support, by combining evidence-based care with the holistic principles of naturopathic medicine to create a personalized plan that addresses your unique symptoms and health goals.

Together, we’ll focus on:

  1. Comprehensive Assessment

Understanding your symptoms is just the beginning. I take a thorough health history, assess lifestyle factors, review lab work (including hormonal panels when appropriate), and consider underlying drivers like thyroid function, stress levels, and inflammation.

  1. Individualized Treatment Plans

No two women experience perimenopause the same way. I offer tailored strategies that may include:

  • Nutritional counseling to stabilize blood sugar, support hormonal balance, build healthy muscle, protect bones, and reduce inflammation.
  • Personalized supplement prescription, based on your unique lab results
  • Evidence-based herbal medicine to ease challenging perimenopausal symptoms
  • In-depth discussions regarding hormone therapy explaining the latest evidence, risks, and benefits to help you make an informed choice. Where appropriate, I collaborate with and refer to nurse practitioners for prescription-based care.
  • Stress management techniques, mindfulness practices, and sleep optimization strategies to restore resilience.
  1. Ongoing Monitoring & Support

Your needs and symptoms will evolve throughout perimenopause. I provide ongoing care to adjust your plan as needed, ensuring you continue to feel heard, supported, and empowered through each stage.

Why Choose Naturopathic Care for Perimenopause?

Let’s prioritize your health, help prevent future chronic disease, and create a foundation for vibrant aging. My integrative, evidence-informed approach bridges natural therapies with conventional insights, so you receive the most comprehensive care possible. When you’re ready to start the conversation, I’m ready to empower you with evidence-based options.

 

Prenatal Care

Pre-conception care is a wonderful opportunity to prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. During this important stage, I work with you to support a balanced lifestyle, address any nutritional deficiencies, and develop effective strategies for managing stress — all with the goal of optimizing your health and fertility.

Once you’re pregnant, I can continue to support you as part of your prenatal care team, helping you navigate this transformative time with confidence and care. Naturopathic medicine offers safe and effective options for managing many common pregnancy concerns, including nausea, back pain, leg cramps, infections, constipation, heartburn, gestational diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

 

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to the worsening or appearance of a wide range of symptoms in the one to two weeks leading up to your period. For some, these changes may be mild and fleeting, but for others, they can feel disruptive and overwhelming — affecting not only physical health but also mood, energy, relationships, and overall quality of life.

Typical symptoms include: decreased energy level, irritability, depression, food cravings, headache, breast pain, backache, abdominal bloating, joint pain and swelling of the fingers and ankles.

Although there is a wide spectrum of symptoms, most symptoms are related to changes in neurotransmitter levels and changes in estrogen & progesterone levels. Low thyroid function can also worsen PMS.

Research shows that women who feel stressed and dissatisfied with life have more concerns about PMS, insomnia and lack of energy than women who don’t feel stressed. Cortisol is the “stress hormone” blamed for many of the negative effects of stress in the body. High cortisol levels disrupt the female hormones that control the menstrual cycle and also predispose women to feelings of anxiety and depression. Therefore, good stress management and coping strategies are an important part of PMS treatment.

There are no specific tests for PMS, therefore the diagnosis is made based on a thorough review of your symptoms. Medical questionnaires can also be helpful in diagnosing PMS and monitoring treatment and progress. To begin an assessment, please click here for a PMS questionnaire. Please bring this completed questionnaire to your initial consultation to help us get started with your treatment.

 

The Naturopathic medical approach to treating PMS is holistic, looking at the many aspects of well-being that affect the menstrual cycle. Depending on your unique symptoms, the best treatment approach is selected, which may include nutritional & herbal treatments, stress management techniques and guidance in a healthy lifestyle for hormone balance.

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

 

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI’s) can occur in both men and women, although are most common in women. There are 3 types of UTI: Cystitis (infection in the bladder), Urethritis (infection in the urethra) and Pyelonephritis (infection in the kidney). If a bladder infection is not treated, it can progress to infect the kidneys (pyelonephritis), which can cause permanent kidney damage.

  • Pain or burning during urination
  • Frequent desire to urinate, often urgently and immediately
  • Urine that looks dark, bloody, cloudy
  • Pressure or pain in the lower pelvis
  • Fever

***If you have high fever or pain, especially in the lower back, or are unable to urinate, seek emergency medical attention.

Most UTI’s are associated with E.coli bacteria, Staph saprophyticus or other sexually transmitted bacteria. These bacteria are often able to mutate and become resistance to antibiotics. Unfortunately, the balance of “good bacteria” (probiotics) in the body is easily disrupted, making us more susceptible to bladder infections. Several factors disrupt the balance of “good bacteria” including: antibiotic medications, spermicides and postmenopausal estrogen deficiency. While antibiotic medications may be necessary to use in some cases of infection, in addition to killing the “bad” bacteria they also wipe out all the “good” bacteria. This leaves the body far more vulnerable to future UTI’s and yeast infections.

Many women become frustrated by the cycle of taking antibiotics and shortly afterwards getting yet another UTI. Often, antibiotics are initially effective at eradicating the infection, but don’t help prevent future infection and therefore recurrence is very common. Just as one course of antibiotics finishes, another infection takes hold. And in some cases of recurrent UTI’s, antibiotics are no longer effective at all due to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

  • High stress levels
  • Yeast infections increase vulnerability to bacterial infections
  • New sexual partner(s) or increased sexual activity
  • Pregnancy
  • Diabetes or high sugar intake
  • Imbalance of protective bacteria (probiotics)

Conventional treatment is to kill the infection using antibiotic medications. If you get repeat infections, your medical doctor may prescribe ongoing antibiotics to keep the infection at bay.

Naturopathic treatment focuses on clearing the infection, but also restoring health and balance to the urinary tract in order to help prevent recurrent infections. While antibiotics may sometimes be necessary, we also use herbal medicines, nutrition, lifestyle strategies and stress management techniques in treating UTI’s.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

 

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex condition affecting approximately 5-10% of women of reproductive age. While it is often thought of as solely a reproductive or hormonal issue, PCOS is, in fact, a multifaceted health condition that can influence many areas of wellbeing — from menstrual regularity and fertility to metabolism, skin health, mood, and long-term cardiovascular health.

  • Infertility
  • Irregular or absent menstrual periods
  • Weight gain
  • Blood sugar imbalance
  • Acne
  • Excessive body hair growth
  • Scalp hair thinning
  • Ovarian cysts found on ultrasound tests

Diagnosis can be complex because despite the above list of characteristic symptoms, all women are different and some women may not have all of the expected symptoms of PCOS or the expected test results. Diagnosis is based on a detailed review of your symptoms, comprehensive lab tests, and may also include a pelvic ultrasound.

The exact causes of PCOS are not fully understood, but it is believed to develop from a combination of genetic, hormonal, and lifestyle factors. Insulin resistance, where the body struggles to regulate blood sugar effectively, is a common driver and can lead to higher levels of insulin that disrupt normal hormone balance. This can contribute to increased androgen (male hormone) production, which affects ovulation and leads to many of the typical symptoms of PCOS. Chronic inflammation and imbalances in the stress response can further aggravate these hormonal disruptions. While the underlying causes may be complex, understanding these contributing factors is key to creating an effective and personalized treatment plan.

Blood sugar imbalance, or more specifically a resistance to insulin, is a triggering factor in aggravating the underlying hormonal imbalance in PCOS. Studies show that even in women who appear of healthy weight with normal blood sugar levels, insulin is still involved in perpetuating the symptoms of PCOS.

Women with PCOS often experience a heightened sensitivity to stress, and research suggests their stress response system (the HPA axis) may react differently than in women without PCOS. While not all women with PCOS have chronically high cortisol levels, they may be more prone to an exaggerated or prolonged cortisol response to stress, which can further disrupt hormonal balance, metabolism, and inflammation.

If left unaddressed, PCOS can increase a woman’s risk of developing a range of long-term health concerns. These may include fertility challenges, heavy or irregular menstrual bleeding, weight gain or difficulty losing weight, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease. While these risks can sound concerning, it’s important to remember that with the right support — through nutrition, lifestyle changes, targeted supplementation, and appropriate medical care — these risks can often be significantly reduced, and symptoms can be effectively managed. Early intervention and a proactive, personalized approach make a meaningful difference in both short- and long-term health outcomes.

The conventional medical approach involves using birth control pills, diabetic medications, testosterone-blocking drugs and fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation.

Naturopathic medicine offers a holistic and individualized approach to treating PCOS by addressing the root causes of hormonal imbalance, rather than just managing symptoms. Treatment focuses on improving insulin sensitivity, supporting healthy ovulation, reducing inflammation, and restoring overall hormonal harmony. This is achieved through personalized nutrition strategies, targeted supplementation, herbal medicine, lifestyle modifications, and stress management techniques — all tailored to your unique presentation of PCOS. By looking at the whole picture of your health, naturopathic care can help regulate menstrual cycles, improve fertility, support healthy weight management, and reduce the risk of long-term complications associated with PCOS. The goal is to help you feel empowered, balanced, and in control of your health.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Virtual Women’s Health Care for Rural Ontario

Do I need a referral from a family doctor to see you?

No. You don’t need a referral, and many of the women I work with don’t currently have a family doctor or are waiting to be assigned one. You can book directly with me for virtual care, no matter where in Ontario you live.

Can I still access your services if I live in a rural area or small town?

Yes—absolutely. I offer online appointments to women across Ontario, including rural and remote communities. As long as you have a phone or internet connection, we can meet virtually and work together to support your health.

What kinds of women’s health concerns can you help with online?

We can address a wide range of concerns virtually—things like irregularl periods, hormonal imbalances, mental health, perimenopause, PCOS, low energy, sleep issues, or digestive symptoms. I’ll also guide you through lab testing that can be done at a local lab near you.

What if I’ve been waiting months to see a specialist?

That’s really common, and I know how frustrating it can be. While I’m not a medical doctor, I can often offer support in the meantime—especially if you’re looking for non-pharmaceutical options to manage your symptoms and improve your well-being.

I don’t have a lot of options locally—how does online care actually work?

Online visits happen over secure video or phone. I’ll walk you through every step, and we’ll make sure your care feels just as personal as it would in an in-person setting. Many of my patients in rural areas find virtual care more convenient and easier to access.

Is this covered by OHIP or insurance?

My services aren’t covered by OHIP, but most extended health benefit plans include coverage for naturopathic medicine. I’ll provide a detailed receipt you can submit for reimbursement.