Have you ever been to your doctor feeling awful, just for them to tell you “Your labs are normal, so you’re good!”. But you know you’re not good. You know your body, and you know when it’s feeling out of whack. The problem is that so often we aren’t getting a full understanding of our body based on just the general practitioner’s blood work order.  That’s why I’ve invited Dr. Kela Smith on the show today to help us uncover the importance of functional lab testing and all it can tell us. And she has firsthand experience of how knowing your hormone levels and other functional labs can impact your health.  Having overcome personal struggles with infertility, Dr. Kela successfully conceived by implementing her hormone puzzle method, which takes a holistic approach to preparing the body for pregnancy from the inside out.  There is so much more going on in the body than you may think– from your hormones to minerals to your gut. And these things aren’t typically addressed in your generalized lab work.  In this podcast, Dr. Kela and I get real about what it looks like to get to the root cause of what’s going on in our bodies, and what it can look like if we’re not able to do full functional lab testing.  I hope that one of your biggest takeaways from this podcast is that you start with the labs that you can run, and then build off of those labs with functional labs as needed. Lab work offers us a window and a baseline to what is really going on with our bodies.  Dr. Kela discusses the most important functional labs to test,  and why each is important. She also explains how certain abnormal lab markers can help create targeted protocols for foods, supplements, and lifestyle modifications to help your body heal best.  So tune in today to learn more about why functional lab testing can be a game changer for your overall health. Plus you won’t want to miss details on Dr. Kela’s Free Cycle Optimization Quickstart Guide, and her Free Seven Day Access to Solving the Infertility Summit. Listen now and invest in your health by learning the importance of functional lab testing!  Dr. Kela Smith Dr. Kela Smith is a holistic integrative fertility and hormone doctor, specializing in fertility, hormones, and pregnancy. Ever since overcoming her own fertility struggles, she's been on a mission to support women and couples facing fertility challenges, helping them solve their fertility puzzles so they can get and stay pregnant. She helps them have a healthy pregnancy, give birth to a super healthy baby, and also helps ease them through the postpartum period. She recently got her PhD in natural and holistic medicine and her dissertation was on optimizing fertility through quantum medicine.  IN THIS EPISODE Dr. Kela’s experience working with women with fertility issues  The importance of metabolic and hormonal health for pregnancy The reproductive system’s connection to the whole body  What hormones impact our overall wellness  How often should you get your functional labs checked?  What to look for in your functional lab testing  What mineral and gut testing can tell us about our bodies  Investing in your health with functional lab testing  Lifestyle modifications and setting boundaries Addressing menstrual health at all ages   RESOURCES MENTIONED Dr. Kela’s FREE Cycle Optimizing Quick-Start Guide Dr. Kela’s Website | Dr. Kela’s Instagram Dr. Mariza’s FREE Hormone Lab Testing Guide  RELATED EPISODES  #428: The Most Important Solutions To Implement To Protect Our Fertility With Dr. Christiane Northrup #164: How To Boost Your Fertility In Your 30s And Beyond With Lauren Noel #219: How To Identify Low Thyroid Function And What Labs To Immediately Request #197: What Labs Do I Need For My Hormones? #84: Fertility Over 40 & How To Optimize Your Chances Of Taking Home A Healthy Baby With Dr. Gabriela Rosa