Fertility & Parenting

You can't make new eggs, but egg quality is influenced by the metabolic environment over the roughly 90 days before ovulation. Blood-sugar control, sleep, targeted nutrients, and lowering inflammation can meaningfully support it.

Yes. Insulin resistance can disrupt ovulation, androgen balance, egg maturation, and implantation before a standard fertility workup flags a problem. Fasting insulin, HbA1c, fructosamine, and sometimes CGM data give a clearer picture than fasting glucose alone.

They can. PFAS, phthalates, BPA, and heavy metals are endocrine disruptors that can interfere with hormone signaling, mitochondrial function, and egg quality. The highest-impact first steps are food-storage swaps, filtered water, cleaner personal-care products, and reducing non-stick cookware exposure.

Chronic stress is biological, not just emotional. Elevated cortisol can blunt the GnRH and LH signaling needed for ovulation, lower progesterone support, and disrupt sleep and melatonin, which protect the follicular environment.

MTHFR is a common gene variant that reduces how well you convert folic acid into its active form, methylfolate — important for ovulation, implantation, and preventing neural-tube defects. Many people carry a variant and benefit from methylated folate.

Ideally about three months. Eggs and sperm mature over roughly 90 days, so the preconception window is when nutrition, blood sugar, thyroid, and nutrient status have the most influence on outcomes.

Beyond standard prenatal labs: thyroid with antibodies, ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate, fasting insulin and glucose, hs-CRP, omega-3 status, and targeted toxin or nutrient testing when history suggests it.