Who this is for
Adults trying to conceive or in fertility treatment. Members in active high-risk cycles (OHSS recovery, ectopic, recurrent loss) coordinated with REI before pathway start. Members through second-party reproduction (donor egg/sperm) eligible.
What brings people here
Trying to conceive >6 mo if <35yo, >3 mo if >=35yo; PCOS or endometriosis dx; IVF/IUI prep; recurrent pregnancy loss; member request.
Clinical framework
OneVillage-developed.
How the 8 weeks run
Baseline assessments, your first SMART goal, and the 1:1 that sets up everything after it.
Specialist coaches rotate in, and sessions come thickest here. One change at a time, in the domains your baseline flagged.
Re-score, refresh the care plan, and check in 1:1 on what is and is not working.
The remaining domains, at a lighter cadence, and the work of making the early weeks hold under pressure.
Final re-score, relapse prevention, and the plan for what happens next.
When your sessions fall
The program is built in four-week modules. Sessions come thickest at the start, when what you decide matters most, and step down as things settle. That is 5 sessions of 45 minutes across 8 weeks, counting the visit before week 1.
| Module | Weeks | Sessions | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | Weeks 1 to 4 | 2 | every other week |
| Module 2 | Weeks 5 to 8 | 2 | every other week |
Week by week
- Before you beginBefore you begin
This is the reading before your first visit. It is unusually explicit about what this program does not do, because in fertility the gap between what a wellness program can offer and what a clinic can offer is very wide, and pretending otherwise causes harm.
- Week 1What the clinic does, and what we do
When we sorted this field by evidence volume, the answer was blunt: it is dominated by in vitro fertilization and ovulation induction. That is clinic work. Knowing that is useful, because it tells you where to place your hope and where to place your effort.
- Week 2Your workup and your questions
This week you meet Shayla Rae for a 45-minute fertility coaching session. She is not your physician and will not interpret your results. What she can do is help you understand the process you are inside and prepare for the conversations that decide things.
- Week 3Food and weight
This is the week where fertility programs usually overreach. We are going to lead with the study that most inconveniences us.
- Week 4Mid-program, and the money
Halfway. You repeat FertiQoL with Cindy in a 45-minute session and look at direction. This reading is about the part of fertility care that is neither medical nor emotional, and that quietly decides most of it: money.
- Week 5Stress and fertility
"Just relax and it will happen." It is the most common thing said to people trying to conceive, it is cruel, and the evidence does not support it. This week exists to take that sentence away from you.
- Week 6Carrying it
This week you meet Lucy Paulise for a 45-minute stress management session. The premise, stated again so there is no doubt: this is about how you are, not about your chances.
- Week 7Movement, sleep and substances
This week covers the things you can change. All of it is observational, all of the effects are modest, and none of it is a lever big enough to explain an outcome. We are putting it in week 7 rather than week 1 for exactly that reason.
- Week 8Whatever comes next
Last week of the program. You repeat FertiQoL with Cindy in a 45-minute session. Unlike most pathways, this one does not end at a destination, because your process is on its own timeline and week 8 rarely coincides with an answer.
Who you will work with
Your Whole Health Coach takes your first visit and closes every module, so it is the same person from the first session to the last. The specialists below lead the weeks where their work is the focus.
Professionally, Cindy has been a clinical nurse for nearly a decade. She served in both clinical and administrative capacities throughout her career and holds a Master's degree in Nursing Leadership. As a staff nurse, nurse leader, and quality improvement specialist, she led multidisciplinary teams in academic medical settings throughout Boston, New York, and Ohio to deliver high-quality care to patients across complex diagnoses.
Shayla Rae, MSN, ARNP, CNM, WHNP-BC, is a dual-certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of experience supporting individuals through their most intimate and transformative health moments. Her clinical expertise spans all areas of obstetric and gynecologic care, including fertility preservation, infertility, irregular cycles, contraception, vulvar/vaginal concerns, breast health, hormonal balance, and menopause care.
Meet Lucy Paulise, who is a career and stress management coach, book writer, and Forbes contributor. Her passion lies in helping people discover and reach their full potential. She specializes in coaching individuals on how to manage stress, anxiety, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or any other challenges they may face in their work or personal lives that can lead to feeling overwhelmed.
What we work on
| Domain | What this pathway does |
|---|---|
| Nutrition & Metabolism | Mediterranean pattern. Folate 600mcg, vitamin D, omega-3. Weight optimization (BMI 19-29 target if applicable). |
| Movement & Mobility | 150 min/wk moderate. NOT high-intensity if female and trying. Overexercise pattern screened. |
| Sleep & Recovery | 7-9 hr; consistent wake time; light exposure morning. Affects ovulation. |
| Stress & Resilience | Stress + fertility coupling. Daily relaxation. Mind-body interventions evidence-supported. |
| Hormonal Balance | PCOS pattern: insulin sensitivity, glucose stability. Endo pattern: anti-inflammatory. |
| Mind & Mood | PHQ-9 + GAD-7 monthly. Infertility is a clinical loss; depression rate elevated. |
How progress is measured
These are the validated tools this pathway uses: at your first visit, at the mid-program review, and at the end.
| Tool | Cadence | Owned by |
|---|---|---|
| FertiQoL | Onboard, q4 weeks | WHC |
| Cycle log + AMH/FSH (if avail) | Per REI schedule | RN Nav |
| Mediterranean Diet Score | Onboard, q4 weeks | Nutrition Coach |
| PSS-10 | Onboard, q4 weeks | Stress Coach |
| PHQ-9 + GAD-7 | Onboard, monthly | WHC; LCSW reads |
| ISI | Onboard, q4 weeks | Sleep Coach |
The research behind this pathway
Your clinician playbook was built from the guidelines and studies below. They are listed so you can read them yourself: every one is a real, published paper and the number at the end of each line is its PubMed ID.
Guidelines this pathway follows
- Routine psychosocial care in infertility and medically assisted reproduction · ESHRE
The standard for psychosocial care alongside fertility treatment.
- Obesity and reproduction committee opinion · American Society for Reproductive Medicine
What this pathway does and does not claim about weight and fertility. PMID 34583840
Key studies
- Boivin J et al. (2007). Hum ReprodInternational estimates of infertility prevalence and treatment-seeking: potential need and demand for infertility medical care
Reviewed population surveys covering 172,413 women. About 9 percent of couples have trouble conceiving over 12 months, 56 percent seek medical help, and only 22 percent actually receive care. PMID 17376819
- Dube L et al. (2023). Hum Reprod UpdateEfficacy of psychological interventions for mental health and pregnancy rates among individuals with infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Pooled the randomized trials of psychological support during infertility. Distress improved, though only modestly outside the Middle East, and pregnancy was about 25 percent more likely. The evidence is rated low to moderate quality and this pathway says so. PMID 36191078
- Gameiro S et al. (2012). Hum Reprod UpdateWhy do patients discontinue fertility treatment? A systematic review of reasons and predictors of discontinuation in fertility treatment
Reviewed why 21,453 patients across eight countries stopped fertility treatment before conceiving. The commonest reasons were postponing treatment and the physical and psychological burden of it, not clinical failure. PMID 22869759
- Chavarro JE et al. (2007). Obstet GynecolDiet and lifestyle in the prevention of ovulatory disorder infertility
Followed 17,544 women trying to conceive for eight years. A cluster of diet and lifestyle factors was associated with substantially less ovulatory infertility. PMID 17978119
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine Practice Committee (2021). Fertil SterilObesity and reproduction: a committee opinion
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine's committee opinion on obesity and reproduction, and the source of what this pathway does and does not claim about weight and fertility. PMID 34583840