• 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 rmama  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

PMADS

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

Jessica Zucker

Normalize It: From Miscarriage to Midlife—Owning Our Stories Without Shame with Jessica Zucker

breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Challenges, Tongue Tie, & Trusting Your Instincts

nocebo effect and placebo effect

Have You Been Medically Hexed? The Power of Words to Heal and to Harm

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

Did you know that over 70% of women report stress Did you know that over 70% of women report stress in pregnancy?

We hear a lot about how stress in pregnancy might affect the baby—something that too often gets mamas freaked out, because who doesn’t have stress! The reality is, most of us can relax on that one.

But what about the toll stress takes on YOU as a pregnant mama?

Pregnancy can be a beautiful transformation—but let’s be real, it’s a full-body event that places profound physical, emotional, and psychological demands on you. Some experts even call it a “natural stress test.” And for good reason.

Chronic, unrelenting stress leads to something called allostatic load—the cumulative wear and tear on the body caused by prolonged stress hormone exposure. During pregnancy, that “wear and tear” can be especially impactful.

When stress is chronic or intense, it can elevate the risk of health issues like gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, + gestational diabetes. For those already managing something like high blood pressure, adding high stress levels can significantly increase the risk of complications.

And of course, not all stress is physical. Emotional stress—especially when unsupported—can increase the risk for postpartum depression + anxiety. Studies show that relationship stress during pregnancy is a strong predictor of perinatal mental health challenges.

Stress can affect everything from your sleep, energy, and digestion to your mood, immune function, and even your ability to access joy.

Here’s the thing: pregnancy is a big freaking deal. Sometimes unexpected curve balls happen while we’re pregnant—and our lives keep happening the whole time we’re growing a baby. You don’t have to—and it’s unrealistic to expect that you would—stay serene and glowing through it all to have a completely healthy pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

But what we all do need and deserve are tools for relieving stress and support. Swipe through for tips!

In honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, I’m sharing this article and podcast exploring stress in pregnancy and how to protect your mental health with evidence-based, practical tools—link in bio.

When you think back to your pregnancy, what felt more demanding?
So many mothers feel overwhelmed, anxious, and alo So many mothers feel overwhelmed, anxious, and alone—but don’t talk about it for fear of being judged. The truth is: modern motherhood is demanding in ways we rarely name out loud.

We’re parenting in isolation, often without the support systems that used to surround us. We’re holding ourselves to impossible standards. And we’re doing it all while juggling work, home, relationships, and the pressure to “get it right.”

What we don’t often hear? Mothers who spend all day with their children experience higher cortisol levels than those in 98% of other occupations. That means caregiving—especially when done alone, without breaks—is one of the most biologically stressful roles there is.

This isn’t about doing less for our children—it’s about understanding that doing everything at the expense of our own well-being isn’t sustainable. And it isn’t necessary.

In honor of Maternal Mental Health Month, tune into my podcast with Erica Djossa of @momwell, where we break open the invisible load of motherhood—what it looks like, how it builds, and what we can do to step out of perfectionism, self-sacrifice, and shame. We unpack why resentment shows up, why “intensive mothering” has become the new norm, and why your needs are not only valid, but vital.

If you’ve ever wondered:

 “Why am I so tired?”
 “Why do I feel like I’m failing?”
 “Why can’t I just be grateful?”

You are not alone. And there is another way.
To the woman who told me I had options in birth... To the woman who told me I had options in birth...
That moving, eating, and drinking in labor would give me strength.
That I could trust my body to bring my baby down with gentle pushing
That I didn’t have to surrender to a system that didn’t see me…

I owe you my life.

🥹 Wait... She is me!

I am..

A woman who believes in informed power.
A woman who honors the sacred power of birth.
A woman who midwifes other women, whispering, “You’ve got this.”

✨ THIS is how we reclaim birth and remove the fear, the medical control, the silence.

Are you walking a sacred birth and motherhood path, too? 

If so, let me know what topics/questions I can address (as a midwife & MD of 40+ years) to help make your journey more powerful, easier, more sacred for you - however and wherever you birth. ❤️

#sheisme #hormoneintelligence #birthstory
🌿 Bloated? Gassy? Here’s What I Recommend as 🌿 Bloated? Gassy? Here’s What I Recommend as an MD + Herbalist 🌿

Gas and bloating aren’t just annoying — they’re signs your gut (and maybe hormones) need support. Thankfully, herbal medicine offers time-tested, evidence-backed relief.

Here are 5 of my go-to herbs for gas, bloating, and sluggish digestion:

✨ Ginger
A powerful carminative and prokinetic, ginger increases gastric motility, stimulates bile, and reduces gut inflammation and spasms. Clinical trials confirm it relieves indigestion and bloating. Try tea or chew slices before meals.

✨ Fennel Seed
Rich in volatile oils like anethole, fennel relaxes intestinal muscles, reduces gas, and eases cramps. It also acts as a mild phytoestrogen—supporting estrogen balance when the estrobolome is disrupted.

✨ Chamomile
This nervine herb contains apigenin and bisabolol, compounds that reduce gut inflammation and spasms. Chamomile is ideal when bloating is triggered by stress or menstrual hormone shifts.

✨ Peppermint
Peppermint oil contains menthol, which blocks calcium channels in intestinal smooth muscle—leading to relaxation and relief of gas, pain, and distension. Enteric-coated capsules are best for lower GI symptoms like IBS.

✨ Herbal Bitters
Bitters stimulate bitter receptors in your gut, triggering a cascade of digestive juices and bile:
Dandelion supports liver detox + bile flow
Angelica improves gut motility + enzyme output
Artichoke enhances fat digestion + reduces post-meal bloating

🧠 Clinical pearl: If you’re bloated and your estrogen feels off, your gut might be involved. These herbs help regulate estrogen metabolism by supporting the gut-liver-hormone axis and your estrobolome.

🌿 These aren’t just symptom fixes—they help reset the root. Want to learn more? I’ve got a complete gut healing protocol for you in my 📖 Hormone Intelligence!

Do you get gas or bloating? Is it hormone? Stress? Foods? Drop your comments and questions for me👇

#hormoneintelligence #guthealth #womenshealth
 

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