Common Queries

Do you take insurance and health spending accounts?

We’re considered out of network and do not bill any insurance company from our office. At your request, we can provide a super bill for you to file independently with, and get reimbursed from, your insurance company. We can also provide receipts for Health Savings Accounts, Flex Spending Accounts, or tax deductions.

Where are you located? And do you provide virtual support?

Donna’s office is in Morrisville, North Carolina (not far from Raleigh or Durham), where she works with clients safely in-person and in keeping with appropriate Covid-19 protocols. Donna also provides online virtual support, education, and guidance to clients nationwide, even globally.

You said "inclusive"... what does that mean exactly?

We’re a non-judgmental, inclusive wellness practice. This means we welcome all people with female anatomy and their support partners, regardless of race, age, gender identity, religion, sexual identity, and all other identity markers.

Additionally, while we teach natural means of fertility awareness, our methods are not associated with any church or religion.

Can I bring my partner to my session?

We encourage partner participation at your sessions. If you are seeking natural fertility enhancement, having your partner present can often reduce the effect of stress hormones on both your bodies. Donna provides fertility awareness education and self care instruction to help you relax and have fun during a time where emotions, fears, and eager expectations can run high.

If you are pregnant, Donna prefers to spend the first prenatal session with you alone so she can focus her attention entirely on your specific needs. Birth partners are welcome to attend subsequent sessions where Donna can instruct your partner on some beneficial massage techniques for you to receive at home. It is important for those who are pregnant to receive balancing bodywork on a regular basis if they are interested in a more comfortable pregnancy and a gentler birth. By offering this instruction to the birth partner, Donna is making some of the bodywork more accessible to you and less of a strain on your time and financial resources.

What is a Justisse HRHP?

Donna has been studying to become a Justisse HRHP - a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner; she expects to graduate during 2021. A HRHP is a professional who has completed the Justisse College two-year postgraduate program. Since 1987, Justisse College International has offered a uniquely integrated program of scientifically based mainstream and holistic health education, and client-centered care. Justisse College supports a Naturopathic and Functional Medicine approach for managing and enhancing reproductive health.

As a Justisse HRHP, Donna is a professional reproductive health care provider who is well grounded in knowledge of human sexuality and all methods of birth control and committed to reproductive health education. Donna is especially trained to teach people how to use the Justisse Method and to practice the principles of holistic sexual and reproductive health, body literacy, and fertility awareness. She embraces and respects ethnic and cultural diversity and individual ideological and religious beliefs pertaining to sexual and reproductive matters. Its Donna’s mandate, as a Justisse HRHP, to share her wisdom and experience, and to bring hope for reproductive justice.

What is Abdominal Therapy?

Abdominal Therapy is a form of traditional reproductive and digestive healing. Most traditional medicine systems use abdominal massage, for everyone.

We need Abdominal Therapy now more than ever. With this simple and structured massage, each healing stroke allows us to breathe more deeply and increases circulation in the belly. Circulation brings vitality to our organs … optimizing digestion, energizing the nervous system, endocrine system, and supporting reproductive health.

What are the origins of Abdominal Therapy?

If we were to go back in time, we could find the threads of Abdominal Therapy reaching across the globe to the village healers and midwives in every indigenous culture.

In Central America, these threads were picked up by Dr. Rosita Arvigo. She wove them together with scientific understanding and offered a well-crafted gift to the modern world.

Now, Abdominal Therapy practitioners bring their own gifts and traditions to the mix. Still, the essence of Abdominal Therapy remains the same: a nurturing massage with profound therapeutic benefits.

Rosita Arvigo is a qualified Doctor of Naprapathy, an herbalist and an author. In the 1980’s she created a home in Belize and forged loving connections with celebrated traditional healers there. Don Elijio Panti and Miss Hortense Robinson were her dear friends and mentors. They taught her some of the techniques Abdominal Therapy embraces today. Rosita Arvigo documents her remarkable story in her first book, Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer.

Presenting at herbal conferences throughout America, Dr. Rosita Arvigo generated much interest among massage therapists, herbalists, medical professionals, midwives, and others interested in complementary medicine. Her work resonated deeply with those who came to hear her talk. From the passion of these students, and with their support, a comprehensive Abdominal Therapy training program was created.

Abdominal Therapy encompasses these simple and intuitive folk massage techniques while being enhanced with the understanding of anatomy, physiology, and other focused learning. The work continues to evolve. Dr. Rosita Arvigo and several of her educators, including Donna, founded the Abdominal Therapy Collective (ATC) in 2020. The ATC is committed to continue upgrading and enhancing the techniques to align with current research, building upon the foundations of 40 years of work initially set out by Dr. Rosita Arvigo.

How does Abdominal Therapy benefit my health and wellness?

Abdominal massage is something each one of us instinctively does, whether simply rubbing our bellies after a big meal to help digestion or offering our tender touch to a child who is sick, anxious, or has colic.

Abdominal Therapy brings focus to your belly … a place which may hold unprocessed emotions, tension, and pain. Through gentle massage, Donna will help release these stressors. With Donna’s supportive information, you will learn how to encourage your healing.

There are many reasons you might be looking for help with your health, from soothing digestive troubles, painful periods, fertility support, or relief from an uncomfortable pregnancy. Abdominal Therapy encourages balance and optimal function throughout your body.

No one has ever massaged my abdomen before and I have been getting massages for years, why is that?

Although massaging the belly is not new, many massage therapists choose to work on the muscles and joints of the body and skip the abdomen altogether. Donna has personally experienced the benefits of Abdominal Therapy which is why she makes the belly a focal point of her treatment sessions.

What can I expect in an Abdominal Therapy treatment?

It begins with an exploration of your health history, current circumstances, and goals, in a virtual meeting, or in-person as part of your first session.

An in-person Abdominal Therapy treatment involves an external massage of your entire abdomen. The diaphragm, digestive and reproductive organs are all addressed. A full treatment includes your back, hips, and sacrum, too.

Massaging these areas of your body systematically and thoroughly will help optimize circulation … and this doesn’t just mean blood. Abdominal Therapy affects all of the systems of flow in your body: blood, lymph, nerve conduction, and life force or chi.

Finally, Donna will teach you how to perform Your Abdominal massage (YAM), a set of belly massage techniques that you can do to increase treatment benefits for the long term.

Tell me more about YAM.

Early in her professional practice, Dr. Rosita Arvigo recognized the need for clients to continue their healing with their own hands, in their own time, in their own homes. With this in mind, she developed a unique self-care massage to encourage and empower her clients to take charge of their healing.

Although Your Abdominal Massage (YAM) is a simple practice and takes only 10 minutes to do, it has profound, lasting effects on your health and wellbeing. It’s common for Donna’s clients to report – even years later – that YAM has become an integral part of their daily lives.

I no longer have a uterus. How does Abdominal Therapy benefit me?

All surgery leaves scars – either physical scar tissue or emotional scars. Following surgery, Abdominal Therapy will improve circulation throughout your lower abdomen, hindering formation of scar tissue. If scar tissue is already present, Abdominal Therapy will help increase the mobility of your tissues. Along with improved circulation, your body will continue to heal and achieve balance within. Although your uterus may no longer be with you physically, the spirit of your womb still lives. Abdominal Therapy can help rebuild your connection with your womb space and improve your overall health and well-being.

Why do I feel pain and discomfort during pregnancy?

As your baby and uterus grow, your body structure will compensate for the additional weight that is developing at the front of your body. This places additional strain on your uterine and pelvic ligaments and pelvic floor muscles. As a result, you may experience upper and lower back pain, hip pain, neck and shoulder pain, pelvic pain, and cramping calf muscles. These are all signs that your body is trying to adjust to the weight of your growing belly; however, when the discomfort is significant, it is indicating that your body is likely out of balance.

Pain and discomfort during pregnancy are certainly common, but they are not “normal,” and what you are experiencing can be managed and alleviated with Abdominal Therapy and YAM. It may also be beneficial to seek treatment from additional complementary health providers as oftentimes it can take a village to help our bodies achieve balance.

How can Abdominal Therapy help me during pregnancy?

Abdominal Therapy helps you by supporting the physiological and structural changes that accompany pregnancy. With regular massage, your uterus will be centered and buoyant, receiving good blood supply and circulation, and will grow strong and resilient. Digestion and respiration during pregnancy are also improved. Abdominal Therapy and YAM help alleviate your discomforts and pain you may be experiencing during pregnancy.

An added benefit of achieving body balance during pregnancy is a gentler birth experience. Abdominal Therapy practitioners around the world relay that their clients experience significantly shorter and easier labors.

Midwifery-based practices that include Abdominal Therapy in their care have reported improved birth outcomes, evidenced by more efficient contractions and shorter labors.

At what point should I start Abdominal Therapy in my pregnancy?

We recommend receiving Abdominal Therapy starting early in your pregnancy. This, and Your Abdominal Massage for Pregnancy (YAM your Bump) will offer you and your baby the maximum benefits these treatments can offer. Six to Nine sessions during your pregnancy as well as a session postpartum are ideal.

How can Abdominal Therapy help me postpartum?

Postpartum is a time of physical and emotional adjustments. A mother’s postpartum body experiences physiological and structural changes as they heal from their birthing time and return to their pre-pregnant state. Abdominal Therapy during the 4th trimester facilitates recovery, encouraging involution of your uterus to happen more quickly and efficiently. It also helps your uterus and supportive ligaments to return to an optimal position, bringing your pelvis and abdomen into balance. This is important for maintaining your reproductive and digestive health, and preparing your body for future conception, pregnancy, and birth.

Abdominal Therapy and YAM facilitate healing from the inside out. Generally, they can be resumed at six weeks postpartum and can help address and resolve such things as pain from birth, diastasis recti, emotions surrounding surgical birth and/or birth trauma, pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence, scar tissue from a surgical birth, preparing for a successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) prior to conceiving, and posture stressors from breastfeeding.

I’m hoping to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean). Will Abdominal Therapy help me?

A Caesarean section is major abdominal surgery. Abdominal Therapy will help hinder excessive scar tissue growth & assist in the emotional healing if there is trauma after surgery.

For some, a surgical birth, even if it was necessary for the health of the baby and mother, can be traumatic and leave one with thoughts that their body failed them, that they let their baby and other people down, and that the medical system has disappointed them. It is advisable to address these thoughts and feelings prior to conceiving and birthing again.

Our bodies remember trauma. We store these memories in our body tissues. By relaxing tissue tension, Abdominal Therapy may help release these memories and facilitate emotional healing from the birth experience.

We recommend receiving Abdominal therapy as soon as your provider has confirmed that your surgical incision has healed. Your treatment and YAM will help minimize scar tissue formation and your body will have a chance to heal both physically and emotionally, whether you intend to conceive again or not.

How does Abdominal Therapy support natural fertility enhancement?

By integrating specific massage and bodywork therapies, Abdominal Therapy can help optimize a couple’s physical wellbeing and enhance their opportunity for conception.

The treatment aims to cleanse, align, and balance your body and reproductive organs, while supporting your wellbeing, by:

• reducing/releasing adhesions which restrict normal movement and processes of your reproductive organs
• increasing and improving pelvic blood flow and circulation, cleansing your body’s cells of metabolic waste products that could be impeding conception while enhancing delivery of hormones and nutrients essential for conception

How is fertility enhancing massage different from a “regular” massage and how will it benefit me?

Abdominal Therapy is focused pelvic and abdominal massage. The intent is to help mobilize adhesions and increase blood flow throughout your pelvis and abdomen. Your reproductive hormones travel through your body via your bloodstream, so if blood flow is increased to your reproductive organs, your ovaries and uterus will benefit, and your follicles and uterine lining will be well nourished. Abdominal Therapy may also help resolve blockages and kinks in your oviducts (fallopian tubes) that may be caused by adhesions.

Abdominal Therapy helps balance and open your body’s conception energy physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

As with most types of therapeutic massage, Abdominal Therapy also helps to decrease cortisol (stress hormone) levels. This helps alleviate the effects of stress and anxiety within you.

During your fertility enhancing treatment session, Donna will share fertility wisdom and guidance for post-session care at home. The valuable information will cover cycle knowledge about timing and awareness for potential conception, instructions for YAM, guidelines for self-application of castor oil packs and perineal steams, and resources on nutrition and complementary therapy recommendations.

Can you tell me more about abdominal adhesions and how they can impact my ability to conceive?

Abdominal adhesions are bands of restrictive tissue that form over a person’s lifetime in a variety of ways due to injury, infection, surgery, inflammation, radiation therapy, and lifestyle, such as chronic poor posture and/or diet. They act like glue and restrict the free movement of, and blood flow through, the reproductive tissues and organs. Adhesions can form within the oviducts (fallopian tubes), obstructing the path of the ovum to the uterus, as well as around the oviducts, ovaries or uterus, pulling, twisting or kinking the oviducts, limiting them from catching an egg; engulfing the ovaries, prohibiting the release of an egg; or within the uterine wall, restricting the timely travel of the sperm or blocking the implantation of a fertilized egg on the uterine wall.

How do high levels of stress and stress hormones impact my ability to conceive?

Stress is defined as any event that a person perceives as threatening. To protect itself, the body responds by producing stress hormones, such as cortisol. Small amounts of cortisol can be a positive thing, for example, when test taking, it heightens our memory, it increases our reaction time when driving if we need to avoid an accident, and it can give us that quick burst of energy for survival. However, if the source of stress is constant and the level of cortisol in our bodies increases, it interferes with the function of the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that produces sex hormones. Stress directly interferes with the balanced release of hormones required for the production and release of mature sperm and egg, and the development of the uterine lining.

Trying to conceive can be a stressful time for an individual/couple. It is a well-researched fact that massage therapy reduces levels of cortisol in the body. Abdominal Therapy and YAM will help to decrease your stress hormones.

Stress and stress hormones can impair fertility in the following ways:

• Impairs follicle health and development by reducing the secretion of estrogen from the follicles which reduces the thickness of the endometrium and the fertile cervical mucus.
• Reduces the secretion of progesterone from the corpus luteum in the luteal phase, thus impacting implantation.
• Increases prolactin secretion by the pituitary gland, inhibiting ovarian function.
• Affects the surge of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland which is responsible for stimulating ovarian function.
• Affects the part of the immune system responsible for preventing miscarriage in early part of pregnancy.

I'm working with a fertility clinic and will be undergoing IVF. Can Abdominal Therapy benefit me?

Abdominal Therapy is beneficial if you are working with a fertility clinic and undergoing assisted reproductive technologies such as Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI) or In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Donna has worked with many clients who are conceiving by IUI or IVF. It is best to contact Donna early on as you are formulating your treatment plan with your provider and she will recommend Abdominal Therapy session timing that will coincide with and be supportive of your treatment plan.

What is Fertility Awareness Method (FAM)?

Practicing a Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) lets a person know their body by tracking the physical signs of their reproductive cycle. This knowledge can be used to monitor reproductive health and/or to achieve or avoid pregnancy.

External body signs, known as biomarkers, give a view of reproductive functioning. By routinely observing and recording these signs, people can be active participants in monitoring their reproductive health. Irregularities such as change in cycle length, painful periods, abnormal bleeding, inability to conceive, or other gynecologic concerns may reflect underlying hormonal imbalances. Observing your signs and charting them daily offers key information to help diagnose health problems and treat various conditions.

In addition to monitoring reproductive health, observing these biomarkers as they change throughout the menstrual cycle indicates when someone may be fertile. Using this information, couples can choose to time sexual intercourse according to their desire to achieve or avoid a pregnancy.

How will understanding my body’s signs help me? All this charting seems like a lot of work.

Healthy menstrual cycles are the 5th vital sign of reproductive health for thosee with female anatomy. The health of your menstrual cycle is a reflection of your whole body health. Severe premenstrual signs such as heavy bleeding, painful cramping, irregular cycles, endometriosis fibroids and other menstrual cycle difficulties, may be due to a variety of health concerns. Hormone imbalance, nutritional deficiency, drugs that deplete body nutrients, allergies, immunological problems, thyroid dysfunction are all thing that can result in menstrual cycle signs and affect your reproductive and overall health.

To offer relief from menstrual cycle signs, pharmaceutical solutions are often prescribed that involve suppressing the menstrual cycle entirely. This can result in reproductive and other health problems because there is no recognition of the vital role that menstrual cycles play in overall health. Regular menstruation and ovulation throughout the reproductive years for as long as possible are beneficial for strong bones, healthy breasts and heart, sharp mind, lively sex drive, and robust health in mid-life and well into advanced age. If perhaps someone chooses not to have children, their whole body health will still benefit by having healthy menstrual cycles.

Learning a FAM is not difficult when you work with a qualified instructor who can ensure that you are competent and confident with your method of choice. Making the daily observations at first can seem difficult and time consuming, because it is something new. However, since making these observations can be combined with your daily routine, they quickly become second nature. The benefits of learning and using a FAM to your overall health and ability to make informed reproductive choices far outweigh the time you invest to learn the method and chart your daily observations.

What is the Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness?

The Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness is a proven way to prevent pregnancy naturally without synthetic hormones or surgery, thus conserving your reproductive health.

The Justisse Method helps you monitor and assess your fertility, time intercourse appropriately for conception, and to help you make holistic treatment choices to improve fertility.

If you are at a time in your life where your cycles are not regular, such as perimenopause, breastfeeding, menarche (first menstruation), coming off hormone contraception, where your signs of fertility and infertility may vary from normal, the Justisse Method and Donna’s guidance will help you transition through these events with confidence and body literacy. As a Justisse HRHP, Donna is trained to address all variations in the menstrual cycle throughout the reproductive life cycle.

When you learn how to observe, chart, and interpret your times of fertility and infertility as they unfold during your cycle, you will acquire greater body literacy. This is a life skill, whether you choose this skill to avoid pregnancy, to achieve pregnancy, as a health guide, or as a means of self-awareness. Many people report that learning the Justisse Method improves their relationship with themselves and increases their knowledge of how to better care for themselves.

You will come to understand – and will never forget – how to interpret your individual body and unique menstrual cycle, no matter what age you are, or why you need fertility awareness. You will be able to share this knowledge with your children and grandchildren. You will play an important role in empowering others by putting a stop to the cycle of misinformation and lack of body literacy.

I’m considering coming off the pill. Can you help me?

Donna works with clients who are experiencing reproductive health challenges while on and after coming off the birth control pill or other types of hormonal contraception. They report that they are unable to find sufficient resources, if any, to help them heal from the physiological disruption that years of being on the pill has caused in their bodies. They also claim that they find limited support and information about using non-hormonal forms of birth control, such as the Justisse Method for Fertility Awareness.

If you are coming off hormonal contraception such as the pill, the Justisse Method will help you learn how to track the return of your fertility. Donna will support you, guiding you through this transition and suggesting holistic treatment options to help you recover your reproductive health.

Isn’t Fertility Awareness the same as the Rhythm Method?

FAMs are not your grandmother’s Rhythm Method. In fact, there are no similarities between FAMs and the Rhythm Method. The Rhythm Method makes mathematical projections based on your past menstrual cycle history to predict your future fertile and infertile phases of your next menstrual cycle. These predictions are occasionally correct, but they do not accurately reflect what is happening for you in your current cycle. As a result, the Rhythm Method has a low rate of success in avoiding pregnancy. FAMs, such as the Justisse Method, teach a person how to determine the status of their fertility through daily observations of their body’s fertility signs. When using the Justisse Method, you will always know if you are fertile right now, at this moment. You will not need to wonder or guess.

Are Fertility Awareness Methods reliable for birth control?

Modern day science based FAMs are founded on robust physiological and scientific principles and are effective at avoiding pregnancy.

Yet FAMs have a bad rap for being unreliable. There is confusion and misinformation surrounding how doctors and healthcare organizations represent FAM effectiveness. A 2020 research article from the Journal of Obstetric and Gynaecology Research reviewed the scientific literature about FAMs, and found that effectiveness rates of the various FAMs greatly exceeds the effectiveness rates reported by mainstream health authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

At issue is how the data is being reported by WHO and CDC. To calculate overall effectiveness rate, these organizations group all FAMs together. For example, Sympto-Thermal Methods, such as the Justisse Method, have a higher than 99% effectiveness rate, The Rhythm Method, which is not even considered a modern scientific method of fertility awareness, has an estimated 25% failure rate. The WHO and CDC combine all the natural methods claiming they are all FAMs, resulting in an overall FAM failure rate of 24%. This information is inaccurate and misleading. People deserve accurate information about all their family planning options to they can make informed choices. Unfortunately, this WHO and CDC information is what the public sees and many physicians assume that each FAM is as unreliable as the next.

It would be more accurate to refer to the Justisse Method and all other science-based methods as Fertility Awareness-Based Methods (FABMs), to distinguish them from the Rhythm Method. FABMs are evidence-based methods of observing and cycle charting and are effective forms of natural birth control when learned from a certified instructor and used properly. FABMs are backed by research verifying their effectiveness at preventing pregnancy.

What is Justisse reproductive health counseling like?

In a nutshell, you will receive clear information, personalized consultation, and holistic care. Working with Donna will help you to monitor and address your menstrual cycle concerns and understand how they are related to your overall health. She will help you learn the Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness so that you can observe, chart, and interpret the primary signs of menstrual cycle function. Donna will also assist you by getting the information you need to help you make informed lifestyle and health care choices that support your menstrual cycle health.

How can I get started and how long will it take for me to learn the Justisse Method?

Working with me as your HRHP, your success with the Justisse Method will be optimized, whether your intention is to avoid pregnancy, trying to conceive, or wanting to monitor your reproductive health. I will guide you through an introductory session followed by a minimum of six follow up sessions. Each individual’s/couple’s time to become proficient with the method will vary; some people gain confidence in the Justisse Method more quickly than others and some reproductive circumstances are also easier to interpret. Although the learning curve varies, attending regular follow ups with me in your first year of charting will allow you to be more successful in achieving your intention in using the Justisse Method.

To ensure your success with the Justisse Method, I offer two packages. Both packages include all the materials that you will need:

Basic Essentials of the Justisse Method 2-3 hour Introduction 6 follow-up sessons @ 30-60 minutes

Proficiency with the Justisse Method 2-3 hour Introduction 12 follow-up sessons @ 30-60 minutes

I can work with you either in person, distance permitting, or online, no matter where you reside.

What is a birth doula?

The word “doula” originates from the ancient Greek word δούλη and means “someone who serves.” A birth doula is a companion who supports a birthing person and the birthing partner during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Doulas are trained to provide continuous, one-on-one care, as well as evidence-based information, physical support, and emotional support to birthing persons and their partners.

A birth doula’s role and agenda are tied solely to the birthing couple’s agenda, and their responsibility is to the birthing person—not to a hospital administrator, nurse, midwife, or physician.

As your birth doula, Donna’s goal is to help you find your voice so that you feel empowered during your birth.

What is the evidence on the benefits of working with a doula? What does the research say?

The conventional model of maternal care has most people birthing in hospitals, where a continuous labor support person is not provided. Of course, there are nurses, midwives, and physicians present, but these professionals are not in the birthing room 100% of the time. Doulas, however, provide continuous and knowledgeable labor support.

Various research studies have been published around continuous support during labor. The evidence suggests that if someone who is birthing receives continuous labor support, both mother and baby are statistically more likely to have better outcomes.

To summarize the research findings, those who received continuous labor support:

• were more likely to have spontaneous vaginal births
• were less likely to have any pain medication, epidurals, negative feelings about childbirth, vacuum or forceps-assisted births, and Cesarean sections
• reported experiencing shorter labors
• birthed babies that were less likely to have low Apgar scores

To learn more about the research supporting birth doulas, visit https://evidencebasedbirth.com/.

My partner will be with me continuously during labor. Do I still need a doula?

Some people maintain that a doula isn’t necessary at their birth because their partner will be with them continuously throughout labor. It is true that the birth partner is essential support for the person giving birth. However, the birth partner will need to eat and use the bathroom at times, and they may be experiencing their own emotional journey about birth that could benefit from doula support.

Most partners have limited knowledge about birth (especially the first time), medical procedures, or what goes on in a hospital, while doulas already have the knowledge and experience to help inform and support both the birth partner and the person giving birth. Ideally, the doula and birth partner work closely together as a team to support the birthing person.