Podcast: Kost og forsøg på at blive gravid i en moderne verden

[00:00:00] Welcome to Mind Your Fativity. A podcast where we discuss science-based tools for fertility and health. I'm Sebastian, your host from Consevio. Consevio delivers a educational app designed to support you on your fertility journey. We harness science-based insights based on your data, delivered by top experts to support you on your fertility journey, and give you the tools to optimize your fertility. [00:00:26] and give you the tools to optimize your fertility. Today, we are honored to have Natasha Evans with us. Natasha is a registered nutritionist and health coach, specialising in fertility. In her private practice, she works with couples who are wanting to conceive naturally, all individuals are couples going through assisted reproductive technology. Natasha is also the founder of the fertility 360 method. [00:00:58] Nine steps to nine months, if holistic full 360-degree approach to fertility, Nine steps to nine months, if holistic full 360-degree approach to fertility, with optimization across diet, lifestyle, environment and supplementation. Natasha is also a member of the fertility nutrition centre and sees clients through her private practice, as well as seeing clients through the Cotton Edge Longevity Clinic, human located in Mayfair in the UK. With more than nine years of experience in tech, [00:01:28] she continues to share her experience with tech companies, including Stride, she continues to share her experience with tech companies, including Stride, where she's the head of nutrition, and also in the FEMTEC company Day, where she advises clients on how to optimize the vaginal microbiome and tackle period pain. And with that, Natasha, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. I think there's a lot of our listeners that are interested in how ageing [00:01:52] actually affects fertility. And giving your expertise in longevity and fertility, I think there would be a great starting point to talk about the science I think there would be a great starting point to talk about the science and also the misconceptions around ageing and fertility. Yeah, sure. So I think there's a lot of media attention, but it always has been a lot of attention on women's age and fertility. [00:02:16] And the reality is that women and men are waiting later and later in life to have children. And whilst this is very possible, and actually the average age of people are conceiving is increasing year on year, of people are conceiving is increasing year on year, in fact the fastest growing age category for women to conceive is the over 40s. So despite all that, there are some challenges that come with conceiving later in life. [00:02:46] So firstly, everyone will be very aware of the fact that your ovarian reserve starts to decrease as you get older. So you're born with all the eggs you're ever going to have. And each month you lose a few eggs. So it's not just the one you ovulate, but also it really depends on the woman, So it's not just the one you ovulate, but also it really depends on the woman, that it can be thousands of eggs might just die every month as well as part of [00:03:05] the monthly cycle. So you're a ovarian reserve is decreasing year on year, and there's nothing you can do about that. But another thing that happens is that our eggs do age as we get older as well. So your egg quality decreases as you get older. But the cool thing is that we can actually do something about that. And unfortunately, most women aren't told this. So they go into the IVF experience and they might ask the question, [00:03:26] So they go into the IVF experience and they might ask the question, is there anything I can do to improve my chances, anything I can do to improve my egg quality. And so often what I hear from my clients is that they're told, no, there's nothing you can do. You just have to try another round or whatever it is. You know, maybe they'll have a conversation around smoking or alcohol or losing weight. [00:03:49] But that's all it is really. And it really doesn't give them very much to work with. But actually there are so many things to do to support egg quality. And so I work with a lot of women who are in their 40s and you know, And so I work with a lot of women who are in their 40s and you know, we try everything we can to really support that equality, to enhance their chances of conceiving naturally or comparing five years. Maybe a bit of a detour on the topics. [00:04:11] But things really interesting that you say about aging and also getting, trying to conceive later in life. And we do see that because of a lot of cultural reasons as well. But even in younger males, there's been a big study showing that the spreading quality has decreased by about 50% in developing countries. the spreading quality has decreased by about 50% in developing countries. And you also see the same tendency in countries that are starting to be more developed and industrialized. [00:04:36] So it's not only the aging, but actually the environment as well. And I know that's also something that you talk a lot about. How do the environment impacts fertility? Do you see any tendencies or clients in your clinic being exposed to environment that you can kind of help them with, avoid toxins and etc. Yeah. Oh my gosh, totally. [00:04:59] So firstly, one thing I wanted to address there was that sperm quality also So firstly, one thing I wanted to address there was that sperm quality also decreases with age. So it's not just egg quality, it's also sperm quality. So even past the age of 35, but definitely past the age of 40, even though you can still conceive as a man, you really want to be thinking about tools to improve your sperm quality because DNA fragmentation starts increasing, [00:05:25] which can really affect your chance of conceiving, increase your risk of miscarriage, but also affect the health of the child. but also affect the health of the child. So yes, so male fertility is really important on the age side of things as well . And just because you can doesn't mean it's going to be optimal necessarily. But yeah, the environment. [00:05:44] So we've got this natural aging of cells that happens, and that happens to all the cells in our body. So bearing in mind, the egg is the type of cell, the sperm is the type of cell. So all of our cells age as we get older, and we notice that visibly sometimes as well. And that's happening to our eggs and sperm. And that's happening to our eggs and sperm. But our environment is really in a way causing our cells to age potentially [00:06:07] quicker than they might have before because we're exposed to so many things in our modern day environments that we've never been exposed to before. The amount, you know, the way the world has progressed in the past 10 years, the past few decades, even the past couple of hundred years versus where it was thousands of years ago, [00:06:26] it's unprecedented how much the world has changed. And that is having an effect in our body. And that is having an effect in our body. So some of the things we're exposed to now that we weren't even a few decades ago necessarily, for example, are ultra processed foods. So loads of chemicals, artificial substances in our food, very far from nature, very far from [00:06:52] how we were designed to eat. So that's one example. Also, we've got artificial light, for example, we're exposed to way more artificial light than ever before. we're exposed to way more artificial light than ever before. You can see that on satellite images of the world at night, for example. And that's really messing with our circadian rhythm and our melatonin production, which has a knock on effect on our sleep, but also inflammation levels in the [00:07:14] body, on our digestive function, so many things. Toxins are in environments, so things like plastics, we have hundreds of papers now, on the effects of plastics or chemicals and plastics like BPA on our fertility, and the results are not good. and the results are not good. So it has a really significant impact on our fertility. [00:07:33] But also, that's just one thing we're exposed to. There are so many other chemicals. We invent hundreds of new chemicals every single year. So that's just giving you a few examples of all the things we're exposed to in our modern day life. And as you mentioned in my intro, I'm a firm believer that the reason why so many people are struggling to conceive now is because we are living in an unnatural world. [00:07:57] So the thing that is meant to be the most natural thing for humans and animals So the thing that is meant to be the most natural thing for humans and animals to do is getting harder and harder. And the reason is twofold really. The first reason is we are conceiving later on data for societal and cultural reasons and all that kind of thing. But also the fact that we are living in this deeply unnatural world. [00:08:17] We're very disconnected from the way we were supposed to live, and that is having a knock on effect on our cellular health. And how do you think it plays into the role of equality and aging of the egg as And how do you think it plays into the role of equality and aging of the egg as well? Taking the natural versus the unnatural worlds that we're living in. Yeah. So as we mentioned before, we're born with all this eggs we're ever going to have. [00:08:41] So they're just sitting in our body, our whole lives. And for that reason, they're actually sensitive to our environment for our whole lives. So everything we've done up until today is affecting our egg quality, which is a real pain. You start to rethink all the decisions you made in your 20s and things like You start to rethink all the decisions you made in your 20s and things like that. [00:09:02] But yeah, they've basically been exposed to our entire lifetime of whatever debauchery we've been up to. And having said that, they are particularly sensitive to what's going on in your environment for three months prior to ovulation. And that's the very empowering thing because it means that no matter what you 've done in the past, if you really start to optimize your health today and work on that for three months prior [00:09:29] months prior to conceiving, you're going to be in a much better position to where you were before that. So I'm not sure that answered your question. I actually can't remember what your question was. What was that? Yeah, I think you answered perfectly and also in more detail. If we take the three months window in terms of fertility, does that mean that [00:09:52] you can do a lot of changes and then either do it permanently or maybe do a kind of an lot of changes and then either do it permanently or maybe do a kind of an effort just before an IVF cycle? How would you recommend working around these three months? I guess really are the better, but is there any practical advice you can give on that as well? Yes, but sooner you can start the better. And unfortunately, most people only [00:10:17] really think about this once they've encountered a few issues on their fertility journey already, and they're starting to think about what else they can do to support their fertility. Very few of us actually think of this preventative health kind of wavelength, Very few of us actually think of this preventative health kind of wavelength, but I think it is starting to change. So the sooner you can start working on optimizing your [00:10:37] health for fertility, the better. If not, at least give it three months because that is the optimal, that is the time the egg is most sensitive to its environment. And also the same goes for sperm. So men are constantly regenerating new sperm, but it takes about three months for sperm to mature. It's a bit less than that, but basically it's around the three month mark. So as a couple, [00:10:59] if you're in a heterosexual relationship, then if you'd spend three months if you're in a heterosexual relationship, then if you'd spend three months really optimizing your health and then start trying to conceive, whether you're trying to conceive naturally, or whether you're then going down the IVF process, the likelihood is you're going to increase your chances because of those three months of prep beforehand. So, and then in terms [00:11:17] of what to do during those three months, really it's health optimization. I think fertility is a good proxy of your overall health during your reproductive years. So thinking about your health quite health quite holistically, I think one trap we fall into sometimes in medicine is that if you've got a [00:11:36] problem with your eye, you go to see an eye doctor. If you've got a problem with your fertility, you go to a fertility doctor. You've got a problem with your gut. You go to a gut doctor. But none of these teams are communicating with each other. And actually, none of these systems exist in isolation. So the way nutritional therapists like to work is they like to look at the whole [00:11:56] picture. So I want to know what's going on with your energy levels, with your picture. So I want to know what's going on with your energy levels, with your skin, with your sleep, with your stress, with your digestion. I want to know all of that and more because all of that gives me really crucial piece of the puzzle that might help indicate areas where, which might need optimization to help you conceive. So three months of health optimization, and [00:12:22] you know, I really promote a 360 approach here. So it's not just thinking about diets, but it's also thinking about sleep, stress, movements, toxic exposure, mindset, all of these thinking about sleep, stress, movements, toxic exposure, mindset, all of these different areas together to really give you, to make you feel amazing firstly, and these are things you can [00:12:41] implement for life, not just what you're trying to conceive, but also hopefully optimize your chances of deceiving. Yeah, thank you. And I love the way that you talk about seeing a new generation that is more preventative instead of intervening when they see a problem. But I do think a lot of people want to know about the term unexplained infertility. think a lot of people want to know about the term unexplained infertility. [00:13:03] Because a lot of people will hear about this and maybe also get the diagnosis from whoever they consult with. But I just wanted to understand your relationship to unexplained infertility. Yeah, so firstly, infertility is currently defined as not being able to conceive after one year of trying. So just because you have been diagnosed with infertility doesn 't mean you're [00:13:29] not going to be able to conceive. Actually, quite a high percentage of the not going to be able to conceive. Actually, quite a high percentage of the people who have infertility after one year are able to conceive. I think it's about 80% are still able to conceive after that. And then some people may have more structural issues, which may be a bit more difficult. So that's infertility. And unexplained infertility is when you've had this, you [00:13:49] know, at least a year of trying to conceive, no success. And then you've had some tests done and they've all come back inconclusive. So they haven't been able to find why you haven't been able to conceive. And to conceive. And it's quite common to get that diagnosis. And it's incredibly frustrating because it's not giving [00:14:07] you anything to work with. And I think there are a few issues with this. You know, I lots, lots of people who work in the sort of more functional health side of things. We like to say it's more uninvestigated infertility. They, the, at least in the UK, the checks that the NHS tends to offer are quite restrictive. Firstly, the woman gets a lot more tends to offer are quite restrictive. Firstly, the woman gets a lot more [00:14:31] testing than the man, even though we know that infertility is 50% male factor, 50% female factor. But a man has only ever offered a very basic semen analysis. And with the woman, there's more testing done than the woman, but it's still not extensive enough. And really, when there are two things I think are helpful here. The first one is looking at the test results with different eyes. So the NHS, [00:14:52] The first one is looking at the test results with different eyes. So the NHS, for example, looks at the normal ranges and they are this big. So you could be right here and be considered normal. You could be right here and considered normal. It's not necessarily optimal. So looking at more optimal ranges can be helpful. And secondly, there are more tests available privately. Unfortunately, [00:15:19] not necessarily covered by the NHS, but there are more tests available that might have some more answers. So, and you know, the diagnosis of unexplainable infertility can be very disempowering very disempowering because people really don't know what to do with that. And in general, infertility journeys can be very stressful. And when I see clients, they are doing all these [00:15:41] calculations in their head about what it could be. And second-guessing every single thing they've done, oh, maybe it was like, don't I ate last week? Or maybe it was because I had half a glass of wine the other day, you know, all these things. And it's an absolute minefield. But yeah, yeah, if you have been diagnosed unexplainable infertility, I'd say there are [00:16:03] probably still more answers out there. But you're going to have to find somebody who's going to go a bit deeper. I think that's also reassuring answer that it's also about how much you investigate. So even though you have, you get this message, there's still things to be done and things you can do. And that's the second question, every decision you made previously as well. [00:16:25] Yeah. I think actually, and actually just to add to that, Sebastian, I would Yeah. I think actually, and actually just to add to that, Sebastian, I would say, before you seek more professional help, look inwards and see if there's anything you can notice yourself. So ask yourself the question, you know, do you feel like you 're in optimal health right now? Are there any areas where you feel like you're not where you want to [00:16:48] be? And see if you can, your body will give you so many answers if you know how to listen, but it's really hard to listen these days. There are just so many distractions and it's really hard to listen these days. There are just so many distractions and so many things hacking are intuition. But if you're able to tap in, you might find some answers, some things you want to work on. And again, just like, if you haven't done it already, see [00:17:14] if you can just work on optimizing your health as a couple for three months. And if you're still not getting anywhere, then maybe it's worth seeking someone who's going to be helping you out a little bit more professional. And how do you think people could initiate this working on their health? I guess a lot of people heard about that exercise and stress are very important for [00:17:29] lot of people heard about that exercise and stress are very important for fertility. Can you maybe delve a little people into how you work with these lifestyle changes? Yes , sure. So diet is really, really important. I think it's pretty common knowledge now that the diet that your diet really affects your health and maybe a bit less common knowledge that diet affects your fertility. [00:17:54] But again, if we see fertility as being a proxy of your overall health, then anything you can do to optimize your health is fantastic. But the reason why diet is so important to optimize your health is fantastic. But the reason why diet is so important is because we rely on our diet to get nutrients into our body, to fuel different processes in the body. And whilst we can manufacture some nutrients ourselves, we are still largely relying on our [00:18:15] diet to get these nutrients in. So for example, we are looking for nutrients to help manufacture hormones to support our mitochondrial health, which creates cellular energy, which is so important for fertility. important for fertility. We're looking at for DNA synthesis and repair. We're looking for nutrients to actually build a baby, so amino acids and all the building blocks of life. We [00:18:41] need to get these things from our diet. So diet is really, really crucial. And if you have a poorly balanced diet, or unfortunately, about the majority of our diets in the Western world is ultra -processed now, which is devoid of nutrients full of chemicals, often very pro-inflammatory. which is devoid of nutrients full of chemicals, often very pro-inflammatory. And that is not an [00:19:04] optimal diet to support fertility. So going back, I like to say that we want to get back to nature and eat as close to nature as possible. And by that, I mean eating largely a diet consisted of largely whole unprocessed foods. And so for example, an abundance of fruits and vegetables, of different colors, because all those different colors contain different nutrients in, [00:19:30] which is different information, your body. And then also pulses, legumes, whole grains, good quality sources of protein are really important. I actually see a lot of people under eating protein in clinic, potentially because, you know, vegan and plant- based diets are so popular now and meat and protein's kind of been demonized. But actually, now, you know, I feel like it's going to go in the opposite direction. I've [00:19:53] seen so many people under eating protein, and it's so important for mitochondrial function, thyroid function, building a baby, you know, all these different things. So good quality source of protein a baby, you know, all these different things. So good quality source of protein , like eggs, fish, shellfish, lean source of red meat, chicken, game, all these things are incredibly [00:20:13] nutrient dense, not just about the protein, but also about the B vitamin C iron , the folate, vitamin A, things like that you can find in there that are so supportive of fertility, and then herbs, spices, olive oil, good fats, so nuts and seeds, all of those and then herbs, spices, olive oil, good fats, so nuts and seeds, all of those wonderful things. So building your diet primarily on those foods and eating like that about 80 to [00:20:36] 90% of the time, and then the rest of the time enjoying the occasional treat and things like that because life is also worth living and food is set for pleasure as well. So diet is really, really crucial. But it's only one part of the picture as well. So we need to be thinking hol istically about health, looking at the other aspects of lifestyle, like the sleep and stress [00:20:59] and everything like and everything like that as well. And how about stress? How do you see that fitting into our, you know, modern life as well? How can you work around stress and work with stress as well? Yes. So I think this is a tricky conversation because most people I see in clinic are highly stressed and fertility [00:21:22] journeys are very stressful. So, and then when I talk to them about stress, stress is probably the hardest thing for someone to change. Sometimes stress becomes a part of someone hardest thing for someone to change. Sometimes stress becomes a part of someone 's identity, you know, like a sort of very sort of type A person, someone who's an overach iever, and to get them to reduce, reduce their stress, it would require a massive [00:21:47] change in lifestyle. So it's probably the hardest thing to get someone to change, but it is really important. I think another reason why it's quite, it's a difficult discussion is because actually the research is quite mixed around stress and fertility. So there's some research research is quite mixed around stress and fertility. So there's some research showing it's bad for [00:22:02] fertility. There's some research showing it's completely neutral. And I think having spoken to a few experts who work in this area of research, I think one of the reasons for this is because it's really hard to measure stress. So for example, if you're just asking people to do a survey and tell, you know, tell you how stressed they are, most people really underestimate their stress levels [00:22:26] because they're kind of, it kind of normalised it, but they can actually be because they're kind of, it kind of normalised it, but they can actually be chronic low grade stress. And then, you know, you can test it in the blood, but cortisol levels fluctuate so much over the course of the day, you can test it in the urine, but again, it's not perfect. You can test it in the hair, which might be the best sample. So all these different sample methods, it [00:22:45] 's no wonder the data is really mixed. But if we think about what stress is from a physiological perspective, then we can start to realise how it might have an effect on fertility. So stress is a survival response. We only have one stress response and it's there to keep us alive. So response. We only have one stress response and it's there to keep us alive. So all humans have it, [00:23:03] animals have it, plants have it, you know, we need it to keep us alive. So it's our vital flight response. And it's your only ever in one of two nervous system states. You're either in vital flights, your stress response, or rest and digest, which is your parasymp athetic nervous system. So if you're constantly in your stress response, you're not going to be in that rest and digest side of things. But the problem is that the body's always [00:23:25] rest and digest side of things. But the problem is that the body's always looking for a safe time to make a baby. And you're not safe if you're constantly running from danger. And we're just exposed to way more dangers than we ever have been before. And, you know, very, like smaller dangers and potentially before, you know, we're not talking about predators or not having a mate [00:23:47] or not having food. We have all of those now. But we, but now we're being triggered by, you know, a car coming down the road too quickly, or, you know, an email coming in, hundreds of emails coming in every day from an argument with someone else, an argument with someone in every day from an argument with someone else, an argument with someone online, being supposed to news, horrible news that's happening all around the world. There are so many [00:24:08] stresses that are coming in that's just kind of part of modern day life now. And I think most people are actually chronically stressed now. So, and what that's doing is firstly, stress depletes nutrients. It's an energy intensive process because it's about survival response is there to keep us alive. So it's depleting lots of nutrient resources around the body. It's also redirect [00:24:29] ing blood flow and ing blood flow and resources to parts of the body that need it the most in times of survival. So it's your senses, to your brain, to your muscles, but away from your digestive tract, so you're not able to digest your food and absorb your nutrients as well. And away from the reproductive system, [00:24:47] because you don't need to reproduce right now, you just need to look after yourself. So physiologically, we can start to understand why stress can impact fertility. But as I say, it's one of the hardest things to change. So I normally say to my clients, it's one of the hardest things to change. So I normally say to my clients, there are two things we can do here. The not the first thing is to reduce the stresses in your life. [00:25:07] Sometimes that's really hard. For example, it's family or maybe it's grief. Maybe it's work. These ones are quite hard to change sometimes, although some of my clients drop down four days a week, some of them even quit their job sometimes. It's up to them, what they want to do with that. But there are some things you might be able to reduce. So for example, setting better [00:25:27] boundaries with people or coming off social media, reducing your social media time, reducing your or coming off social media, reducing your social media time, reducing your news, the amount of news you absorb, all that kind of thing, thinking about those different inputs. And then the other thing we can do is to improve our resilience to stress and just build up a better stress toolkit. So some of the techniques I discuss with my clients [00:25:48] , for example, journaling, I think is amazing. All those thoughts down into paper, making sense of them, leaving it in the book the rest of the day, moving on. Breath work, I think is amazing, it in the book the rest of the day, moving on. Breath work, I think is amazing, meditation. Personally, I do Qigong. I find that really helpful. Getting out into nature, which uses, [00:26:07] we've got loads of studies on that now, not that we even need to study nature really, I didn't think. But we know that's really, really impactful. And even if you're living in an urban environment, going to a park and just spending a bit of time in nature, putting your feet in the bed grass, things like that can be really, really helpful. But exercise is of course important, [00:26:24] but if you over-exise, that can become a stressor on the body. Maybe you can talk a bit more about that later. But you have to find the things that are going to work for you. So that later. But you have to find the things that are going to work for you. So I know for some people, meditation really doesn't work, but you need to find the practice that 's going to work for you. And another thing I think is just very left field these days is just doing [00:26:47] less. We're always doing, doing, doing in our modern-day lifestyles, even if we're sitting and not doing very much, we're normally scrolling something. What about just doing less, having some periods of boredom and sitting and doing nothing and just taking the pedal off? Again, boredom and sitting and doing nothing and just taking the pedal off? Again, this is such a hard [00:27:04] switch for some of my clients, but I really think that just, we need to get into our parasympathetic nervous system a bit more. I really highly encourage people to give that a go. Yeah, I think also as you describe, a lot of people acknowledge the not doing anything, and actually the stress response for not being actually doing anything, but you need to fight yourself to relax and unplug, basically. Do you have any advices or do you have [00:27:29] yourself to relax and unplug, basically. Do you have any advices or do you have anything that works for your clients as well? How to be bored and accept it? I got a similar question. Yeah, but I think I would just start by just doing one thing mindfully, just one thing at a time. So for example, rather than cooking and listening to a podcast the same time or cooking with the [00:27:56] television on the background, just cook. Then when you're enjoying your cup of television on the background, just cook. Then when you're enjoying your cup of tea, first thing in the morning, just drink your cup of tea. Don't scroll social media at the same time. Don't do your emails. Just try and do one thing to begin with. And already, I think that's an amazing step. We're often doing multiple things at once. And another thing I think is really nice [00:28:18] to try is just to eat your food and do nothing else as well, which again, it's a lost lot. You know, most people are eating whilst in front of the TV, in front of their emails, even in meetings. When you look at, if you look at, if you Google or type it on YouTube, a video, just look for a video of any other animal eating in the world, [00:28:39] all they do is eat. They do nothing else at the same time. We're the only animals who have managed to find a way to do something else at the same time as eating. And it's not natural. It's really affecting our digestion and how we're able to absorb our nutrients. So anyway, that's an example of saying just start by seeing if you can just do one thing at a time and really be present with it [00:28:59] be present with it and enjoy it. And even from doing that, I think he becomes so much more grateful for these slow and more mindful moments. And he might get a bit more comfortable with slowing down your lifestyle in general. Yeah, I think it's funny. Actually, the eating, there's a lot of studies showing that if you eat while doing other things, you also, you don't chew. I mean, in a diss [00:29:24] ipation amount. And then you have all the inflammatory responses and digestion issues. It's not only kind of have all the inflammatory responses and digestion issues. It's not only kind of this empathic nervous system, but it's also just the mechanical actions that you're doing as well. So we could all learn from that, as you say, what's animal eating and then just copy what they're [00:29:43] doing basically. I do think a lot of people have stress relief doing exercise as well. So maybe we can open up kind of talk about exercise, what is to little exercise, what is excessive exercise, and what is a fitting level and tendency of exercise. Yeah, absolutely. So as and what is a fitting level and tendency of exercise. Yeah, absolutely. So as one of my nine steps to nine months in my fertility 360 method, one of the steps is [00:30:11] movement. And the reason I say movement over exercise is because exercise is kind of like something you fit, you schedule and you put as an hour in your diary. Movement is something you do throughout the day. So whilst having, you know, three one hour exercise periods in your week is a So whilst having, you know, three one hour exercise periods in your week is a fantastic thing, [00:30:33] we also want to think about regular movement over the course of the day. Unfortunately, we're living very sedentary lifestyles now. And again, that's another way that we're living in an unnatural world. We use to move around a lot more than we do now. So bringing more movement into a day is really important. We know now that, you know, sitting is the new smoking and it's kind of true. [00:30:53] So some ways that movement, regular movement over the course of the day really helps you. helps you. So firstly, it stimulates blood flow around the body. You need for things to move around your body, you need to move. So when you're more sedentary, you might have more issues with blood flow, you know, might increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, we know [00:31:13] that from the data, might slow down your digestive system, slow down your lymphatic system. Anything that requires movement around the body. And we need plenty of blood flow to the uterus and the testicular area for fertility. But if we're stagnant, you know, we're just sitting, then you're for fertility. But if we're stagnant, you know, we're just sitting, then you're not going to have as [00:31:31] much blood flow. So blood flow is really important. It also supports the lymph atic system, which is part of our detoxification system, which is so important in an incredibly toxic world. I like to encourage people to bring more movements into their day. So moving every 45 minutes to an hour, even if it's just a little shake around, it'll jump up and down, walk them down the stairs, [00:31:52] go to the kettle, make a cup of tea. If you're at home, maybe do 10 squats by the kettle or do 10 press ups, whatever it is, just a bit more movement throughout the day, even press ups, whatever it is, just a bit more movement throughout the day, even just fidgeting. So all of these things can be really helpful. And then on the exercise side of things, again, most people are very sedentary now. We know exercise is incredibly good for our health. And [00:32:13] so many people would have felt the endorphins and the benefits to mental health of exercising. So we definitely want to get some good exercise in. So really looking about preferably three to four decent exercise sessions over the course of the week. But the type of exercise is important. And not over the course of the week. But the type of exercise is important. And not overdoing it is also [00:32:33] important. So type of exercise, I'd say you don't want anything super high intensity. So particularly with women, I've seen so many women who are doing high intensity interval training, CrossFit, training for competing, competing events, big sporting events that just don't even have periods. Everything's shut down. And it's because it's such a stressor on the body that, [00:33:00] again, you don't need to make a baby when you're running away from danger. So light to moderate intensity exercising. I do think resistance training, weight training is fantastic, particularly if you've got PCOS, the research is really supportive in that being a really helpful mechanism. And if you need to lose weight, because putting on some muscle mass can be really helpful in terms of [00:33:23] increasing your metabolic rate and helping that weight loss. And then any sort of lighter types of movement. So yoga, Pilates, brisk walking, running, but not long distances, of movement. So yoga, Pilates, brisk walking, running, but not long distances, all of that's fantastic. And on the male side of things, very similar, I think they can get away with a bit higher intensity. But in terms of things like marathon training, Ironman [00:33:43] training, probably not the best part of trying to conceive cycling no more than five hours a week because of the heat around the testicles, which is not good for sperm. And yeah, I think one thing I'm seeing a lot at the moment is a lot of women who are over exercising. I think there's a real at the moment is a lot of women who are over exercising. I think there's a real trend, you know, [00:34:03] it's sort of fits not thin trend that's been happening on social media for the past 10 years or so. And whilst it's been amazing to get people moving more, unfortunately, I do see loads of women with a low body weight and low body weight or and low body fat percentage is not conducive to fertility. You need to be, you know, nicely in the safe zone, basically. So I'd say around three to [00:34:27] four periods of exercise per week, lights to moderate intensity, men can four periods of exercise per week, lights to moderate intensity, men can probably get away with a bit more, but being being careful around the cycling side of things, not doing super long distance, and then regular movement across the day. And you should be all right. And how do you bridge the exercise and the mindset or mindfulness as well? Because I think there's a [00:34:50] lot of people also doing exercise and movement for stress relief and also we set in their mind to deal with the day and the resilience against stress. How do you is it two to deal with the day and the resilience against stress. How do you is it two different purposes of exercise? Can they also coincide into one single exercise for two purposes? I think they can coincide. Yeah, I think it. So everyone's got a stress bucket to use in an [00:35:20] energy and the size of your stress bucket is probably determined by your genetics, but also your life up until now. So for example, if you've had former in the past or your life up until now. So for example, if you've had former in the past or something like that, it can affect the size of your stress bucket. So everyone's got a stress bucket , and then they've got different stresses that fill up the bucket. If you are stressed buckets [00:35:42] only about that full, and you go run a 10k and you feel amazing, then great, because 10k will increase the stress on the body a bit more, but it's okay because your bucket's no-in-itful. If you're up here and you're doing a 10k, you know, you might overflow, so it might not be the best thing to do to your you know, you might overflow, so it might not be the best thing to do to your body. So it really [00:36:02] depends on the person. I think, I mean, exercise is amazing for your mental health. We know that. I think it's probably good to have one other thing, at least one other thing in your toolkit. So whether it is just slowing down, being more mindful with, you know, doing various activities, or whether you take up one other thing, like whether it's meditation, breath work. One thing [00:36:21] for my clients I really like to do is do a couple is to do a morning 10-minute meditation together. So it's a nice way to start the day. Yeah, and just like a nice way to do So it's a nice way to start the day. Yeah, and just like a nice way to do something together. But I'd say, yeah, exercise is amazing, but it really depends. The one person that might be enough for their self-care practices, but for most people I'd say they'd probably need [00:36:43] another thing in their toolkit. So can you maybe walk us through how the mindset can impact fertility and also your experience with journaling? I know you have very good experience with using journaling as well. How maybe they also fit in together and how do they help? Yeah, I think this is How maybe they also fit in together and how do they help? Yeah, I think this is a really interesting [00:37:06] area. So I'm not an expert in the mindset. So this is one of the steps that the fertility 360 method is mindset. But for this one, I do tend to outsource to someone who 's trained in helping someone rewire their brain. But one thing I did see a lot, I have seen a lot, is that when people come to see me, they actually have this belief that they can't get pregnant. [00:37:29] can't get pregnant. And the body's always listening to the mind. So the more you can try and, you know, get the root cause of why you feel that way and try and shift that mindset, I think the better. You'll start to feel better day to day anyway because of all the negative connotations, you know, all the other negative things that come with you when you don't feel like you're a fertile [00:37:55] person. You know, it's a, I don't want to say it's as simple as if you believe you can You know, it's a, I don't want to say it's as simple as if you believe you can get pregnant, you can get pregnant, you know, just like that's very simple manifestation thing. So there's so many factors that come into fertility. But I do think that, you know, if you have a negative mindset, [00:38:11] if you wake up every morning feeling, you know, feeling like you're not a very fertile person, then yeah, it could be increasing stress levels in the body. And again, that might not be very good. So it is important to call, you know, try and pay attention when you have these negative thoughts come up. This is where I think journaling can be really, really, really helpful to journal, [00:38:29] not just during the days of having a bad mental health day, but also the good not just during the days of having a bad mental health day, but also the good mental health days. But if you have a negative thought like that, come up, you know, write it down, figure out, you know, where it's come from. Is there any evidence to support this claim that you're telling yourself and then try and work through it and think about, you know, some [00:38:46] positive things you can do today to make yourself feel better. And one thing that some of my clients, it's so simple, but it's really helped my clients is by having a few fertile mantras, they tell themselves every morning and saying it to themselves in the mirror. So for example, you can, you morning and saying it to themselves in the mirror. So for example, you can, you can choose whatever [00:39:04] mantra it is, but maybe it is, I am a beautiful fertile woman, whatever it is. And you just say that in the mirror every morning, maybe with your arms above your head, which makes you feel more confident. But even something like that, just doing that for a few weeks really , really shifted a mindset for one of my clients. So you can shift your mindset a lot quicker than you might think, [00:39:24] but I think you really need to sort of start catching those negative thoughts they come up and then starting to switch them around. So yeah, I think it's a really nice and then starting to switch them around. So yeah, I think it's a really nice thing to work on whilst you're trying to see. Yeah, and I think there's a lot of evidence showing the mindset and the mind can do a lot of things to be understand and also a lot of things we don't [00:39:46] understand. Having the belief in it is actually going to change a lot of biological processes as well. The thing is very fascinating topic to actually implement it into your everyday The thing is very fascinating topic to actually implement it into your everyday life. Now we're also being kind of talking a bit about the fertility 360 methods. So maybe we could [00:40:08] dig into the different steps and also go deeper into some of the topics that we didn't talk about like energy optimization and especially also microbiota, given your work as well. I think it's very interesting as well. Yeah, great. So I can take you, I can just mention the nine steps first and then we can go into a topic of your choice. So the nine steps, the first one is diet we can go into a topic of your choice. So the nine steps, the first one is diet [00:40:36] and digestion. The second one is energy optimization. The third one is microbiome support. The fourth one is circadian health. Fifth one is stress management. Sixth one is movement. Seventh is toxic exposure. Eighth is supplements and ninth is mindset. This is kind of my holistic approach, a holistic 360 approach to fertility. And when I'm working with clients one to [00:40:58] a holistic 360 approach to fertility. And when I'm working with clients one to one, we are working in all these different areas and just making sure they're really optimal because in my experience this makes sure that they're in the better position to optimize their chance of conceiving. Which one would you like me to talk about? Yes, I think we did touch on some of [00:41:20] these topics but also in terms of stress, which is kind of a pandemic that we have. I think also sleep could be the next key topic because I do think we also have a pandemic sleep could be the next key topic because I do think we also have a pandemic with sleep and circadian rhythm. You already mentioned something about lights and could you maybe dive deeper into how does sleep affect fertility and health? Yes, sure. I think [00:41:46] this is another thing that has become very popular recently, so hacking your sleep. So lots of people wearing sleep trackers and we know that it's really, really beneficial. But unfortunately again, there are so many things in our modern day life that can throw our sleep out of there are so many things in our modern day life that can throw our sleep out of balance. [00:42:03] And so our body has this 24 hour clock. It's called the circadian rhythm, which is our sleep/wake cycle. And it's largely controlled by two hormones, melatonin and cortisol. It is a bit more complex than that but we'll keep it simple. And what happens is so cortisol, most people would have heard of it's our main stress hormone. Melatonin is our sleepy hormone. [00:42:28] So most people would have heard of those too. And what happens is when you wake So most people would have heard of those too. And what happens is when you wake up in the morning, your cortisol levels are at their highest and your melatonin levels are at their lowest levels. And that's what makes you up in the morning. So the cortisol, that stress hormone gets you up. And this is why not all cortisol is bad. Actually, we really need our stress [00:42:45] response for our survival but also our energy levels make all the circadian rhythm so many things. So that gets you up in the morning. And as the day goes on, cortisol decreases and melatonin increases. And that puts you to bed in the evening. Normally the optimal times around 10, 10, 30 when your mel in the evening. Normally the optimal times around 10, 10, 30 when your mel atonin levels [00:43:03] are at its highest and cortisol is at its lowest. So that's kind of that's our circadian rhythm. And obviously it affects when we're awake and when we're asleep. But also every single cell in your body runs off that 24 hour clock. So if your 24 hour clock is out of whack at all, it can affect the optimal functioning of every single cell in your body. And I think this is why we're starting to [00:43:28] know we've seen the research now we've got heaps of research and sleep in our know we've seen the research now we've got heaps of research and sleep in our health now. Why we know that poor sleep is so detrimental to our health. And as a result, why it's so detrimental to our fertility as well. And we have the papers on that as well. You know, we know that six hours or less per night or doing shift where I can stuff it that can [00:43:46] have a really detrimental effect in your fertility. So trying to optimize your making sure your circadian rhythm is in a nice balance can be really, really helpful. Do you have any tips or tricks on how to resetting this circadian rhythm or Do you have any tips or tricks on how to resetting this circadian rhythm or just keeping in track with the sleep wake cycle to kind of optimize your daily routines? Yes. So there are lots of things we can do to try to optimize sleep. And [00:44:16] speaking as a previous insomnia, if you're struggling with sleep, I really, really feel you. But there are lots of things we can do to try and help. And I think the body is always looking for external signals external signals to tell the body what time it is. And the number one signal they're looking for is your light exposure. [00:44:37] So that's the first thing that tells your body what time it is. So the best thing you can do to support your circadian rhythm today is to make sure you get outside in the morning. So get your eyes and your skin exposed to natural light, natural full spectrum light, which you can't replicate indoors. So you can't just sit in the bright room indoors. And we all replicate indoors. So you can't just sit in the bright room indoors. And we all [00:45:02] would have felt this, you know, when you open the front door and you go outside and you sort of start squinting a little bit, it's yeah, you can't replicate that indoors. So you need to get outside, you know, basically as soon as the sun is up and stay outside, preferably around 10 minutes or so. If you can stay up for longer, amazing, the more the merrier, the more time you [00:45:20] can spend outside, the better. But if you have to prioritize 10 minutes in the morning when the sun is up, then that's amazing. And that full spectrum light tells the body it's the then that's amazing. And that full spectrum light tells the body it's the morning and it's time for everything to kick into gear. And then on the other side of that, you want to keep your artificial [00:45:38] light exposure to a minimum after sunset. So in the winter, obviously, that's a lot earlier, which is hard to do with our modern day lifestyles and the summer it's later. But that artificial light has blue light in it and blue light suppresses melatonin production. So, you know, basically optimizing your light environment is probably the most important thing you can optimizing your light environment is probably the most important thing you can [00:46:02] do to support your circadian rhythm. But I know that in this day and age, particularly around the artificial light exposure, it's always impossible for anyone to do that unless they're living in a cave. So some things we can do after sunset, make sure your laptop and your phone are on the lowest brightness setting you can. Make sure you've got that amber tint on your phone and laptop [00:46:23] after sunset. Making sure you're lighting your house using side lamps rather than overhead lighting, which again might mimic the sun. Choosing light bulbs are more of an amber glow which again might mimic the sun. Choosing light bulbs are more of an amber glow rather than a bright white glow. Maybe getting some blue light blocking glasses which have red lenses. So using [00:46:42] those after sunset to actually block out any excess blue light. So all of those things can really, really help. But just being very mindful of your light environment after sunset I think is really, really important. And that is honestly, that just changing that can be so impactful in your sleep. I'll just add one other tip on there. And it's that if you think your sleep. I'll just add one other tip on there. And it's that if you think [00:47:02] about melatonin cortisol being our two main hormones involved in the circadian rhythm and then they're kind of working in opposites to each other. So the more elevated your cortisol is, the more your melatonin is going to be suppressed. So again, all those things working on stress has to be a priority. And in conjunction with the cortisol, do you think exercise late is a good idea [00:47:25] versus a lot exercising early in the day? Or how would you also manage the cortisol a lot exercising early in the day? Or how would you also manage the cortisol later in the day? Yeah, from my understanding, exercising after sunset is not the best idea for circadian rhythm or for sleep. Or it's been correlated with porous sleep. So better to exercise earlier in the day [00:47:46] because it happens to necessarily be the morning. But as long as it's before sunset is more ideal and not to just in general, not too close to bedtime because it does raise your core body temperature. And actually what happens before sleep is your core body temperature is meant to be falling. So having that excess heat might be a little bit, might get in the way falling. So having that excess heat might be a little bit, might get in the way [00:48:04] of that. And a related topic to exercise and also sleep is also energy optimization. How do you how do you manage blood glucose, for example, and how do you manage energy in terms of getting a good quality? Yes. So when I'm thinking about energy optimization, there are two things I'm thinking about. The first thing is your blood sugar balance. And the second [00:48:25] thinking about. The first thing is your blood sugar balance. And the second thing is your mitochondrial health, support of cellular health. So taking the blood sugar for the first side of things, this is something that will really influence the diet and how we structure, what do you eat in each meal and each snack and everything like that. So we move in the research [00:48:48] that people who have even slightly elevated blood glucose levels measured by H BA1C have tended to have poor fertility outcomes. So and there are a few reasons for this. I mean, this. I mean, firstly, it can really upset your hormones. So it can really affect your menstrual cycle, increase your risk of its highly associated things like PCOS, but also lower [00:49:11] testosterone levels and things like that. So there are a number of different mechanisms to why that makes difference. But what we want to be really trying to do is managing our blood glucose levels from a dietary perspective to make sure that that's not one of the reasons that we might be struggling to conceive. So the way we do that then is just by making sure we're creating very [00:49:28] conceive. So the way we do that then is just by making sure we're creating very well balanced meals. So we want to have meals that have plenty of fiber, good quality source of protein and healthy fats and a bit low and low in sugar and lower in carbohydrates. We still need carbohydrates, but just if not the main event in the plate, which is often is in our modern- day lifestyle, [00:49:54] bread or pasta is often the main event. We don't want it to be the main event anymore. We want to balance it really nicely with fiber from whole foods, from We want to balance it really nicely with fiber from whole foods, from vegetables, but also from healthy fats and proteins. So making sure you've got a really good balance on balance in your plate between those different food groups can be really helpful [00:50:13] to manage your blood glucose levels. And then also, as much as possible, stick into those free meals a day. If you do have to snack, preferably not going for something that's high sugar or high carbohydrates and it's spike your blood glucose levels again, but going for something that is much more blood sugar balanced. So for example, a handful of nuts or some nuts [00:50:28] much more blood sugar balanced. So for example, a handful of nuts or some nuts with some dark chocolate, which is lower in sugar than milk chocolate, maybe some, maybe an apple with some nut butter. So you're adding in the healthy fats and proteins there to really balance out the natural sugars you find in apples, although fruit's fantastic anyway. So maybe some Greek [00:50:51] yogurt with some berries and maybe a sprinkling of seeds on there. So some better snacks, which aren't the spike your blood glucose levels as much. But really, if you're aren't the spike your blood glucose levels as much. But really, if you're having a largely whole food Mediterranean style diet, the likelihood of you having high HBA1C, the blood sugar marker, is quite low. We know it's associated with better blood glucose levels. So [00:51:11] really, again, just going back to that largely unprocessed whole food diet, it's going to set you up really nicely for that. So that's the blood sugar side of things. Although I will mention as well that other things also affect your blood sugar. So for example, stress increases your blood sugar levels because as I said, it's a very energy intensive process. So it breaks down [00:51:27] because as I said, it's a very energy intensive process. So it breaks down stored glucose in the muscles, which is called glycogen and releases glucose into the bloodstream to fuel the stress response. So you're increasing your blood glucose levels like that. So again, managing stress is important. And even the poor night's sleep can really affect your blood glucose levels as well. [00:51:46] So we need that helix approach and supporting that. And then a mitochondria side of things. So some people might be familiar with a mitochondria from back when they were studying biology at school, but they might not have heard about it in so long or known that it was going to but they might not have heard about it in so long or known that it was going to be so relevant on that fertility journey today. But these are basically squiggly bacteria that [00:52:08] live in your cells that produce energy. And it's so important because we need energy to do everything. Cellular energy is really, really key. And just to show you how important mitochondrial health is infertility, the egg actually has 10 times more mitochondria than any other cell in the human body. And that goes to show just how much cellular energy is needed for fertility. [00:52:29] And that goes to show just how much cellular energy is needed for fertility. And the mitochondria also in the mid piece of the sperm. So they help the sperm swim towards the egg . And you need so much cellular energy to mature an egg to the sperm to swim towards the egg, to them to fuse together and then multiply into lots of different cells and actually build a baby. It's probably the most [00:52:55] energy intensive thing that anyone has to do at a cellular level in their lives . So we need . So we need mitochondrial, you know, we really need good mitochondrial health. And unfortunately, again, our mitochondria are under attack from our modern day lives. So ultra processed foods, inflammatory foods, even light exposure again can really affect our mitochond [00:53:19] ria, spending most of our days indoors, not being close to nature. Toxins really affect our mitochondrial DNA. So so many things that are really affecting our mitochondrial production DNA. So so many things that are really affecting our mitochondrial production these days. So again, all the things you can do to support the mitochondria is that all these things holistically in general [00:53:36] support your health, that's all going to help. But there are also things we can do on the diet and supplementation side of things to really support the mitochondria. So on the diet side of things, things that are that are mitochondria love, things like be vitamins. So we get those mostly from animal foods. So from red meat, for example, which is why it's good mostly from animal foods. So from red meat, for example, which is why it's good [00:54:02] to have a little bit of that in the fertility diet. But in general, again, just having a nice Mediterranean based diet is going to be very beneficial for the mitochondria, making sure it's sleeping properly, really supporting mitochondria. But supplementation is what I was going to say. So supplementation, so some of you will have heard of CoQ10 and how that's an important supplement [00:54:24] for you on your fertility journey, especially if you're over the age of 35 and definitely over the age of 40. the age of 40. And the reason for this is because it's one of the nutrients that really supports our mitochondrial health. And mitochondrial health does decrease with age naturally, you know, not even taking [00:54:43] into account all the other things we're exposed to, it just does decrease with age. And that's one of the things that causes aging. And so by the time a woman is 40, about a third in the the mitochondria and the human egg aren't working as efficiently anymore. So mitochondrial health is really important during fertility, but particularly over the age of 35 and is really important during fertility, but particularly over the age of 35 and [00:55:02] definitely over the age of 40 as well. And supplements can really, really help to mitigate some of that deterioration in the mitochondrial function. And CoQ10 is also very established in the scientific literature that it works in very different kind of aspects of physiology as well. One of them could be as an antioxidant, we get that as well from the food. Do you see there's any supplements that [00:55:28] could add to a natural diet as well to optimize your fertility? Definitely, definitely. I natural diet as well to optimize your fertility? Definitely, definitely. I think we all have this romantic idea that we can get everything we need from our diet and we don't need supplementation. And unfortunately, again, because we're living in a very different world now, we need to make some adjustments and supplements can really help to plug some [00:55:56] of the gaps we have in our nutrients. So for example, even if we're eating a really whole food- in our nutrients. So for example, even if we're eating a really whole food- based diet, our soils are so depleted of nutrients these days versus what it used to be, that actually the food we're eating now isn't as nutritious as it used to be back in the day. So most people tend to have [00:56:15] quite low magnesium levels, for example, even if they're eating plenty of dark, heaty greens and things like that that contain magnesium. So that's the first thing we're dealing with. Secondly, if we think about all these drains and our nutrient resources, things we've talked about already, talked about already, like stress. Most people are chronically stressed these days, which is the ple [00:56:34] ating nutrients in the body. Also, our livers are working harder than ever before to detox by, which is using up nutrients in the process. So our nutrient needs are potentially a little bit higher these days. We might need to get a little bit extra in. And also, the studies are just very supportive of supplementation for fertility. We know that they do help optimize the chance of conceiving, improve [00:56:56] egg and sperm quality, improve your chances of a successful IVF process, a healthy pregnancy. And so improve your chances of a successful IVF process, a healthy pregnancy. And so yeah, they are definitely a part of all my plans and my clients. And I think there are some nutrients that we know are particularly important. So for example, folate, vitamin D, omega-3. [00:57:17] So we definitely want to be getting those in. I normally get folate and vitamin D and a really good quality fertility, multibitamin, and then add an omega-3 on top. And I good quality fertility, multibitamin, and then add an omega-3 on top. And I also think a probiotic can be helpful in some cases. We want to get one that's suitable for pregnancy. But then the supplement plan needs to be customized depending on your age, depending on what [00:57:41] diet you want at the moment, because that'll affect where you might have some, where you might need some additional nutrition support. So it has to be personalized depending on the person, but I think a good place to start for most people, although worth checking with a healthcare provider for you, that you have in the right ones, is the good quality fertility, multibitamin [00:57:56] that you have in the right ones, is the good quality fertility, multibitamin that contains folate and also omega-3. And in terms of omega-3, I think there's a lot of people that knows omega-3 can be good for you, but also are a bit worried about toxins and different chemicals in our middle lines in omega-3. Do you have any advice on how to take it, when to take it, and also other toxins that are maybe more important in the environment as [00:58:28] well to avoid? Yes. So yeah, you need to find a good quality omega-3 supplement because Yes. So yeah, you need to find a good quality omega-3 supplement because unfortunately, again, our waters are so contaminated now, which is affecting the quality of our fish. So the brands I use have all been tested for heavy metals and things like that. So they're very pure. So I'd really [00:58:47] recommend finding a good quality brand. Personally, I avoid buying supplements on Amazon because we don't know about the quality of them. Lots of the supplement brands, and they don't even have a website. So first thing I would check is if they actually have a website. And a website. So first thing I would check is if they actually have a website. And there was also a review published a few years ago, which looked, which actually analyzed [00:59:08] supplements on Amazon, and they found that lots of them didn't actually have the ingredients they said they would have. They had additional ingredients that had been states and pack and all these other things. So quality really matters at supplementation for sure. But yeah, toxins. I mean, it's an absolutely minefield. And yeah, it's an absolutely minefield. And given how stressful [00:59:25] minefield. And yeah, it's an absolutely minefield. And given how stressful things are already, I do tend to say to people just try not to get stressed out about it. Let's just focus on the priority areas. Again, we're just exposed to hundreds of chemicals, hundreds of new things every day, hundreds of novel chemicals that haven't been around for very long. And we just need to reduce [00:59:49] our exposure to it and support our detoxification pathways to make sure we're better at getting rid of it as well. So I do think some focusing on some key areas can make a big difference. So difference. So the first area I focus on is producing your plastic exposure, because as I say, we've got hundreds of papers now showing about showing that plastics have a detrimental effect to [01:00:09] new fertility. So with this, the first place I would start be no plastic water bottles. Not touching things that are covered in things like BPA or BPS. So things like receipts, just declining them or taking pictures of them and then throwing them away if you need them for expenses or something like that. Never heating plastic. So if you're heating expenses or something like that. Never heating plastic. So if you're heating [01:00:30] something in a Tupperware firstly, go through glass or stay in the steel Tupperware and just never heat anything in plastic, because that just causes microplastics to leap into your food. So plastic is the first place I'd start. And then I would also think about optimizing things in the kitchen area, because anything that's in the kitchen is likely going to end [01:00:53] up being ingested by you. So thinking about the detergents and the cleaning products you're using there, there, going for more natural alternatives if you can, thinking about the cookware you use, things like that can make a massive difference. And then also thinking about things that you put [01:01:09] on your skin, because up to 60% of what you put in your skin can be absorbed. So I think those are the priority areas, but essentially going for more natural and less toxic versions is going to be helpful. We can't avoid these things. So this is why I just say both of the most important areas and pick your battles, because I know some people are really important areas and pick your battles, because I know some people are really [01:01:30] wedded to some things. So some people really like their perfume. It's part of their identity, but we know that perfume contains phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors. They have a hormone like effects in the body, so it's not great. But if you don't want to give up your perfume, just start making swaps with other products in the home that are artificially centred, because [01:01:52] again they contain the phthalates. So looking at your cleaning products, looking at your the other toiletries you put in your body and maybe making the swaps there the other toiletries you put in your body and maybe making the swaps there instead. So you can go down this massive rabbit hole for ages, but I just think, and it can be very stressful, but even a handful of swaps can make a massive difference. [01:02:13] Yeah, definitely a thing that all the things that you can find online where you can do small things up to measure of fertility is going to be an overload of information and to do lists to replace. So I mean, maybe just to can you sum up the most important things you see in general, see in general, maybe for also for women about 40 as well, what would be your [01:02:35] safe bets on where to put in some efforts without overloading your stress and mindfulness as well? Yeah, sure. So if we're talking about women over 40, so we know that the ovarian reserve is lower than it was in your 30s, that's just what happens. But you can work and optimize new egg quality now. So I would start by taking out the obvious and optimize new egg quality now. So I would start by taking out the obvious [01:03:01] things. So alcohol, smoking, if you need some help with that, then obviously seek professional help to get off his things because they're addictive. So it's hard. But all kinds of smoking, not just cigarettes, but also vaping, marijuana, anything like that, all of those who know to be seriously detrimental. So that's the first place I start, start with the really obvious ones. And then [01:03:23] I look on, look to really clean up the diet. So as I say, prioritizing, home cooked, un look to really clean up the diet. So as I say, prioritizing, home cooked, un processed or minimally processed food, whole foods, trying to get as many colors into the diet as much as much as possible from all these different fruits and vegetables. Because I say each of those different colors [01:03:40] has different nutrients in it. So you're more likely to be hitting your nutrient needs by eating diversity. So try not to rotate the same vegetables day in and day out, but go for real diversity. And then make sure you're getting in some healthy fats as well. So nuts, seeds, olive oil, oily fish, egg yolks, all that kind of thing is fantastic. And protein, about a oily fish, egg yolks, all that kind of thing is fantastic. And protein, about a [01:04:00] quarter of the paper protein. And this is unprocessed or minimally processed protein, not the ultra process type of protein that we see in sort of sandwich meats and sausages and bacon. There are better versions you can buy from butchers and things like that. So it's a blanket statement there. But good quality sources of meat, but not the ones that are very far removed from nature. We're [01:04:22] talking McDonald's patties and stuff like that. So clean up the diet. I like to focus on the things you can add into the diet, but also I'd be wary about the things you maybe need to add into the diet, but also I'd be wary about the things you maybe need to reduce in the diet as well. So the first one is sugar. We know that sugar is not good fertility at all. It's so it's [01:04:41] not good for ourselves, unfortunately. And it's fine to have some sugar. We really want to be reducing that as much as possible. So definitely cutting out soft drinks if you can. The occasional one for something celebratory is okay. Reducing cakes, biscuits. If you add sugar to your coffee or tea again, I would take that out and reduce it as much as you can. We won't be again, I would take that out and reduce it as much as you can. We won't be [01:05:03] reducing sugar as much as possible. And also reducing white processed carbohydrates and swapping that for whole grains if you can. Again, occasional, it's okay. But and we've got to focus both on 80 /20 principle, or even 90/10 if you're able to. But reducing those things as much as possible. Caffeine, I'd say max two cups of coffee per day. But actual amount of caffeine Caffeine, I'd say max two cups of coffee per day. But actual amount of caffeine [01:05:30] in there really does vary. So it really depends on the on which coffee you're getting. But I'd say one to two max per day. And thinking about all those other sources of caffeine that might add up over the course of the day as well. So the NHS recommends more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day in pregnancy. I'd recommend the same for when you're trying to conceive as well. [01:05:50] So that's the diet side of things. Obviously just slowing down, doing more self self care, you're side of things. Obviously just slowing down, doing more self self care, you're the priority right now. So prioritize you, put good boundaries in place. Make sure you're going to bed at a consistent time every night if you can. Being careful around your light exposure in the evening to really support [01:06:13] your sleep. Move regularly, even if you can't do exercise. If you don't have the time to exercise, just make sure moving as much as possible. The course of the day, I think it's really important. And then focusing on just some of those key swaps around the house and just reducing your exposure to some of those toxins can make all the difference. Or if you tend to exposure to some of those toxins can make all the difference. Or if you tend to [01:06:32] be at the office or working in a city during the day, even things like taking quieter roads over busier roads, walking in the inside of the pavement, pavements rather than the outside of the pavement, even that makes a difference. Those can just make a whole load of difference as well . I think one key to take home measures from all of this information is you can [01:06:53] do a lot of things and it's okay to not do everything at once. You can occasionally divert from and it's okay to not do everything at once. You can occasionally divert from the guidelines to stay sane and also to stay happy and keep your identity. Definitely. I think there's a lot of discussion about microbiome. We have microbiome on our skin, we have it in our digestive system, we have vaginal and seminal microbiome as [01:07:16] well. And if anything is that they correlate pretty also across different skin. So if you change one microbiome, the rest will follow in some way or another. So I think it's actually an interesting feel and I guess Natasha, we could talk for long hours around this, but I would feel and I guess Natasha, we could talk for long hours around this, but I would love to input on [01:07:34] how do you work with microbiome and what is the key take home which is just microbiome and fertility? Sure. So the reason our microbiome refers to the trillions of microorganisms that live in and on our body. So this includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, yeasts, molds, all these things that sound quite nasty, but actually the vast yeasts, molds, all these things that sound quite nasty, but actually the vast majority of them [01:08:01] are beneficial and we have a symbiotic relationship with them. So we look after them, we find them at a home with shelter, with food and water and they do things for us in return. And the reason we care about them is because we're actually more microbibing we are human. We've got more microbial cells in our body than human cells and more microbial genes in our body [01:08:21] than human genes. So we need to look after them and they look after us in return. And many people would have heard of the gut microbiome now. Gut health has been really buzzword would have heard of the gut microbiome now. Gut health has been really buzzword y and for good reason because I kind of see the gut microbiome as being the control center of the other microbiomes. As you say, they all influence each other. So the gut influences the liver [01:08:41] microbiome, the bladder, the skin, the eye, the lung, all of them. And the reason for that is because it probably has the highest density of microbes versus anywhere else in the body. So the trillions of microorganisms in there. And we know that the gut microbiome influences everything from our food preferences to our weight to our sleep to our energy levels to our digestive [01:08:59] preferences to our weight to our sleep to our energy levels to our digestive health, of course. And everyone's is pretty much everything. Our immune system, our mental health influences everything. So for thinking again about that holistic approach to fertility, of course, we need to look after our gut microbiome too. So I'll talk about some ways to optimize that in a second. But first, you just cover the reproductive microbi [01:09:26] omes. So another place where we've got bacteria is the vaginal microbiome and the endometrial place where we've got bacteria is the vaginal microbiome and the endometrial microbiome, which is above that, and in the semen as well. And what we're seeing from the data, we've got some really nice data in the vaginal microbiome now. Seaman microbiome is still in its early days, [01:09:43] but really interesting things already. In the vaginal microbiome, the composition of the vaginal microbiome is actually significantly associated with fertility outcomes. So it seems to be correlated with implantation rates, IVF success outcomes, the health of the pregnancy. So with implantation rates, IVF success outcomes, the health of the pregnancy. So it influences things like preterm birth. And even when you think about when you're giving [01:10:06] birth, you have a vaginal birth, the baby gets coated in the vaginal microbiome in the way out. And that sets up their immune system from day one. So the reef starts with microbiomes are really interesting, but it's a good thing we're looking at the semen microbiome now too, because of a couple is having sex, then they're going to be influencing each other's microbiomes. And sometimes, [01:10:24] you know, we might have had some clients with really resistant bacteria in the vaginal microbiome. It's like, why isn't it going away? Well, it's probably coming from the mat. So you need why isn't it going away? Well, it's probably coming from the mat. So you need to be looking at this whole couple approach to the reproductive microbiomes. But anyway, some ways you can really optimize [01:10:39] that. Firstly, I'd be getting probiotic foods and prebiotic foods in the diet. So probiotic foods are fermented foods that contain beneficial bacteria in there, and it can help to populate your microbiomes with beneficial bacteria. So those will be things like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, live yogurt, kombucha, natto, tempeh, things like that. And we do have kefir, live yogurt, kombucha, natto, tempeh, things like that. And we do have [01:11:03] some research suggesting that the fastest way to improve the health of your gut microbiomes to have fermented foods every day. So giving a few of those a go and just even a tablespoon or something like that is wonderful. So a great idea when you're trying to conceive. And then prebiotic foods are foods that feed the beneficial bacteria. So these are basically all fibrous [01:11:27] foods. So all plants, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, legumes, legumes, herb So all plants, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, pulses, legumes, legumes, herb spices. But some foods are particularly prebiotic. So things like onion, garlic, leek, Jerusalem , arthichokes, chicory, bananas if they're not too yellow. So some foods are particularly preb iotic, [01:11:48] but basically once we're focusing on diversity and getting as much plant diversity as possible because all of your different gut buds have different food preferences. And if you're really you're really having this diverse diet, then you're going to be stimulating a lot of them and encouraging this diversity, which we know is associated with a better gut health. So and on [01:12:10] the vaginal microbiome side of things, you know, got less research on how the diet might impact that, but it does seem like, again, the things that support the gut microbiome seem to have a beneficial effect in the vaginal microbiome. But some things we can really do from the lifestyle side of things, the vaginal microbiome are things like not over [01:12:27] washing down there, not doucheing, that can just strip out all your beneficial bacteria. So many not doucheing, that can just strip out all your beneficial bacteria. So many people are using harsh soaps down there because they're really self-conscious about how they smell. But actually, all you need is water because the vagina is self-cleaning. And actually, I've seen clients who have [01:12:43] depleted beneficial bacteria in their vaginal microbiome, and they have been using soap down there. So definitely no more soap. If you are, if there is a particularly bad smell, then you probably need to go to the doctor because it might be BBV or something like that. And then also, preferably going for natural fabrics with underwear, using organic or as preferably going for natural fabrics with underwear, using organic or as [01:13:04] natural as possible, period care products as possible, never anything scented or bleached or with plastics in. Yeah, just simple swaps like that can make all the difference in supporting a vaginal microbiome. I think we do see a lot of new probiotic pills that can be used as well for a vaginal microbiome. And even if you take it for the gut, there's actually a crossover effect as [01:13:27] And even if you take it for the gut, there's actually a crossover effect as well. You can see the changes. But how far is the field in terms of using probiotics? So for the gut microbiome, we've got some decent data. I think where it becomes an issue is that different bacterial strains are beneficial for different things. So without working with a nutritionist to make sure you're having the right probiotic, it won't be doing [01:13:58] any harm, but you might be throwing loads of money down the drain on an expensive prob but you might be throwing loads of money down the drain on an expensive prob iotic that's not doing very much for you. If you're working with a nutritionist, then she can evaluate your symptoms, maybe do some testing to actually understand what's going on in the gut for vaginal microbiome [01:14:12] and recommend specific bacterial strains that we know we have the research in that can support whatever's going on, whatever imbalance there is that's going on. So I definitely do think they are helpful, but again, they might be a colossal waste of money if you don't know what you're doing with them. There are some really nice brands that do vaginal probiotics now with them. There are some really nice brands that do vaginal probiotics now [01:14:33] that we know if you take them already, they can make them through to the vaginal tract und isturbed. And there are also vaginal probiotic pessaries you can get as well now, but you normally have to get these things through practitioners. Yeah, so it's highly specialized. Yeah, okay. But I think it's interesting that the field is improving so unexplained infertility [01:14:54] is becoming explained or maybe it's not even infertility. So there's a lot of interesting research going on in this field. And what I find with unexplained interesting research going on in this field. And what I find with unexplained infertility is that there's rarely one cause. It's normally a whole host of different factors. So, you know, some people come in and they say, they're very worried, you know, maybe they [01:15:18] even be told it's just your egg health. It's because of your age. But actually we find there are things on both sides that are contributing towards them towards their difficulties. It's not, it's very rarely just one thing. It's often a whole host of, you know It's not, it's very rarely just one thing. It's often a whole host of, you know , different things contributing towards their struggles. [01:15:37] And I think especially when you talk about HP1C, the kind of long-term block-o- host levels, it's a sign of something else is not working as it should, like insulin resistance. So often it's multifactorial, but it's also a lot of different processes that are interlinked infertility. And I think you put it very nicely that everything needs to come together. [01:15:59] Because it's so demanding to have an egg, it's so demanding to make a Because it's so demanding to have an egg, it's so demanding to make a functional sperm cell. And it's even more demanding to actually create life from these two sub-parts. So I do think it's a lot of different moving pieces that need to come together. Definitely. And Natasha, if people want to learn more about what you're doing and where you're located, we would link to your profile in the bio as well. But how [01:16:25] can people follow your work and get even more knowledgeable about how you work and what follow your work and get even more knowledgeable about how you work and what you do? Yes, well, I'll be launching a few lessons on the Concevio app soon. So you can find out a bit more about some of those steps on there. And you can also find me on my website , which is [01:16:43] www.nenutrition.co.uk. And my Instagram is the same. So @nenutrition. I'm based in Surrey, which is on the outskirts of London, but I see 98% of my clients online. If you are in Surrey, you can come see me space space at my home. We can have a If you are in Surrey, you can come see me space space at my home. We can have a cup of tea and have a chat. Otherwise, I basically see everyone online. And I do also work at the Human Clinic in [01:17:10] Mayfair in London. So if someone wants to see me face space there, then we can meet that too. Great. And I would love to meet you for a cup of tea and not doing anything else, but just drinking tea and not talking. I think that's... We also need that. So I can only encourage you to follow Natasha and her... Yeah, and her different activities. There's a lot of follow Natasha and her... Yeah, and her different activities. There's a lot of [01:17:30] interesting things. You're doing... So I can only encourage you to follow her one way or the other. For everyone listening to find links to Natasha's website and her fertility 360 method, please see the show note captions. If you're listening through any podcast provider, more insightful make sure to download our free Concevio app. In the Concevio app, you can see episodes of this podcast, video content, articles, and a specialized fertility [01:17:56] episodes of this podcast, video content, articles, and a specialized fertility community. Until next time, take care and thank you for your interest in fertility and science-based tools for optimizing fertility and all-ball health.