• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Aviva Romm, MDAviva Romm, MD

Bridging Traditional Wisdom & Modern Medicine for Women and Children

  • Topics
    • All Articles
    • Hormones + Gynecology
    • Menstrual + Sexual Health
    • Fertility + Conception
    • Pregnancy, Birth + Mama
    • Menopause
    • Natural Child
    • Thyroid and Autoimmune
    • Sleep, Stress + Mood
    • Gut + Immunity
    • Herbal Medicine
    • Recipes
  • Courses
    • All Courses
    • The Mama Pathway
    • Women’s Functional Medicine
    • Herbal Medicine for Women
    • Children’s Health
  • Books
    • NEW! Hormone Intelligence
    • All Books
  • About
  • Podcast
  • More for You
    • Supplement Store
    • Become a Patient
    • Practitioner Directory
  • LOGIN
    • Course Log In
    • Contact

From your first period to your last, radically better women's health starts here, with YOU at the center.


Aviva Romm MD, Midwife

New! The Mama Pathway

Reclaim Empowered Birth & Motherhood

Reclaim your innate birthing wisdom and navigate your mama  journey with confidence and support. The Mama Pathway is not your average childbirth education program – it's a robust online education experience where traditional midwifery wisdom & modern medicine meet to help you achieve the empowered birth you deserve.

Learn More

Your Whole Health Journey Starts Here: Articles & Podcast

 For solutions that really, finally, let you own your health, from your first period to your last, and a nourished, root cause approached to hormonal health, fertility, pregnancy, new motherhood, and menopause, browse the AvivaHealth library of articles and podcasts to get started on your journey.

Prenatal Vitamins: Do You Need One and How to Choose

with Free Prenatal Vitamin Guide

I WOULD LIKE HELP WITH

Microplastics and Nanoplastics

Microplastics and Nanoplastics: How Alarmed Should We Be?

high-functioning anxiety

The High Cost of ‘I’m Fine’: The Truth About High-Functioning Anxiety and Invisible Depression

reimagining postpartum

Reclaiming Postpartum: A New (Old) Model of Mama + Baby Care

PMADS

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADS): The Hidden Motherhood Struggle

View All Articles & Podcasts

Transforming Women's Health...Together

Online Courses for Women and Practitioners - For Every Phase of a Woman's Journey

Learn Here

Women’s Hormones + Health

Join Here!

Pregnancy
+ Birth

Not your average childbirth education program. Traditional wisdom meets modern medicine to support you on your most empowered pregnancy-birth-mama journey.
Join Here!

Herbal Medicine
for Women

Herbal Course
and Community
Join Here!

Practitioner
Training

Women's Functional &
Integrative Medicine Training Program. The heart and science of women’s healing, in a revolutionary, Innovative, CME/CE online program.

Women's hormone health deserves a refresh - and that starts here!

Get Dr. Aviva's Multiple Bestselling Book!
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Globe & Mail and more!

Your hormones are far more than just a balancing act.  From period pain to endometriosis, PCOS to fertility problems, miserable menopause symptoms and more a new approach to your hormones starts here. Your hormones are natural, feeling miserable is not. 

Get Your Copy

More for You!

Gifts, resources, and more you'll adore!

Free Gift: Herbal Guide

Adaptogens for Women

Get Your Copy

Free Gift: Thyroid Ebook

Thyroid
Insights

Get Your Copy

Daily Nutritional Support

Making a Difference in Your Health and Women’s Lives

The Replenish Formulary marries my commitment to health equity and ending maternal mortality. while bringing you the high quality products you're looking for, with a  discount that makes your daily nutritional support and supplement needs more affordable. You'll find products for woman’s life cycle needs, common concerns, and children’s health.

Learn More

Let's Connect on Instagram!

@dr.avivaromm

If something is off "down there" then you most lik If something is off "down there" then you most likely know it -- symptoms like vaginal itching, discharge, odor, pain,  all speak to the fact that something is up with your vag ecology. Usually it's a yeast infection or BV. ⁠
⁠
But which one? And does it matter? ⁠
⁠
Most women just self-diagnose and opt for an OTC treatment but sometimes the infection doesn’t clear or recurs because we didn't get the right diagnosis/treatment. ⁠
⁠
In one study, most women thought they had a yeast infection, but only 28% did. In another, only 11% of women were able to accurately recognize the symptoms of a yeast infection. ⁠
⁠
Both BV (bacterial vaginosis) and yeast infections can have similar symptoms, but there are a few distinguishing characteristics that can help you tell them apart.⁠
⁠
Bacterial vaginosis symptoms often present with⁠
🌸Thin off-white discharge⁠
🌸Fishy odor that may increase after sex⁠
⁠⁠
Yeast infections often present with...⁠
🌸Thick curdy whitish to yellowish-white discharge⁠
🌸May have no odor or may smell like yeasted bread⁠
🌸Vulva & vaginal redness, swellings, and fissures⁠
⁠
And you can have more than one infection at a time because they're caused by what's called vaginal dysbiosis.⁠
⁠
DIY treatments can be effective and safe and I'm all about helping you heal naturally at home.  And as an integrative MD, I want to make sure you're making the right call because untreated vaginal infections can cause issues in pregnancy, increase risk of contracting STIs, and can cause pelvic inflammatory disease - aside from a lotta discomfort. ⁠
⁠
If you're pregnant or not but common symptoms don’t resolve quickly or are recurrent, it's important to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. ⁠you can also learn more about natural approaches at avivaromm.com. And head to the link in bio to get ahead on learning about your vaginal ecology today!
We need to eliminate the word 'allowed' when it co We need to eliminate the word 'allowed' when it comes to birthing mamas. 

You're a grown ass woman so no, you don’t need to be “allowed” to eat, move, stand, or hold your baby during birth.

But for far too many women, that’s exactly how it feels. They are told: 

⚠️They can’t eat or drink anything but ice chips.
⚠️To stay in bed, hooked to monitors.
⚠️They can’t use the tub or shower.
⚠️They must push lying on their back, legs in stirrups. 
⚠️Their partner has to leave during exams.
⚠️They can’t delay cord clamping or newborn care.
⚠️Photos or videos aren’t allowed.

This isn’t care. It’s control.
You are not a passenger in your birth.

Your body. Your baby. Your birth. You deserve respect, autonomy, and evidence-based support.

Most of these “rules” aren’t about safety. They’re about outdated protocols, convenience, and liability fears. Here’s what evidence actually shows:

🍎 Eating and drinking in labor is safe for most women—and fuels stamina.
 🚶‍♀️ Moving, walking, using the tub (if your water isn't broken) or shower, and choosing your position can shorten labor and reduce interventions.
 🤱 Immediate skin-to-skin and delaying newborn care improve outcomes for both of you.
 📸 Photos and videos? Your birth is your sacred story.

Birth is not something to be managed. It’s a rite of passage. You don’t need permission to make informed choices—you need support to stand fiercely in them.

That’s why I created MamaPathway—a radical, compassionate birth course to prepare you for birth, protect your autonomy, and step into motherhood with unshakeable confidence.

We cover what your OB should teach you but rarely does:

 🌿 Nourishing your body and microbiome
 🌿 Your rights and options in the hospital
 🌿 How to reduce interventions in labor and recover powerfully postpartum

Birth is not something that should happen to you. It’s something you get to do, your way, with respect for your preferences. 

💭 Did you experience these restrictions—or were you supported in your choices? Share below. Your story can empower another mama today.

✨ Tap the link in bio to join MamaPathway and walk into your birth with clarity, courage, and power.
Reposting this piece from @nyt_well, which explore Reposting this piece from @nyt_well, which explores new research suggesting that chronic low-grade inflammation—often called “inflammaging”—may not be an inevitable part of getting older, but rather a reflection of how we live, eat, move, & connect. The study, based on an Indigenous population in the Bolivian Amazon, challenges assumptions that inflammation is simply a natural byproduct of aging.⁠
⁠
From my integrative medicine lens, this isn’t new—it’s what many of us have been seeing in our clinical practices for decades. In fact, the MacArthur Study on Aging in the 1980s, found that inflammatory lab and physical markers were some of the most predictive factors for disease. ⁠
⁠
Inflammation is the body’s natural, ancient defense mechanism—but in our modern world, it’s gone rogue. What was once a protective internal “fireplace” has become, for many, a smoldering blaze that’s burning down the house.⁠
⁠
This hidden, chronic inflammation—driven by stress, poor diet, sleep disruption, environmental toxins, & gut imbalances—is now recognized as the mother of root causes in conditions ranging from hormone imbalances to autoimmune disease, heart disease, dementia, & depression. And it starts long before a diagnosis—with signs we’ve normalized, like fatigue, brain fog, period pain, chronic pain, digestive issues, and trouble sleeping.⁠
⁠
I talk extensively about this in The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution, Hormone Intelligence, in my course, The Women's Integrative Functional Medicine Training Program and in my podcast episode A Silent Fire: Understanding Hidden Inflammation w/ @ShilpaRavella MD.⁠
⁠
The most empowering truth is this: chronic inflammation is not inevitable, and it is reversible.⁠
⁠
We can cool the internal fire. We can reclaim our vitality. And we don’t need perfection—we need small, sustainable shifts rooted in nourishment, movement, sleep, community, and yes, the deep wisdom of plant medicine.⁠
⁠
This conversation is growing, and I’m so encouraged to see more mainstream attention to what we’ve known all along: when we heal the root, the whole body benefits.⁠
⁠
📷: @raminrahimian
Motherhood is often painted in pastels.⁠ “Natu Motherhood is often painted in pastels.⁠ “Natural.” “Joyful.” “Intuitive.”⁠
 ⁠
But for so many women, especially in the weeks and months after birth, it’s not soft or easy. It’s raw. Lonely. Overwhelming.⁠⁠
⁠
And here’s the truth we’re not told:⁠⁠ 1 in 5 mothers will experience a PMAD—a Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder.⁠
⁠
 It’s the most common complication of pregnancy and birth.⁠
 And the second leading cause of maternal death (suicide a scary, leading cause).⁠
⁠
Yet PMADs are too often missed, minimized, or dismissed. Mothers are told to be grateful. To push through. To smile for the baby.⁠
⁠
 But PMADs aren’t just “baby blues.”⁠
⁠
 They include:⁠ ⁠
⁠
 • Depression (during or after pregnancy)⁠
 • Anxiety that hijacks your thoughts⁠
 • Intrusive thoughts and OCD⁠
 • PTSD, often from traumatic birth⁠
 • Postpartum psychosis (rare but real)⁠
⁠
 This is The Hidden Motherhood Struggle.⁠ And it’s time we name it.⁠
⁠
 If you're in it right now, please know:⁠
⁠
 🌀 You are not broken.⁠
 🌀 You are not alone.⁠
 🌀 And you can feel better.⁠
⁠
⁠You deserve support. And care that sees *you.*⁠
⁠
Join me for the On Health podcast, where I sit down with @drcatherinebirndorf + @paigebellenbaum from @themotherhoodcenter to talk about PMADs—why they’re missed, how to get help, and what recovery looks like.⁠ 🎧 Link in bio to listen.⁠
⁠
And come talk to other new mamas in the Mama Pathway -- my upcoming postpartum course.⁠
⁠
A warm, real-world guide to healing—physically, emotionally, hormonally, and spiritually. ⁠ ✨ 

Because you matter and because you deserve real care, rooted in wisdom. ⁠
⁠
📸 @jerushasutton⁠
⁠
 

About Dr. Aviva

Welcome! From periods and birth control, to all things becoming a mama, to your red hot menopause journey – you'll find the ‘no BS' answers you're looking for – rooted in traditional wisdom, supported by the best of conventional medicine, backed by science – and  served up for you with a whole lot of love and zero judgment -ever. 

I'm Dr Aviva, a Yale trained MD and Board Certified Family Physician, Midwife, Herbalist, NYT Best Selling Author, Teacher, and Mama. Please accept this invitation to awaken wild health, reimagine your body, reclaim your hormones and cycles, and to be your most powerful YOU in every stage, at any age. 

Footer

Aviva Romm, MD

Bridging Traditional Wisdom & Modern Medicine for Women and Children

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Navigation

  • About
  • Contact
  • Courses
  • Supplements
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer

Browse by Topics

  • Hormone Balance + Gynecology
  • Menstrual + Sexual Health
  • Fertility + Conception
  • Pregnancy, Birth + Mama
  • Thyroid and Autoimmune
  • Sleep, Stress + Mood
  • Gut + Immunity
  • Natural Child
  • Herbal Medicine
  • Recipes

Copyright © 2025 Aviva Romm