Improving Mitochondrial Function in “Old” Eggs
Mitochondria are known as the “powerhouses” of cells. They convert the food that you eat into the energy that your body uses. They’re the “engine” of your eggs. Most cells…
A Novel Approach to Improving Egg Quality: Telomere Length
Understanding why egg quality declines with age can provide insight into how to slow down the aging process. Shortened telomeres due to oxidative stress in the egg cell is the…
Avoid These Common Chemicals That Decrease Fertility: Phthalates
This is Part 2 in a series on toxicants and egg quality. Read Part 1 about how BPA impacts fertility Bisphenols aren’t the only environmental toxicant that can zap your…
Beware! These Common Items in Your House Can Harm Egg Quality
Our modern world is filled with conveniences to make our lives easier. Plastic containers to store our food, pans coated with teflon for easy cleaning, and pesticides to keep our…
How to Increase Egg Quality to Get Pregnant
If you’ve been told you have “old eggs” or “poor egg quality”, your fertility doctor may have told you the only way to get pregnant is with donor eggs. Devastated…
What is Primary Ovarian Insufficiency?
The term primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) refers to when the ovaries stop working before the age of 40. It is also called premature ovarian failure (POF) by some doctors. To…
How PCOS and Weight Affect Fertility
A quick recap of part one of this series: Leptin is the hormone produced in your adipose (fat) tissue that tells your body whether you have enough food. It controls…
Leptin’s Surprising Role in Fertility – Part 1
How does leptin, a hormone talked almost exclusively in the context of appetite control affect fertility? Leptin is rarely acknowledged for its importance in fertility despite many studies clearly showing…
Are You at Risk for Premature Ovarian Failure?
Spring’s here! The trees are leafing out, birds are chirping, and cute little lambs are in the pastures. Interestingly, some of those pastures have more lambs than others. This is…
Melatonin’s Effect on Egg Quality and Fertility
Melatonin is well known as a ‘sleep hormone’ and often taken as a supplement to help improve sleep quality. But, less familiar, is melatonin’s role in fertility and protecting egg…