5 Questions I Ask When a Client Says She’s Struggling to Conceive
If you’ve been trying to conceive and are stuck in the loop of hope, timing, trust, and disappointment—my heart is with you.
Maybe you’re thinking,
“I feel like I’m doing everything right… but nothing’s happening.”
“My labs are ‘normal,’ but something still feels off.”
“What if I’m missing something?”
You’re not alone.
And your body is trying to communicate something to you.
After working with hundreds of women in my private practice and inside Resilient Motherhood, I can tell you—there are often overlooked clues that can make all the difference. These are the first five questions I ask every woman who tells me she’s been trying without success.
Are you actually timing sex around your fertile window?
Not everyone ovulates on day 14.
Even if you’ve been told you have a regular cycle, that doesn’t guarantee you’re ovulating when you think you are—or at all.
I’ve worked with countless women who were timing everything just a few days too late, or completely missing their fertile window because of confusing or incomplete ovulation tracking.
Ovulation is the main event of your cycle—and if you’re not confirming it properly, it’s like trying to hit a moving target with a blindfold on.
✅ Action step:
Download the Ovulation Confidence Quick Start Guide to learn how to identify your fertile window, confirm ovulation accurately, and tune into your body’s real-time biofeedback.
If you struggle with inconsistent sleep, co-sleeping, or waking at different times (hello, mom life)—I highly recommend the Tempdrop Basal Body Temperature (BBT) armband (use code AFANISAWOODALL for 15% OFF). It passively tracks your temperature while you sleep and takes the stress out of charting.
Want the full picture? My course Ovulation Mastery teaches you exactly how to understand your signs, fix the root causes of cycle imbalances, and confidently time (or avoid) pregnancy—without guessing.
2. Is your diet truly supporting fertility?
When I say “optimize,” I’m not talking about perfection.
I’m talking about shifting from clean-eating confusion to truly baby-building, hormone-supportive nourishment.
Things like:
Blood sugar balance (critical for hormone signaling)
Nutrients to fuel ovulation, egg quality, and implantation
Liver support for hormone metabolism
Enough protein (you need more than you think)
Digestive support to absorb what you’re actually eating
✅ Action step:
Get a free week of fertility-supportive breakfasts to take one small but powerful step toward deeply nourishing your body with real, satisfying food.
3. Have you had the right labs run?
If you’ve ever been told “everything looks normal,” but you still don’t feel right—you’re not crazy.
Most conventional labs only look at the bare minimum, using reference ranges that don’t reflect what’s actually optimal for fertility. That’s why I use functional fertility testing with my clients—like:
DUTCH Complete hormone testing
Nutrient panels with optimal ranges
Genetic testing to understand how your body processes nutrients like folate, B12, and vitamin A
I’ve had too many clients where we found that estrogen wasn’t metabolizing properly, leading to symptoms of “Estrogen Dominance” like PMS, period pain, irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, migraines, breast tenderness, and failed implantation—all because their genetically-influenced hormone pathways were under-supported.
✅ Action step:
If you're curious whether estrogen dominance could be playing a role in your symptoms or conception delays, watch my Resilience from Estrogen Dominance Workshop—and learn how to clear hormonal traffic jams and restore balance.
VIP clients inside my preconception course Resilient Motherhood receive custom lab ordering and interpretation to finally understand what their hormones are really doing.
4. Has he gotten checked?
I cannot emphasize this enough: male fertility matters.
50% of infertility cases involve male factors—yet most women I work with are the only ones making changes, running labs, and doing research.
Even worse? Many semen analyses come back “normal” but fall far below what’s actually optimal for fertilization, embryo development, and healthy pregnancy.
This is why inside Resilient Motherhood, I address the changes BOTH of you should be making on your preconception journey to optimize both yours and his fertility.
With my VIP clients I often review their husbands’ semen analysis results and compare them to what optimal numbers look like—not just average ones.
Spoiler alert: Most often they are suboptimal — even for men who view themselves as relatively healthy.
✅ Action step:
Listen to my Resilient Fertility Podcast episode with Ayla Barmmer of FullWell Fertility on male fertility and its impact on pregnancy and future generations who has dedicated years of research and practice to understanding the intricacies of female and male fertility and its profound impact on the entire reproductive process.
5. Is your husband making the same habit changes you are?
It’s not just about sperm count, it’s also about sperm quality, hormone balance, blood sugar balance, and so much more!
His preconception health plays a massive role in your chances of conceiving and the future health of your baby. And the preconception time is the only time he can influence the health of your pregnancy.
From testosterone to nutrient density to environmental exposures—his habits matter.
✅ Action step:
Download my Preconception Checklist to see what both of you can do to boost your fertility together. (You shouldn’t be doing this alone.)
For targeted male fertility support, I recommend:
Heart & Soil’s Whole Package for organ-based nutrition
FullWell Fertility Booster for antioxidant protection (use code ANISAW10)
(Find my FULL male fertility protocol alongside a bunch of other protocols inside Resilient Motherhood!)
Imagine this instead…
✅ Saving thousands on fertility treatments you never needed
✅ Getting pregnant naturally—without guessing or stressing
✅ Starting your pregnancy feeling nourished, confident, and supported
✅ Understanding your body’s signals and advocating for what you need
✅ Conceiving again after a prior loss or difficult pregnancy—with trust in your body’s wisdom
You don’t need more generic advice. You need a step-by-step framework that honors your body, your values, and your dream of motherhood.
That’s exactly what I offer in Resilient Motherhood.
It’s for women who want to:
Reclaim their hormonal vitality
Deeply prepare for pregnancy in body, mind, and spirit
Conceive naturally without guesswork or interventions that don’t feel aligned
Create the healthiest possible start for their future baby
Heal from past depletion, loss, or burnout
✨ Join the Resilient Motherhood waitlist now to be the first to know when enrollment opens.
You don’t have to figure this out on your own.
There’s a better, clearer path—and it starts with asking the right questions.
