Born Free Method: The Podcast Beyond Ovulation Apps: Building a Real Women’s Health Operating System
Kirsten Karchmer, MS, M.Ed, is a health-tech pioneer, board-certified reproductive acupuncturist, and an innovator in women’s fertility and menstrual health. She is the Founder & CEO of Conceivable Technologies, a platform that leverages AI and machine-learning to identify fertility-impacting factors and offer personalized interventions at a fraction of the cost of IVF.
With two decades of clinical experience, Kirsten has treated thousands of women, developing proprietary infertility assessment and treatment protocols focused not just on conception but overall reproductive wellness. She also founded Brazen, a company dedicated to helping people with periods through all-natural formulas and education around menstrual health.
Kirsten has been recognized on multiple fronts: her company Conceivable has won awards like “Most Innovative Health Tech Startup” (by MedTech, 2015) and “Best Fertility App” (by Healthline, 2016). She is also the author of Seeing Red: The One Book Every Woman Needs to Read. Period.
00:01:30 - Kirsten lives with multiple sclerosis, well-controlled through environmental modification. After acupunture school, she realized that menstruation provides quite a few clues to what’s going on in a woman’s overall health. We discuss the value of experience over credentials.
00:05:55 - Definitions within Chinese medicine: meridians, qi/chi, and moxibustion
00:15:20 - Technique for turning breech babies with moxibustion
00:18:15 - Kirsten shares her experience of losing her period while a competitive gymnast in her adolescence. We discuss the role of stress in the development of abnormal periods, wounded warriors, and the dangers of impossible beauty standards on women’s health.
00:24:00 - It’s never one organ system that is wholly responsible for fertility issues or abnormal periods. Kirsten surveyed 16,000 woman about their menstrual cycles, and the results were (not so) surprising. We also found common ground on the limits of blood work, LH strips, and many ovulation tracking technologies. Lastly, perhaps we should we be aiming for “optimal” not “normal” when we talk about menstrual periods.
00:33:30 - Men are being ignored in fertility workups and interventions. Also: we discuss why the supplement industry sucks.
00:42:20 - As far as “lifestyle” modification goes, sleep is king. We discuss heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring, and a new wearable ring developed by Kirsten herself that also measures blood sugar. We go deeper on her new app, fertility awareness methods, and addressing BBT abnormalities in supporting pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS).
00:51:20 - Nathan also asked Kirsten about perspectives of blood in Chinese medicine. Kirsten also took the opportunity to emphasize ways in which menstrual blood can tell you so much about a women’s digestion, nourishment, etc. We end with a conversation on stigma around menstruation.
00:58:35 - Lastly, Kirsten and Nathan discuss the role of fathers in normalizing menstruation, and Kirsten shares a “power play move” for fathers of young children.
Follow Kirsten on Instagram and Tiktok. Download the Conceivable App (only for iPhone)
Notes for this episode are found on Substack
References from the show:
* Fifth Vital Sign, by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack
* The Body Electric: Electromagnetism And The Foundation Of Life, by Robert Becker and Gary Selden
Related episodes:
* My new favorite prenatal and fertility vitamin with Ronit Menashe and Vida Delrahim of WeNatal
* Nicole Jardim: On Fixing Your Period
This episode was sponsored by Born Free Method.
The Born Free Method digital playground includes over 60 hrs of pre-recorded lessons (w/ slides) spread out over 180+ lessons when you enroll. You will also be invited to a Zoom call (recorded) every other week hosted by me, Sara, and both. We also often have guest speakers, and you will have access to recordings for all 100+ of our past calls/interviews.
* 12-month access is $750
* Lifetime access is $3997 (This option comes with some other perks as well, including direct support from me and Sara for life by phone/text/email)
* Fertility Deep Dive ($499) if you just want to focus on pre-conception planning and fertility, but this content is included in both of our other offerings above.
We have payment plans available for the lifetime package, and we have discounts available for any of our programs for students and birthworkers. Just shoot Nathan and Sara an email: support@bornfreemethod.com .
Work with Nathan:Support for Midwives | Private Consultation | Born Free Method | Clear & Free | Twins-BreechMedical Disclaimer: Born Free Method: The Podcast is an educational program. No information conveyed through this podcast should be construed as medical advice. These conversations are available to the public for educational and entertainment purposes only.Music provided by RealMovieScores / Pond5
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