This content is for educational purposes only. It has been reviewed for scientific accuracy, but it does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional regarding medical questions or fertility treatment decisions.
Reviewed for scientific accuracy by: Dr. Mona Bungum
Last reviewed: February 2026
Lifestyle matters for fertility. A BMC Public Health study found that women with 4–5 healthy habits had a 59% lower risk of infertility.
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takes 3 minutes to complete00:00:04 And good morning or good evening wherever, wherever you are. Uh, right now. So first of all, welcome to tonight's webinar. We are waiting 1 or 2 minutes before we really start the webinar so we can get the last people joining the call. And, uh, if you want to share, I know we have a pretty international audience today, so please share your location and we can see if we can maybe get the whole world map. I mean, that would be impressive. Um. can maybe get the whole world map. I mean, that would be impressive. Um.
00:00:44 And for you that are just joining the webinar, we are waiting 1 or 2 minutes before we really dig into the information. So in the meantime, if you want to share, you can share your location and we can see, uh, our audience and, and, and where we are located. and we can see, uh, our audience and, and, and where we are located. And I know we are, especially today, we have a very large audience. So for the people that signed up was basically located all around the world. So I'm looking forward to see, uh, if
00:01:18 we can represent all the continents. So please share if you like. If you don't, it's also completely fine. And for you that are just joining the webinar, we are waiting one more minute before we, uh, go into the presentation. more minute before we, uh, go into the presentation. It gives us time to let the, the people that are finishing the cooking or whatever they are doing to, to release dinner time, isn't it? Yeah. Hopefully everybody will be
00:01:47 having a very, a very healthy, full of antioxidants dinner tonight, at least I would know how to implement it after the webinar. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's a good idea. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's a good idea. Absolutely. No, not takeaways and not fried food. So I think now we are two minutes past and I'm sure people will still be joining. But now we just, uh, start the webinar and, um, and then people can ask their questions and join later.
00:02:20 So, um, yeah, welcome, welcome to tonight's webinar, uh, from Conceivio. We here, we discuss fertility and science based tools that can help you optimize your fertility and science based tools that can help you optimize your fertility and chance of becoming pregnant. My name is Sebastian and I'm a scientist and co-founder of Conceivio. I have worked many years in science and I obtained my PhD at the hospital. But personally,
00:02:45 I have been on this fertility journey for more than seven years, and I have made it my mission to help others trying to conceive. And that's founded in my experience by going online, trying to find the right information, and then actually implement some of this information. right information, and then actually implement some of this information. So my personal journey have made this my primary interest. Today our speaker is Pilar. Pilar. She is a leading nutritional therapist located in the UK. She's also a certified
00:03:16 functional medicine practitioner with the Institute of Functional Medicine in the US. Pilar has more than 15 years experience in supporting both men and women trying to conceive. And she and I know. And she has a special interest in And she and I know. And she has a special interest in advanced and functional testing. She works both, uh, with virtually with her clinic, but also helps on creating programs and participating in group support and teaching sessions
00:03:43 sessions together with Pilar. It is our desire to provide you with the exact science based educational content with infertility that can help you separate the confusing and sometimes misleading information to what is founded in science. To deliver that, to what is founded in science. To deliver that, we are kind of kick starting with this with this webinar series, but our app is launching in October. In the app, we give you access to free educational content, including a personalized,
00:04:13 personalized generated program that is based on your needs. Furthermore, we have an anonymous community and our science trade trade coach, which we call Conceivio, that you can chat with instantly for free. And these forums. And the coach has been trained on for free. And these forums. And the coach has been trained on science data and are there for your guidance, your questions, and your support. But for today with Pilar, she's going to teach us how we can improve the amount of antioxidants in
00:04:42 our meal and how that can help with optimizing and preserving fertility. And important for fertility is how we preserve sperm and egg quality in the end, pillar and I are hosting a QA session, so if you have any questions during the webinar, feel free to note them down in the chat or remember them and ask them at the end of the webinar. the chat or remember them and ask them at the end of the webinar. So with that welcome pillar, thank you. Thank you so much for having me. And well, thank you, everybody else on the on the
00:05:12 call for joining as well. Um, so Sebastian mentioned his, his own fertility journey. Um, I have my own fertility journey, but many years ago, um, and it's a very different sort of, um, landscape at the moment. Right. Because when I started my fertility journey, there was zero information out there. There was nothing. journey, there was zero information out there. There was nothing. Whereas now there might be an there's an overwhelming amount of information. And in the same way that, you know,
00:05:38 sort of Sebastian's, his mission is to sort of help people basically get pregnant for me is making, you know, making sure that people understand the information out there, make the most of it, use what's good for them and doesn't get near what it's no good for them. So that's kind of my, my, my mission in, in my professional life at the, at the moment. And, um, I've been working in life at the, at the moment. And, um, I've been working in this field for many years. And antioxidants is one of those
00:06:03 areas that is really is very rewarding because it has a huge, a hugely positive effect on, on your wellbeing and as a result, your fertility. So let's just, uh, just get started. Yeah. Should we just start, you know, sort of like talking about antioxidants and what's good for you? I've put together a little bit of a presentation here as a bit of a guide, but also because then Sebastian of a guide, but also because then Sebastian
00:06:30 can can share it with you later. And that way you got the pointers in there and a list of the foods and a list of the tests and all that. So it can, it can be a bit of a reference document later if you need it. So purple carrot, that's me or my company and this is me. So yes, I'm a nutritional therapist and, uh, I'm qualified in the UK and the US and and I work worldwide because I'm virtual these days. Um, so let's talk about antioxidants and the role they play in fertility. So I want to take a couple of steps
00:06:57 and the role they play in fertility. So I want to take a couple of steps back because antioxidants is like what everybody knows about and talks about. But the question is why? Why is it why are they important? I mean, you know, how why does it matter whether you're going after antioxidants in your body or not? Um, and, um, let's just sort of like go back to basics a little bit. And I just realized that my camera froze. So I think I'm going to turn off my camera just in case you can hear me well, and I'll turn it back on in a
00:07:26 camera just in case you can hear me well, and I'll turn it back on in a little bit just in case that helps. Um, so just going back to basics, antioxidants are those compounds in foods. So those, those chemicals, those the good stuff in foods that can scavenge that grab and vacuum and neutralize free radicals. So now the question is like, what is a free radical? What else is that? And a free radical is basically a nasty little molecule. It's something that kind of like appears in your body,
00:07:54 either because of something that your body is producing. So it can be endogenous or something that you've, So it can be endogenous or something that you've, you've exposed your body to either by eating it or kind of like putting yourself in that environment. And it can cause damage to your, to your, um, to your DNA, to your cells, to your, um, to your tissues. And we'll talk about that a little bit, a little bit later. The best known or the most spoken about and free radical is
00:08:20 something called Ros or reactive reactive oxygen. Oxygen species, which are low and moderate levels are actually necessary. So there's a lot of things in levels are actually necessary. So there's a lot of things in our body that in large amounts are bad for us, but a little bit of it is necessary. Same with inflammation, right? If you hurt yourself, if you've got an infection, if you've got a cut, you need a bit of inflammation for you from your immune system
00:08:45 and for your immune system to help you heal in small amounts. You know, sort of rife inflammation, sort of, you know, sort of, um, widespread inflammation. Even if it's a low level, it's not good. Neither is oxidation. So when we got a lot of oxidative it's not good. Neither is oxidation. So when we got a lot of oxidative stress and we'll see the equation that put together in the next slide just to explain exactly what it is. When oxidation is high, the body starts inflaming. It starts damaging, damaging its DNA
00:09:15 and and causing damage to the cells. So now this is trying to resonate with with fertility, right? So we got DNA. We've got cells. They they do play a really important role in fertility. Our eggs and sperm are full of DNA and their cells. Right. Our eggs and sperm are full of DNA and their cells. Right. So if we damage them, the chances of conception or successful fertilization are gonna be lower. And the higher the oxidation, the higher the inflammation, the higher the risk of chronic diseases.
00:09:43 That's not what we're talking about. But it's an important thing to remember that when you're sort of working on your oxidative stress, you're not just working on your fertility. You are for the time being, but you're basically working on your on your long term health and decreasing the risk of, you know, your on your long term health and decreasing the risk of, you know, things like cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Um, so we've already mentioned that, you know, limited amounts of, um,
00:10:11 of this reactive oxygen species are important for sperm production, but also for fertilization. And we'll see that fine tune between having no oxidation at all and having a small amount when the egg and the sperm meet. And we get that magic where the embryo is produced and it gets implanted. So what antioxidants? embryo is produced and it gets implanted. So what antioxidants? Well, some of them can be produced by the body, the alpha lipoic acid. And if you've been on this fertility journey for more than three days,
00:10:41 you will know exactly what I'm talking about. An antioxidant that supports your egg and sperm quality. It can also regulate your hormones a little bit. And glutathione. So those two can be produced by the body. We can find them in foods. We can find them in supplements. And we'll talk about the foods and we'll talk about the supplements later. They can also be found in fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, They can also be found in fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds,
00:11:03 extra virgin olive oil avocados, vegetable or fruit actually. So can you see, you know, where are we going to get them from? You know, basically all the good, healthy, fresh, nourishing stuff. If you look at sort of things like, you know, processed food, uh, you know, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, a pizza delivery, it's not going to be any nothing, nothing in there. Right? You need to go back to the fresh stuff that you get from the greengrocers, you know, from the organic shop.
00:11:29 Uh, and if not from the supermarket, but, you know, the good stuff. Uh, and if not from the supermarket, but, you know, the good stuff. Now, what are the free radical sources? I mean, where are these reactive oxygen species? Where are they nasties coming from? So let's stop for a minute and think they come from the environment, but they also come from us, from our body. I'm going to turn the camera on, see if it works. Now. If it doesn't,
00:11:50 I'll turn it back on again. Um, and Sebastian, do let me know if the camera is causing any issues with, uh, with, uh, with the sound. So as I said, you know, radical, uh, free radicals can come from, So as I said, you know, radical, uh, free radicals can come from, from our body, from cell metabolism. So just to sort of explain what cell metabolism is, it's basically the energy production. So if you heard about or you know anything about the mitochondria. Mitochondria is what I describe as the engine of cell but also
00:12:16 the sperm. We'll see that later. So it's the little engine that kind of takes in, uh, resources, typically glucose and makes energy for you to kind of get, you know, get, get through your day. That produces, uh, free radicals. It produces reactive species. That produces, uh, free radicals. It produces reactive species. And I kind of equate this a little bit to sort of like an open fire, right? and open fire produces energy. It warms you up, right? So cell metabolism will also warm you up and produce, you know,
00:12:44 increase your temperature. But it also produces this sort of byproduct of free radicals. So one of the I mean, this is completely normal and the body and unexpected. And the body does this on a, you know, not daily basis, every millisecond of your life, right? Because you're producing energy. millisecond of your life, right? Because you're producing energy. Otherwise, if I had no energy, I wouldn't be talking to you. Right. Um, and the body's got this sort of sources of antioxidants, this,
00:13:09 this procedures that comes up, this, this free radicals to make sure that they're not producing or they're not causing any harm. Mhm. Um, if, for example, we eat too much food, we carry excess weight. The cell metabolism is going to be upregulated. You're going to be producing a much higher level of, of free radicals. You're going to be producing a much higher level of, of free radicals. If you exercising a lot. That's later on in the in this in this this bullet points. But if you exercise a lot,
00:13:38 you're going to be producing and burning a lot of energy. You're going to increase the heat. You're going to increase that, that oxidative stress or that that oxygen, um, load. That is not to say that exercise is not good for you. That's not what I'm saying at all. Right. Exercise is amazing for you, for your your physical health, mental health, general well-being, you know, keeping your weight in mental health, general well-being, you know, keeping your weight in
00:14:02 check and for fertility as well, excessive exercise, you know, sort of doing like ultramarathons or a marathon. If you haven't run more than a mile in your life or, you know, sort of all of a sudden taking up, you know, some sort of like trial, triathlon, uh, challenge when you're trying to conceive might not be the best of ideas because you're oxidation is going to increase. And as a, as a sort of as a side effect, your, your eggs, your sperm might be affected, your hormonal balance might be affected.
00:14:27 your sperm might be affected, your hormonal balance might be affected. So be sensible if you exercise exercising quite a bit, you know, maybe you want to take it back a bit or continue to do it if you're happy with that. If you're not exercising at all, take it up like, you know, sort of do a little bit of moderate exercise, start walking, you know, maybe progress to gentle jogging, jogging, go to the gym, but be sensible. Don't do anything too extreme. And that's kind of coming from us, from inside our body as we kind of,
00:14:57 you know, live our lives. But there's also, um, you know, live our lives. But there's also, um, external sources. There's pollution, which sadly, there's not that much we can do about. I mean, you know, we can do sort of like, you know, little bits to sort of make pollution as a general sort of element sort of get better, but on a sort of like on an individual basis, like you're on pollution, sort of exposure is quite
00:15:18 difficult to control smoking that is 100% controllable, right? Smoking, nicotine gum, uh, vaping, God forbid all of those things. Um, incredibly harmful because they increase the oxidation, Um, incredibly harmful because they increase the oxidation, they increase your inflammation and They will directly affect your chances of conceiving. So there's one thing that you can do is to start taking a look at, you know, the toxins that you bring your body, your smoking. If you do any drugs that you may be
00:15:44 doing any, any sort of amount of alcohol, that is more than, you know, a teeny weeny little bit on the, on the weekends. And that's something that you can definitely action on as soon as we, you know, we finish this presentation radiation. And, you know, there's different kinds of radiation. And, you know, there's different kinds of radiation. There's sort of like the thing that you need if you, you know, God forbid, um, are diagnosed with cancer.
00:16:05 But there's also things like, you know, carrying your mobile phone, kind of like stuck to your body all the time and even worse, putting in your pocket because if you put it in your trousers pocket, guess what it is? It's very close to your, your testis and your ovaries. Don't put it there, don't put it there. Just put it somewhere else in your handbag because and if you can, you know, the minute you sort of like sitting down somewhere, just put it somewhere, you know,
00:16:26 you know, on the table somewhere else. So it's not next to you. Um, you know, sort of being very close to sort Um, you know, sort of being very close to sort of like those electricity masks. It's not good either. Right. Try not to do that medication. It can be a free radical source, but you need it. If you need that medication, then what you need to do is uptake the, the, the antioxidants, not kind of reduce the medication exercise. We've spoken about heavy metals.
00:16:49 That's a really interesting one because, um, there's a lot of sort of like detox, um, you know, talk and presentations and, you know, sort of handouts and things are out on the internet. The liver is amazing. The liver would do the job for you. The liver is amazing. The liver would do the job for you. You know, the liver is there to detox, to eliminate all the rubbish that sort of concentrates in your body and needs to get out. Right. Heavy metals, however, can have a very, a very sort of, um, um,
00:17:16 a very high impact on our wellbeing if we're supposed to too much of them. So what am I talking about? I'm talking about um things like um lead there is less and less in, fuels, but there's still quite a um lead there is less and less in, fuels, but there's still quite a bit in the in the in the air because it's in the air. It's going to end up in the water. And if you drink tap water, it might be there. Um, Mercury, you know, everybody knows about Mercury, right? It's in the sea.
00:17:42 It's in the fish we eat. It's in the seafood we eat. So I'm not saying don't eat any fish at all. I'm saying is that if you like fish and you enjoy eating it, try to eat. The cleaner the better. And also the smaller the better. Fatty fish, things like swordfish and tuna, like a huge. Fatty fish, things like swordfish and tuna, like a huge. Which basically means they spend a lot of time in the in the water, in the ocean, absorbing, absorbing all these metals and
00:18:08 metals and also micro, you know, microplastics and all this stuff. Right? So the smaller the fish, the better. So if you've got a choice between anchovies or sardines, um, and, and tuna, definitely go for sardines. Even if they're smelly, they're so good for you. Um, and all the other heavy metals, things like aluminium, for example, you know, things, you know, sort of if you cook in aluminium pans, you might be you know, sort of if you cook in aluminium pans, you might be
00:18:33 getting a little bit of that. It might leach into the into the water or the sauce. And that might be a relatively small amount. But if you get takeaways, you know, those little sort of containers, if you stick those in the oven, if you reheat them, if you leave the food in there, you might actually be sort of increasing your amount, the amount of aluminium that you're ingesting if you eat a rice, believe it or not, because the, the, the bacteria in the, in the rice paddies sort of, uh, metabolize the,
00:18:56 the bacteria in the, in the rice paddies sort of, uh, metabolize the, the aluminium in a way that, um, the aluminium and also the arsenic was referring to arsenic there, um, the metabolised, the arsenic, so it becomes absorbable by our bodies. So we've talked about arsenic, we talked about aluminium, we've talked about mercury. So anything that you can sort of reduce would be absolutely amazing. If you got any concerns about your exposure to any of these metals might be a good thing to do a test. It tends to be a urine test.
00:19:27 So basically the test is how much of these metals you So basically the test is how much of these metals you secreting through the urine. You can do a blood test as well, but it's not quite as conclusive because these metals tend to be tend to be hidden or sort of like kept in the fat cells. That's how the body stores them if it's not eliminating them. So you can test, especially if you have any sort of symptoms of like severe joint, severe and constant chronic joint pain that
00:19:51 is not explained by anything else. Brain fog, excessive weight loss, weight loss, or weight gain. That's not really explained by anything either. It might be something worth anything either. It might be something worth exploring if you got any concerns. Now the food we eat. It is so important that we eat things that are foods that are freshly prepared from fresh ingredients, from raw ingredients, from basic ingredients. So when you buy a ready to eat meal,
00:20:16 you know, you sort of felt that proverbial, you know, sort of lasagna from, from the supermarket. It's going to have additives. It's going to have preservatives, it's going to have colorings, it's going to have flavorings. It's going to have a ton of other stuff that you don't want to put in your body, because the chemicals and your body to put in your body, because the chemicals and your body is going to react in a way that is going to increase your oxidation.
00:20:37 So try to reduce those ready to eat foods, especially the deep fried. So the things like, um, you know, Kentucky fried chicken or fried chicken in general, because those foods have additives, they're not fresh, but also because they're fried in reused oil. Those foods have a huge, a very high oxidative component. Those foods have a huge, a very high oxidative component. So those are the foods to kind of like really shy away from because you can put back on the shelf and just go for raw chicken and cook
00:21:07 it at home because they, they can really increase your, your oxidation. Some of these takeaways are very sort of protein and carb oriented. There's not veg in them because we know that veg are the foods that provide antioxidants. You can end up with a lot of free radicals and not enough antioxidants to control them. And that is kind of what the problem is in terms of And that is kind of what the problem is in terms of controlling those reactions. So cooking methods are paramount.
00:21:37 So if you take if there's anything that you take away from here today is how you cook your food. High temperatures, reusing oil, Brent food, all of those things cause create free radicals that you can't ingest. So if you bake in something in the oven, especially if you've got a fan, a fan oven, you can lower the temperature by ten, 20, 40 degrees. It will still cook. temperature by ten, 20, 40 degrees. It will still cook. It might not get all nice and crispy, and it might not have those
00:22:06 burnt bits that I know. I know it tastes really good, but not great for you. Um, so lower the temperature because all those burn bits, all those really sort of brown bits, they, they're substances. They're chemicals that are, you know, they increase your oxidation. They can even be carcinogenic. They can actually increase your your risk of, of developing cancer later in life. So the lower the temperature, of developing cancer later in life. So the lower the temperature,
00:22:30 the better. That brings me to those air fryer things. I know they don't have any fat, but you know, fat is not the problem, right? If you use good fats in moderation, they can actually help you, you know, with your cell health, your, your, your egg and sperm quality, because the membranes around those, those, those gametes, the egg and the sperm are a matter of fact, good fats. However, if you put something in the air fryer and you crank up the temperature,
00:23:00 the chances are that that food is going to create some free radicals. So lower temperature, adding some liquids in there, right? So making a soup is better than sort of like really frying veggies at a very high temperature. If you're making a stir fry, you know you want a high temperature. But what I tend to recommend is use a good quality oil, don't reuse it, and then add little splashes of water to, you know, to bring the temperature down so you don't scorch the food. Don't reuse the oil ever, ever, ever. You use it once and you throw it
00:23:29 Don't reuse the oil ever, ever, ever. You use it once and you throw it away. If you think that you're wasting a lot of oil, that basically means that you're deep frying a lot and you probably shouldn't either, right? So using a little bit of oil when you sort of shallow frying your fish, your meat, your chicken, your veggies, you saute some onions for a salt for a pasta sauce, absolutely fine. Buy some good quality oil like extra virgin olive oil and keep the temperature down so it doesn't burn.
00:23:56 Right. Um, so we talked a bit about Right. Um, so we talked a bit about Brentford already. And then the last thing is stress. It appears everywhere doesn't have any fertility. So although you know a lot of the medical profession seem to, to sort of believe or kind of advise that stress doesn't make any difference. it does in small amounts. I mean, it's not the main component, but it kind of affects every single factor that we're looking
00:24:22 at in terms of fertility. And also, you know, it doesn't make you feel great. So, you know, sort of anything that we can do to reduce stress because stress will increase that we can do to reduce stress because stress will increase oxidation will help you in terms of preserving the egg and sperm quality and balancing your hormones. So now this is my next point is my equation. So if your free radicals are higher than your antioxidant load, or you know, the antioxidants that
00:24:47 you can produce, you can ingest, or you've got in your body, you can end up with oxidative stress, oxidative stress. But we don't want to be because that increases inflammation, damages your tissues. It can affect your DNA and it damages your tissues. It can affect your DNA and it can affect your cell health. So inflammation and fertility do not go well together. There's a couple of points in that fertility journey. You know, when your embryo is
00:25:11 implanted and you want a little bit more inflammation, but that comes from within. You don't have to do anything about it. You don't want your tissues inflamed, especially if you've got any sort of hormonal imbalances, like for example, endometriosis. You don't want any tissue inflammation around your endometrium because that's what's going that's where your embryo is going to implant. what's going that's where your embryo is going to implant.
00:25:30 You don't want any DNA or any cell damage because that would affect your egg and your sperm quality. So the less oxidative stress, the better. And don't worry, you know, in a couple of slides, we'll talk about how to increase your antioxidant load naturally and reduce your oxidative stress, because this is all very good in terms of theory. But we need to, you know, we need to get to the action points, like how do we make this better? So what I've done is I've divided this into male and female fertility.
00:25:57 And this gives me a little bit of water here. Mhm. And this gives me a little bit of water here. Mhm. So in terms of male fertility, there's a ton of research out there. Excuse me. There was. MM. I'm sorry. That was the wrong way. Excuse me. Anyway, so there's a huge amount of research out there in terms of how oxidative stress or increased free radicals can affect sperm parameters. oxidative stress or increased free radicals can affect sperm parameters. At the end of the presentation, there's quite a few, um,
00:26:34 research reports that have been referenced over there. Feel free, you know, enjoy the reading. This is just a summary of them. And there's a lot more information as well. Just kind of make sure that whenever you go and read something online, it's backed by research. Like Sebastian was saying, like I was saying, I mean, these days you cannot go out on the internet and say anything you want. Like, you know, all you need for fertility is milk and turmeric.
00:26:58 No, no one's going to stop me from saying that, No, no one's going to stop me from saying that, but it's absolutely not true. Um, so in terms of, um, you know, how the sperm parameters are affected. So excess excess oxidation affects the mitochondria. The mitochondria is basically what lives in that little triangle under the head of the sperm. So that's where the engine of the of the sperm is. And it's not just what's going to make it to sort of swim,
00:27:24 but it's also what's going to keep it fed and, and, and, and alive, you know, through the time that it's waiting to be, to be ejaculated. you know, through the time that it's waiting to be, to be ejaculated. And it can also excessive oxidation can also affect motility. So if the engine is not working very well and the flagella, so that little sort of like tail thingy that you see at the at the end of the sperm is not moving as it should be. Sperm is not going to get anywhere. Right. Or if it gets there,
00:27:47 it gets there when it's too old or the egg's already gone. Um, and then the sperm plasma membrane. So that's kind of the little membrane that goes around. It contains a ton of fatty acids. That's what I was saying earlier. And those fatty acids are amazing. They keep it nice pliable you And those fatty acids are amazing. They keep it nice pliable you know lets nutrients in. It doesn't let nasty. But it's very. The fats are very sensitive, they are vulnerable to oxidative damage.
00:28:12 And if that happens, then that sperm is going to be damaged. And, you know, as a, as a whole, um, it can also affect the maturation of the sperm. So a sperm that is not mature, it's not going to fertilize an egg appropriately. And as we've already sort of mentioned, it can um, affect or damage the flagella, the tail and affect the motility. affect or damage the flagella, the tail and affect the motility. Um, and then one other thing that this is really important because
00:28:37 the sperm itself does not have any antioxidants inside. It's basically left to its own devices to survive. Um, and the one thing that's really important is that is to understand that the antioxidants are in the fluid, in that in the rest of the semen. So the semen contains contains sperm, but it's also proteins in there. So those proteins need to be protected with, um, with antioxidants. protected with, um, with antioxidants.
00:29:02 But those antioxidants also protect, um, our, our sperm Wouldn't mind particularly, you know, it's from in general and DNA is from DNA can also be affected by oxidative stress. So with all those things together, you know that oxidative stress is definitely damaging to to male fertility. But that's not the whole story. There's still a little bit more. And the link between sperm production and hormones is really, really strong. production and hormones is really, really strong.
00:29:32 So the testes or the, the cells in the testicles that produce sperm don't just do it at their own whim. They do it because they get an order from the brain. And that comes through lots of feedback loops from your testosterone, your pituitary, and another hormone called LH. So increased oxidation would affect your levels of testosterone. And if your testosterone is low, your levels of testosterone. And if your testosterone is low, your sperm production is going to be lower.
00:30:04 Now if your oxidation is high, that can lead to high stress. So you see stress causes oxidation. But oxidation can also affect your stress. And that would increase your cortisol. When your cortisol is high, a hormone called LH or luteinizing hormone, which women also produce through the menstrual cycle to get that egg released when it's mature, um, the LH would decrease and a decrease in that situation. um, the LH would decrease and a decrease in that situation.
00:30:33 And that would decrease in testosterone and therefore sperm production. So it's not just that oxidation can affect the quality of the sperm. It can also affect how the sperm is produced. Um, and now a really interesting and useful bit of information for you, if you haven't really explored this area is okay, there might be oxidation. How do I check it? What do I do about this? I mean, I can, I can sort of increase my antioxidants, but do I need to do I want to go and test.
00:30:59 increase my antioxidants, but do I need to do I want to go and test. Well, if you want to go and test, there's quite a few things that you can explore. So first and foremost, you should always start with a with a semen analysis to get, you know, your, uh, concentration volume, agglutination, your, um, liquefaction, your, um, normal forms, just to see what the basics are. See if there's any sort of a presence of, or indication of a See if there's any sort of a presence of, or indication of a
00:31:30 potential infection that's completely separate from oxidation. But you know, it's good to, it's good to sort of like discuss the things your DNA fragmentation, you know, something called a comet test. The that's what we what we call it in the UK. But it can, you know, these are the these are the tests, uh, on all over the world that will tell you the damage or the level of damage of your of your sperm DNA. And that can be addressed through antioxidants and, and also through supplements and changes to your
00:31:56 antioxidants and, and also through supplements and changes to your diet that will increase your or support your DNA replication, because that's kind of what we do when we're producing, um, sperm or when we are building up, um, an embryo as, as women and this, then there's other things that are a little bit more functional and this testing both, I mean, not the semen analysis and DNA fragmentation, but from here onwards applies to females as well. So the rest of the testing is more functional and it's more linked
00:32:26 So the rest of the testing is more functional and it's more linked to the basically urine tests. Um some urine tests. Some of them are not. I'll tell you which ones are which. So um the HODG um is basically um a metabolite that we find in the urine. And when it's elevated it's a marker for increased oxidation. So you can test that as part of, for example a Dutch test if you're familiar with that, but you can also test it separately. Glutathione. Again it can be done as an organic acid. It can be measured in in urine.
00:32:59 Again it can be done as an organic acid. It can be measured in in urine. And because glutathione, an important antioxidant, if your levels are very low, you know that you might need to increase the sources of glutathione in your in your body or, you know, sort of talk to a professional in order to get to get some supplements, vitamin C, vitamin E and Omegas. This will be a blood test. But so these three are really important in order to sort of see if your levels of this of these nutrients are the right levels.
00:33:29 And I've said omega three, nine, six because three and nine are. And I've said omega three, nine, six because three and nine are. And the less oxidative, the anti-inflammatory where six can be pro-inflammatory. So this, this will give you a good picture of what's happening with oxidation and potential inflammation in your body. And then lipid peroxidases. This is a urine test as well. And it's a really it's a what we were talking about, the membrane around the sperm that could affect, um,
00:33:57 um, the quality of the of the spam. If your fats are being oxidized, um, the quality of the of the spam. If your fats are being oxidized, you can. You can end up in a in a whole, in a well, in a sort of oxidative stress situation. So it's something that you can test and you can address if necessary. I'm putting here DNA testing. And by that I mean testing your genes. You know, doing one of those sort of like 23. I'm the one that Nordic Laboratories,
00:34:21 which I think is called DNA life runs. And there's other places that run them as well. They will tell you if you've got a propensity to oxidize, They will tell you if you've got a propensity to oxidize, if you got a propensity to have higher oxidation, inflammation, or you could have a need for higher antioxidants in your diet. I approach that with caution because those are your genes. That's what you've been dealt with. Uh, that's not necessarily what your
00:34:50 body is doing at this point in time, because one thing has changed. And another thing is like, what are you doing based on your epigenetics? So your genes are turned on and off based on what you do with your life. So your genes are turned on and off based on what you do with your life. So if you've got a huge propensity to inflame, but your diet is incredibly anti-inflammatory, you're not going to inflame it at all. Right? So you can do that as a baseline test to see what basically how you made, and then make sure that you take action to ensure that your lifestyle,
00:35:20 your epigenetics, support your genetic background. And then you can also check your mitochondria. And this is kind of really big test. It's all based on metabolites. And this is kind of really big test. It's all based on metabolites. It's a very expensive test and it can be done. But I would say that checking your mitochondria as part of a really sort of in-depth functional test is something that I would only recommend after we've done everything else. And we still don't have an answer and
00:35:48 we still don't have a pregnancy and still you don't feel well. Right. Um, and that's, that's what I've got in terms of male fertility. Female fertility is not dissimilar, but it's got some some areas Female fertility is not dissimilar, but it's got some some areas that are slightly different. And if you bear with me one second, I'm going to go on and turn the lights on because I realized I was getting quite dark. Just give me one second. That's where you can see me again. I can see myself getting darker
00:36:20 and darker and all the time. Okay, so in terms of female fertility and so then the one thing that's really important is the follicular fluid. So that the, the, the eggs are the follicular fluid. So that the, the, the eggs are kind of what I call in the deep freeze that is kind of in storage. And then they get to release, they can mature and they get to the follicles and then they get developed in that follicular fluid is not full of nutrients. It's not full of antioxidants.
00:36:46 It's going to lower the egg quality. It can affect the DNA. And then that's going to have an impact, a negative impact on the fertilization rates. Um, really interesting because there's a couple of different, um, hormonal imbalances. there's a couple of different, um, hormonal imbalances. I mean, there's many, right? But there's a couple that have a direct impact on oxidation, um, insulin resistance, which in some cases can, um, derive sort of like end up having
00:37:14 a bit of an effect on your testosterone and your LH levels, something called PCOS, if you're familiar with that, but not in all, in all cases. And also, I mean, they're like normally quite linked, but not always 100% of the times insulin resistance, you know, um, ends up being PCOS. And PCOS is not always sort of you know, um, ends up being PCOS. And PCOS is not always sort of like linked to your, to your, to your insulin resistance. They can create oxidation. The more insulin resistance,
00:37:38 the more glucose that's going around your body, the more, uh, free sugars that we have around our bloodstream, the more oxidation. So testing your blood sugar, making sure that your meals are some balance, making sure that if there's any concerns about your glucose or your insulin, if there's any family history, if you're overweight, if you know there's any concerns about diabetes, if you're overweight, if you know there's any concerns about diabetes, this is a really good starting point. Now, endometriosis or
00:38:07 endometriosis or excess estrogen have been linked to oxidation, but it's more the other way around. So endometriosis can increase your oxidation. So when you find that you've got you diagnosed with either of these two conditions focusing on reducing oxidation, focusing on having enough antioxidants in your diet is fundamental. Um. So moderate. Levels of reactive oxygen is fundamental. Um. So moderate. Levels of reactive oxygen species support implantation. So that's what I was talking
00:38:44 about earlier. Um oxidation reactive oxygen species in excess, but no one is going to contest that. However, these times in our life when we need a little bit of antioxidation. So we need it when we're just need a little bit of antioxidation. So we need it when we're just about to implant the embryo. So when the embryo is kind of grafting its way into them into the endometrium, and also when the placenta is well developed in the arteries,
00:39:12 but the arteries are going into the placenta are being developed. We need a little bit of antioxidant as well. But our body is really good at managing that, reducing the oxidation. And that small level of inflammation is necessary. What am I putting this in here? What I'm putting this in here because we're going to talk about it later. What I'm putting this in here because we're going to talk about it later. But in terms of supplements, you know, buying every antioxidant
00:39:34 in the sun and having like triple dose of it might actually not be the right thing to do because we do need that little bit of oxidation. And research shows that with the right amount of antioxidants is brilliant, but having too much of it might actually not have any effect whatsoever. And I can actually it can actually affect those two, three, four different sort of instances when we need oxidation and actually cause some harm. So be gentle on them on the supplements.
00:39:59 So be gentle on them on the supplements. So again, testing for female fertility, I would do, you know, we do sort of a full, you know, sperm test and a DNA fragmentation for men. We test hormones there too. We test testosterone because we know affects um sperm production. But for females, a full hormonal panel on day two. Because if we see that there's any imbalances in there and we can really explain, explain why they're happening, or if we see as excess estrogen,
00:40:29 explain why they're happening, or if we see as excess estrogen, then we can sort of start kind of wondering about oxidation, a Dutch, because it has that, because it's great to know what your hormones are, obviously, but also because it's got that amazing organic acids. But at the end, that's going to help us understand how your oxidating. And also it's going to give us a really good reading for your your glutathione. So your again, your HODG, your glutathione, your cellular micronutrients like vitamin C,
00:40:59 vitamin E, your omegas, uh, your fats and your mitochondria vitamin E, your omegas, uh, your fats and your mitochondria all absolutely fantastic. Like for, you know, for, for males DNA testing, we've talked about it. And then your sugar, your glucose, your HB one AC, your glucose levels, your insulin, just to make sure that your blood sugar is regulated, that it's not, um, it's not too high because that would be causing oxidation and that applies to males, um, as well. And then if you go endometriosis,
00:41:27 applies to males, um, as well. And then if you go endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, all this, the suspicion always investigated because it would help you in terms of reducing the oxidation. So how do we reduce free radicals. So now we get into the like, okay, what do we do about all this? So free radical reduction would be, uh, increased, right. Or free radicals will be reduced by quality sleep, moderate exercise. But again, don't go crazy and exercise managing your weight. If there's any way to lose,
00:41:58 exercise managing your weight. If there's any way to lose, do it. Do it sensibly. Don't go on a crazy diet. That's the last thing we need. Um, reduce toxins, for example, use of a filter for your water. Right. So drinking bottled water might not be amazing because plastic is never good for you. Uh, and it's expensive and it's bad for the planet. Get a filter. It's really good quality filter. Try to relax to reduce their stress. That could cause oxidation. Cook gently.
00:42:25 We talked about it before and then cook instead of buying that ready to eat food. If you're in a situation where you ready to eat food. If you're in a situation where you cannot control what you're eating. Compensation. Compensation is the key here. Eat more broccoli. More broccoli. More kale or spinach? More berries. Excuse me, but that's not free. That's not a free pass either, right? So you can just, like eat McDonald's and they have a couple bits of broccoli. It needs to be balanced.
00:42:52 Um, use your sunscreen. Don't burn. I mean, having a little bit of a tan is fine, but if you burn, that causes a huge amount of oxidation. Avoid alcohol, stop smoking and reduce sugar and any refined carbohydrates. And now how do we boost our antioxidants. And this is how we do it through daily life, how we do it through real food, which is obviously my, you know, always my preferred way of working with my clients. So glutathione and alpha lipoic acid are things that our body
00:43:24 produces and they, it produces them with protein and B vitamins. So NAC n-acetylcysteine is also a protein consumed. You know, it's an amino acid. But let's make sure that you get enough protein in your in your diets. So that's not to say that we need to go on something crazy like an Atkins and just have like those protein all the time. No, just make sure that you got enough in your, in your, in your daily diet. So if about 70g, 100g might be kind of on the top side,
00:43:55 but make sure that you get a bit of protein with every, every meal. So if you wake up in the morning and you have a piece of toast and you get So if you wake up in the morning and you have a piece of toast and you get out of the door, that's very curvy. So get a little bit of peanut butter in there, get a little bit, you know, get some eggs. Yeah. Amazing. For fertility. Those eggs, um, get a little bit of egg and avocado. Even better, get something green because you score tons of antioxidants, you know, things like,
00:44:16 you know, your, your, um, your spinach, perhaps a little bit of broccoli from the night before. And then your B vitamins because your body needs those B vitamins, you know, that you processed, make that out and metabolize that glutathione and that will make that out and metabolize that glutathione and that will come from whole grains. So ditch the white rice, white pasta, white bread, and whole grain go brown. And and also for meat, alpha lipoic acid. Again, the body does it.
00:44:43 But you know, it's also found in meats, carrots, beets, spinach, broccoli, a ton of different veggies. And you will see that, you know, different veggies have different nutrients. Therefore, what do you need to eat? Well, you need to eat in rainbow. You need to eat more different colors the better. And regularly right now, a couple of really important And regularly right now, a couple of really important things in here, um, sod and GPX. So I did put the whole names in
00:45:06 there because it was there so long. But sod stands for um for one of the diagenesis and df is the glutathione peroxidase. So these two are the master antioxidant enzymes in the body. And what do they need to function. They need copper. They need zinc and they need selenium. And what do we find. They need zinc and they need selenium. And what do we find. Those typically in nuts seeds seafood and salmon. So make sure that if you like nuts, you're not allergic to them.
00:45:40 Um, if you have them with your porch in the morning with your muesli, you have them as a snack. You sprinkle them on your salads. Uh, you put them in soups, you know, just to sort of thicken them or perhaps just to get a bit of a crunch. Make sure that you have, uh, Brazil nuts if you think you might have a little bit of a selenium deficiency. And selenium also happens to be incredibly, incredibly helpful to boost sperm quality, incredibly, incredibly helpful to boost sperm quality,
00:46:03 not just through as an antioxidant, but just in general. Same with zinc and, and salmon. We talked about salmon. It's a bit of a question mark about it. Try to have it like once, maybe twice a week tops and make sure that you buy the best possible quality, ideally wild, if not organic, um, vitamin C or fruit and veg. Have them. The key here is to buy them fresh. So anything that is in a can will have lost the vitamin C, anything that's cooked,
00:46:28 will have lost the vitamin C, anything that's cooked, lost the vitamin C, anything that's been juiced and it's been sitting in the on the shelf It doesn't have any vitamin C or very, very little. So buy fresh. I need fresh. Buy and eat quickly rather than sit in the fridge for days on end. Vitamin E, that's a fatty vitamin. So it comes from things like extra virgin olive oil. Drizzle it on everything like your soups, your bread. Um, I put it on everything I can think of.
00:46:54 Uh, avocado, the amazing avocados. Right. So if you're okay with gluten, so maybe, uh, some sourdough So if you're okay with gluten, so maybe, uh, some sourdough with a bit of olive oil, some avocado and some pumpkin seeds. How amazing is that in terms of antioxidants? If you don't, if you gluten free, you can have maybe sweet potato with exactly the same toppings and you can buy a good quality omega, good quality gluten free bread. Now we get to the polyphenols.
00:47:20 These are the, the, the sort of like the antioxidants that everyone talks about. And they're brilliant. And they come from so many different foods. They come from tea and coffee in different foods. They come from tea and coffee in moderation. Caffeine, right. So in moderation, but good quality coffee. Let's not go to that espresso, which is nice and easy, right? But no, we're looking at sort of like organic in, you know, still in the beans.
00:47:43 You grind it, you make coffee. That one is going to oxidize the rest. Who knows? An instant, instant coffee definitely doesn't have anything. Cacao or cocoa or dark chocolate with very little sugar. Unbelievable as well. Berries. So imagine if you make yourself, you know, a little sort of like, you know, snack pot with some dark chocolate and some berries, you know, snack pot with some dark chocolate and some berries, amazing pomegranate broccoli. And can you see the theme here?
00:48:06 Darker colors have darker may have more antioxidants. So the more berries, the more sort of purple foods, the more sort of like really bright, bright greens, the more antioxidants you you'll be acquiring. And so carotenoids, you know, they, you know, they basically either really dark, um, orange foods or carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, or very dark greens, spinach, kale, and so on. And then Anthocyanins. or very dark greens, spinach, kale, and so on. And then Anthocyanins.
00:48:32 Uh, blueberries. There should be one word, not two, but anything that is kind of purple and blue, like purple carrots, for example. Yeah. Hence the name of the company. They are very, very good for you. Very full of antioxidants. They also amazing. So try not to cook them. Just try to, to, uh, to. I mean the blueberries. Try not to cook them. Try to eat them raw. However, carrots, um, if you cook them a little bit, if
00:48:56 there's a little bit of fat in them, when you cook them, the amount of there's a little bit of fat in them, when you cook them, the amount of beta carotene, this antioxidant that you absorb will be higher. And then omega threes, which are not antioxidants as such, but they are can actually enhance, enhance the activity of those antioxidants. I got one more slide to go through and then we'll open for questions. And this is the supplements and this is the conundrum right. So supplements are can be very
00:49:22 helpful. But because we need some oxidation for metabolic function and for cell signaling kind of having for metabolic function and for cell signaling kind of having supplemented by the bucket load, having too many of them, having them without a professional, having looked at them and sort of assess what sort of antioxidant you might need, might actually not help you at all, it might actually end up being harmful. So be careful with that. Look at your diet style.
00:49:46 Look at your your lifestyle. Look at your diet. Take for symptoms of oxidation, things like, you know, tiredness, uh, brain fog, your, your head sort of like turning white, you know, before your time. Look for symptoms, check, you know, before your time. Look for symptoms, check, test if possible, and then decide what antioxidant you need. And always remember that supplements are not a substitute for a healthy, balanced diet. Never. They never will be right?
00:50:11 So they can help you bridge from where you are now to, you know, your healthy diet stage, but you need a professional to help you with that. Um, and you know, not definitely a substitute and not get, you know, get out of, you know, uh, um, sort of a free pass for eating anything that you want because you're taking your antioxidants. anything that you want because you're taking your antioxidants. They might help, but they're not. Uh, they don't make your diet bulletproof. And that's what, um,
00:50:38 what I've got for today. So if there are any questions, I'd be very happy to, to address them. And if there's anything later that, you know, comes to mind, these are my contact details. Please do get in touch. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. And I hope you found this useful. I'm going to take the presentation, uh, off the screen and let's see if there's any any questions there. Thank you Paula. I think it was a very interesting presentation. Also a lot of things to do in terms
00:51:06 of improving, uh, antioxidants and ways to improve or included, at least in your, in your diet. Is there any way to measure if it works or. Um, I kind of tell if your implementation of more food stuff that includes antioxidants is actually doing something? The fear is, I mean, there is the testing. So if you if you started sort of there is the testing. So if you if you started sort of testing, you know, you tested at the beginning and then you retest,
00:51:35 you would see the improvement. But sometimes in clinics of like empirical experience is the symptoms. So you might be, you know, you might have a high oxidative load, but you don't know, right? Because that's your normal. So you feel tired, you feel lethargic, you feel like by nine, 9 p.m. you're like completely you're shutting down. Right? Or you might feel like, you know, your, uh, your brain is kind of like slower than it used to be. Mhm. your, uh, your brain is kind of like slower than it used to be. Mhm.
00:52:04 You might feel that your joints are really sort of like achy or that your muscle mass is not what it used to be. And you're still exercising. And then you find that, you know, when you sort of reduce the free radicals, increase your antioxidants, all the symptoms start getting better. So there's two ways you can do the testing, but you can also do just kind of look at the symptoms, keep a diary, just see how, how you how you're feeling. keep a diary, just see how, how you how you're feeling.
00:52:30 And then if you try and you know, if fertility is, is, uh, you know, what you're working on, your cycle should be more regulated. Your, um, your, uh, testosterone might be higher. So your libido might be more, you know, more active. And, and then your, your sperm quality might be better. And if you sort of like checking your, your sperm quality regularly, if you are doing a day two test, you're sort of checking your hormones, you might see an improvement there because as you,
00:52:57 hormones, you might see an improvement there because as you, as you see, there's a link between oxidation and hormones. And also sperm quality can test a quality until you get pregnant. That's the only thing. But other than that, you can test. So test is also a crucial word as well. If you can feel the difference. I mean, you can test if there's any, uh, any. So I can, I can also see there's, uh, another question that came publicly in the chat. I also have some privately.
00:53:26 So if you prefer to write, write a question for me in private. It's also completely fine and up to you. It's also completely fine and up to you. So the question is that there is a last question on reducing stress, particularly on working women. And that gives anxiety. What do you recommend to reduce stress? I think that's a great question. Yeah, that's a very good. Yeah, that's a great question. You know what?
00:53:51 Um, that's a really good question because everybody talks about stress and reducing stress. And, uh, you know, all of you who are on the fertility journey, I mean, whenever somebody tried are on the fertility journey, I mean, whenever somebody tried me and told me to try and relax, I actually wanted to kill them. It was just so visceral at that point. It was like, you try to relax, right? That sort of thing. But it does play. It does play a role. So techniques to relax.
00:54:15 You know what? Each and every one of us relaxes in a different way. So I've got clients. I mean, the majority of my clients are type A personalities a little bit like like me. So meditation is hard. So if meditation works for you, it's amazing. Absolutely amazing. So if meditation works for you, it's amazing. Absolutely amazing. Give it a go and don't sort of like go from like, I've never made it in my life to today, I'm going to do like, you know, I'm going to try to levitate. No. So try to use an app like,
00:54:41 you know, in the UK, there's something like headspace. I'm sure every country's got a different one, right? But that one kind of does meditation for non meditating people. So it's very soothing. It's very relaxing. And remember that meditation works on an ongoing basis in the same way that yoga would maybe Pilates is your thing. same way that yoga would maybe Pilates is your thing. Were, you know, walking, uh, uh, you know, sort of, uh, hanging
00:55:07 out with friends. Don't do it. The minute you're already at the top of your anxiety, you need to build that into your life, because that's what kind of makes you stress go down little by little. Your stress is there for a reason. And I was listening to a podcast, actually one that you recommend you recommend Sebastian. And they were they were talking about how our body does not believe when And they were they were talking about how our body does not believe when stress, when we lower our stress, it's very reluctant to believe that
00:55:35 you actually sort of like taking your, your foot off the gas. So it takes a bit of time for your body to actually believe that. So you gotta continue going, you gotta do this ongoing sort of, uh, you know, therapies or actions for a while before your body goes, okay, I trust you. Now I'm going to lower the amount of cortisol. And cortisol is the hormone that can be pro-oxidative, but it's the one that was designed when we started roaming the earth to protect us from, I don't know,
00:56:04 like lions or, you know, sable, sable tigers or whatever they were. But right, right now we don't have those, those, those, those dangers. It's just the stress that we have. And cortisol is so powerful that now has become really pervasive. So it's a very you know, I'm not quite sure this is answering your question because what do I recommend? I recommend different things for different people. But I would say try something you haven't tried before. So if you haven't tried meditation, maybe meditation is your thing.
00:56:28 So if you haven't tried meditation, maybe meditation is your thing. If yoga is something new to you, maybe try maybe download, um, a workout from YouTube and try it. Do some walking if that, if that sort of helps you, you know, calm down. And don't forget about social interaction. Lean on your family and your friends, not necessarily on like, you know, the whole fertility thing, but just hang out and forget about what you know, what's happening in your life. Um, all the things, um,
00:56:57 your sleep quality is fundamental here because if you don't sleep well, your sleep quality is fundamental here because if you don't sleep well, your cortisol is going to be high through the night and it's going to kick you in the morning as well. So make sure that you go to bed at a decent time. Make sure that your room is dark enough. Make sure that your mobile phone is not next to you, and you're not checking social media until like a minute before you try to close your eyes, that's not going to work.
00:57:17 Um, magnesium is amazing for relaxation. And there's other things that are a little bit stronger. And I don't really recommend them in an open form because, you know, they don't work with everybody and they can be harmful. you know, they don't work with everybody and they can be harmful. But if, if your sleep is not great, that's a really good starting point. MM. Eating regular balanced meals. If you eat very sugary food, if you eat a lot of carbohydrates, which I mean, I've got no problem.
00:57:44 Again, no problem with carbohydrates. I mean, I, I really kind of enjoy things like, you know, sort of rye bread I think is amazing. But then, um, eating very carby food is going to spike your blood sugar. If it spikes your blood sugar, it's going to have an effect on your cortisol. If your cortisol is dysregulated, your cortisol. If your cortisol is dysregulated, you're going to be more anxious. So balance your meals, do a little bit of exercise, sleep well, take your magnesium
00:58:08 and hang out with your friends. Does that help at all? Yeah, I think it's a great I mean, a great answer. And I can just from a personal anecdote, say that we work also with fertility, uh, yoga practitioners in our, in our app. And I'm, I'm also not a yoga prone person, but understand that it's okay not to be good at it the first time, but understand that it's okay not to be good at it the first time, but it's actually a process to learn. It helps with,
00:58:35 with finding relaxation in it, right? Yeah. Because it was stressful. You need to find what's good for you. Like, I mean, if you're hypermobile and you do yoga, you can actually hurt yourself, right? I mean, you would put your foot behind your head and then ouch. Um, and, you know, meditation is not for everybody, but try to find that and maybe, you know, if there's any sort of like, I don't know, like talking to a therapist, talking to a counselor, like, you know, maybe work is really sort of pressuring you.
00:58:59 like, you know, maybe work is really sort of pressuring you. Maybe, maybe you just need somebody to help you sort of refocus it a little bit. So there's lots of things that you that you can do. So I can see there's another question here. Can I, can I, can I really answer this one because it's about coffee. And I think maybe I didn't make it clear. Excess coffee, bad, bad quality coffee, even worse, don't even go there.
00:59:23 Like, you know, sort of getting like an espresso, instant coffee, like those things from a little machine where the cup comes out at the same time as the coffee. No, really good quality coffee. at the same time as the coffee. No, really good quality coffee. It's got antioxidants. Is it good for fertility? Well, for men, for male fertility, it seems to be okay as long as you don't overdo it. And it's not because, you know, a lot of coffee is going to affect your sperm because a lot of coffee
00:59:46 is going to affect your metabolism and your hormonal balance. For women, it's the same thing. If you enjoy one coffee, I'm not opposed to it as long as it's incredibly good quality coffee and it doesn't have sugar and it doesn't have a ton of milk in it. and it doesn't have sugar and it doesn't have a ton of milk in it. If you're not, you know, milk doesn't agree with you. So it's a tricky question. And it's again, case by case and is down to quality and quantity. Now, the second part of the
01:00:14 question says, is it better to have green tea and black tea? Green tea is more antioxidants and tea is more gentle. It's called less caffeine than coffee. So maybe a green tea or a matcha might be a good idea if you're trying So maybe a green tea or a matcha might be a good idea if you're trying to conceive once you're pregnant. Caffeine is definitely not a good idea, but I think with caffeine, it's the sort of thing that, you know, the medical profession is kind of rule it out because
01:00:43 too much caffeine is bad. So how do you cut it back to one and also one cup of coffee? How much caffeine is that is in that? How long is a piece of string? We don't know. So it's a tricky one, but good quality coffee in small quantities is good antioxidants. So does that. Does that answer the question? good antioxidants. So does that. Does that answer the question? I think so. And maybe it also seems like there's consensus about 2 to 3 cups. She's happy.
01:01:11 I also just want to mention that there seems to be a lot of consensus on 2 to 3 cups of coffee. Coffee is, you know, around the limit. So there's a nice guy as well that depending on how strong your coffee are. But that's the thing because it depends on how strong I, I kind of cut it back a bit more because I mean as well. Yeah, yeah. I kind of cut it back a bit more because I mean as well. Yeah, yeah. And if you sort of having issues with anxiety,
01:01:34 if sleep is not great, you know, I, I would err on the side of caution. I mean, being sort of, you know, the less the better. But I do appreciate that, you know, and I just want to say like a limit. Sorry. Yeah. Sorry. I just also wanted to mention that the I mean, the consensus is not 5 or 10 cups of coffee. No, it's actually very close to what you're saying is would you recommend is 2 to 3. So it's it's very little in recommend is 2 to 3. So it's it's very little in
01:02:02 terms of quantity. But then again, you know, when you're trying to conceive, you take away so many things that might be, you know, enjoyable if you enjoy one cup of coffee and it's really good quality. Mhm. That might be okay. If that is your way of stressing as well. I mean, that's it's a double double. Yummy. Right? Yeah. Uh, in terms of coffee, but the minute, the minute it affects your sleep or increases your anxiety. You got to cut it back because
01:02:27 sleep or increases your anxiety. You got to cut it back because it's just affecting. It's, you know, it's not just your anxiety, it's not just your sleep. It's what it does to your hormones and your hormones do to your eggs and your sperm. Not good. Thank you. I think we need to close off the webinar. We there was a lot of questions that were sent privately that we didn't reach to answer. But if you have any follow up questions, feel free to send them our way and we will do our best to,
01:02:56 to give you the an answer on it as fast as possible. Brilliant. to give you the an answer on it as fast as possible. Brilliant. I'll be happy to answer them, so just send them on. Perfect. I think with that, unless you have anything else, I just want to thank you and also for the audience. Thank you. Thank you so much. It's been great. I mean, I mean, I love talking about this stuff, right? So for me, it's such a pleasure. But if I've helped a couple of people, you know, the people here and
01:03:20 the people who listen to this later, I consider myself happy, happy. And any questions, as Simon said, Simon, sorry, Sebastian, it's getting late for me as well. Um, just send them on and, uh, and we'll try to, we'll try to answer them. Perfect. Yeah. Thank you. And, uh, as you said, there will be a recording sent out of the webinar so you can rewatch it later and, and also rewatch the slides if there's, uh, anything you want to dig further into. So with that, thank you. Have a good day. Good morning or good evening,
01:03:54 wherever you're attending from. And, uh, thank you for, for showing up today. Okay. Thank you. Bye now. Bye bye bye. for showing up today. Okay. Thank you. Bye now. Bye bye bye.
