The Fertile Ground Story
We started Fertile Ground because we’ve met many aspiring parents
who felt lost in a cycle of confusion—trying different approaches without a clear plan
and ending up overwhelmed and discouraged. We saw a gap in the system
and knew there could be a better way.
We believe that preparing your body for pregnancy is one of the most important steps you can take.
By using Functional Medicine to help you be in your best health, you can increase your chances
of conceiving and build a stronger foundation for a healthy pregnancy.
Fertile Ground provides aspiring parents with a clear, practical roadmap and tools
that help partners become true co-pilots in the journey.
Together, we help you create the “fertile ground” your family needs to grow.
Meet the Founding Doctors
Dr. Venisse has learned that the best way to make patients feel seen and heard is to listen to their stories.
Stories often offer profound insights into what the body might be needing and how it wants to be helped. This perspective has become central to Dr. Venisse's approach to fertility, where she sees the body as always communicating and believes that learning to pay attention to its signals can make a meaningful difference.
For her, infertility is not a final verdict, but a story the body is telling: a call to pause, listen, and understand what it needs. Rather than simply identifying symptoms, she looks at signs of dysfunction and inflammation as reflections of a complex, interconnected system. The body is not broken; it is constantly communicating, offering valuable clues that can help guide the path toward healing and, ultimately, the possibility of creating new life.
Through knowledge, mindful choices, and greater awareness, she hopes to encourage women to approach their fertility journeys with greater understanding, agency, and possibility. She believes that when women are empowered with the right knowledge and tools, they can experience healthier pregnancies, create healthier families, and, ultimately, foster healthier communities.
Dr. Venisse earned her medical degree from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and further explored the interconnectedness of health, nutrition, movement, and mindfulness through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Yet, ultimately, she learned to be a doctor through the generosity of her patients who have allowed her to walk alongside them through their fertility journeys and taught her that medicine is not only about treating the body, but about listening to the stories it tells.
Dr. Gladys believes that preparing the body for a healthy pregnancy should feel achievable for every aspiring parent, no matter their starting point.
She knows that every couple comes to this journey with a different reality - limited time, varying budgets, different levels of energy, and emotional weight. To bridge this gap, she focuses on equipping individuals with simple, practical daily habits that actually fit them into their lives. Her goal is to help them build a strong foundation that supports and maximizes medical treatments, allowing patients to feel truly in control of their own bodies again.
As a Functional Medicine doctor, Dr. Gladys digs deeper to find the underlying root causes of health concerns. In her practice, care always begins by simply listening. She deeply believes that a patient’s unique story and personal experiences matter just as much as their symptoms and lab results. Fertile Ground is a direct reflection of this philosophy, a space inspired by the very patients she has listened to, and the small, daily wins that have helped them build lasting habits, resilience, and true well-being.
Dr. Gladys combines clinical medicine and behavioral science to bring this care to more individuals. She earned her dual MD-MBA degree from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health and has been certified by the Institute for Functional Medicine. She also holds a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specializing in health education and communication. This unique background allows her to break down complex science into clear, practical steps so her patients understand their options and feel completely supported to make informed decisions.
How can Functional Medicine help improve your fertility?
that influence fertility and help you understand how to increase your chances of conceiving.
Addresses underlying conditions such as PMOS, endometriosis, and thyroid disorders through nutrition, lifestyle changes, and targeted support.
