Fertility Reset for 2026: How to Pause, Reflect, and Choose Your Next Step Intentionally

As 2025 comes to a close, many people trying to conceive find themselves asking the same question: What should I do next?

Cycles may have felt unpredictable. Test results may have raised more questions than answers. And after months or years of pushing forward, it can feel hard to know whether to rest, change direction, or double down.

This episode is about stepping out of urgency and into intention, using a functional fertility lens to prepare for the year ahead.

3 Quick Scan

• A pause is not falling behind. It is often the most strategic move before deciding what comes next.

• Low AMH, high FSH, endometriosis, and DOR are signals to personalize your plan, not rush it.

• Functional fertility focuses on listening to feedback from your body, not forcing outcomes.

Why the End of the Year Is the Right Time to Pause

Trying to conceive often becomes an endless loop of tracking, testing, waiting, and reacting. When the body stays in a hypervigilant state, it becomes harder to recover and respond well to treatment.

This quieter window is an opportunity to:

• Step out of constant decision-making

• Let the nervous system downshift

• Review the year without judgment

Pausing does not mean giving up. It means creating space so the next step is chosen with clarity instead of fear.

Reflecting on What Worked (and What Didn’t)

Before planning 2026, it helps to look honestly at 2025.

Consider:

• Which changes helped you feel better physically or emotionally?

• Which supplements or strategies felt forced or stressful?

• Did you address gut health, inflammation, thyroid patterns, or nervous system load, or were you mostly reacting to lab results?

Functional fertility is not about doing more. It is about responding to the feedback your body is already giving you.

Case Study: Diana

Diana came into the year with multiple factors that often trigger urgency: one ovary, a history of endometriosis, low AMH, and high FSH. Her clinic recommended IVF immediately.

Instead of rushing, she focused on gut health, inflammation, and lifestyle factors contributing to overall stress and immune load. This work did not replace IVF planning. It supported her biology while keeping options open.

She conceived naturally and discovered she was pregnant when she arrived for her IVF retrieval appointment.

This is not a promise or a formula. It is an example of what can happen when urgency is replaced with alignment.

What to Focus on as You Move Into 2026

A functional fertility reset for the year ahead often includes:

1. Revisit key labs

If it has been 6–12 months, retesting markers related to thyroid, iron, vitamin D, inflammation, ovarian reserve, and gut health can help guide decisions rather than guess.

2. Support mitochondrial health

Egg quality depends on the basics: sleep consistency, adequate protein, minerals, and recovery. Supplements only help when the foundation is in place.

3. Build stress recovery into your plan

This does not mean doing less forever. It means building repeatable nervous system support that fits a busy, Type A life.

4. Choose your next step intentionally

This is not about doing everything. It is about choosing the one or two levers that will actually move your fertility forward. Whether that is IVF, continuing naturally, or focusing on health first, alignment matters more than speed.

Next Steps in Your Fertility Journey

Subscribe to Get Pregnant Naturally for evidence-based guidance on functional fertility, and share this episode with anyone on their fertility journey.

Not sure where to start? Download our most popular guide:  Ultimate Guide to Getting Pregnant This Year If You Have Low AMH/High FSH it breaks everything down step by step to help you understand your options and take action

For personalized support to improve pregnancy success, book a call here.

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Timestmaps

00:00 – Reflecting on fertility as 2025 ends and why slowing down matters

01:05 – How constant doing and hypervigilance disrupt ovarian signaling

02:10 – Nervous system dysregulation in low AMH, high FSH, DOR, and POI

03:15 – Why rushing into IVF at the end of the year can backfire

04:40 – Secondary infertility and when fertility challenges appear unexpectedly

05:20 – Reviewing what actually supports energy, sleep, digestion, and mood

06:15 – Supplements versus personalized testing and why guessing adds stress

07:30 – Gut health, thyroid patterns, inflammation, and missed imbalances

08:45 – Retesting labs and supporting mitochondria and egg quality

10:05 – Choosing your next fertility step intentionally, not from fear

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Transcription

[00:00:00] As 2025 wraps up, many of us pause and ask what's next for my fertility? Maybe this year didn't go as planned. Your cycles felt unpredictable. The testing results left you feeling confused before jumping into another round of supplements or IVF protocols. This is a time to slow down, reflect, and prepare intentionally for the year ahead.

Let's go. Welcome back. I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile. For over a decade, my team and I have helped hundreds of couples improve their chances of pregnancy success, whether naturally or through IVF. We specialize in supporting those with low A MH, high FSH, diminished ovarian reserve, premature ovarian insufficiency, recurrent pregnancy loss through functional lab testing and personalized fertility strategies.

This episode is for you is if you spent the year focused on trying to conceive with low A MH, high Fs H diminished ovarian reserve. Premature ovarian sufficiency, recurrent pregnancy loss. Want to enter 2026 with a clear plan that [00:01:00] supports your body, not overwhelms it. You're ready to reflect on what your body has been telling you, whether through I regular cycles.

Fatigue, stress and make changes based on that insight, not through urgency. And you wanna begin the new year with hope and strategy, using a functional fertility lens to align with testing nutrition, lifestyle for better ovarian health and emotional balance. Thanks very much for listening. I'm so thankful that you're here.

Make sure you hit subscribe or follow, and if you know someone else who's on the fertility journey, please share this podcast with them. It's the end of 2025. I don't know where the time has gone. And so really now is the best time to pause A lot of things close down during this period of time. You can be spending time with family and friends that sometimes can be triggering a little bit difficult, especially if you're encountering people with a lot of pregnancy announcements.

I see a lot of people now saying My whole friend group is pregnant, so it can be very difficult. So we need to be able to create some boundaries. And maybe some new holiday [00:02:00] celebrations with your partner that feels right for you. So the nervous system needs some rest. So now's the time to take some time to rest your body.

It can feel, especially if you're a hyper achiever, controlling, hypervigilant kind of person, which is typically who we work with, the Type A, this fertility journey can be filled with constant doing. Just checking it off the list, tracking, testing, waiting, and if the body's in fight or flight, it can't receive.

The nervous system is dysregulated. We see this a lot with low A MH and high FSH, diminished ovarian reserve, premature ovarian sufficiency, recurrent pregnancy loss, nervous system dysregulation. And people will tell me, oh, I had a very high stress job a couple years ago. I've changed it now. And now, I've reduced my hours, I've made these changes, but the body, she's catching up.

And so we need to be able to, all the stuff we did to it a couple years ago, it can take a little bit of [00:03:00] time to restore ovarian function and improve a quality. And if you got an IVF coming up, typically there was a push in December for clinics they're doing their year end. They wanna get everybody.

Rushing into IVF, and then maybe you're restarting your insurance in the new year, but we need to bring in IVF at the right time and deploy it at the right time. So if your nervous system is feeling on high alert, that could be why the embryo's not implanting. That can be why the retrieval didn't work. I see people having a horrible responses to medication.

I was talking to someone the other day and she just had a very poor retrieval. It was canceled and she was just devastated. And most people have done some work on their health, but we haven't done it in a targeted manner. So during this week, time to reflect, to breathe, to allow your body to shift from that hyper vigilance to receptivity, to knowing that the majority of us can get pregnant naturally.

That your body, she's trying to tell you something, and it's not [00:04:00] just about you working on your health, your partner too. Because this can really tear a relationship apart or bring you guys closer together. 'cause it's not just about you going, oh, it's all baby making. If we want intimacy, we wanna be able to deepen our connection.

Have you on the same page, especially if you're dealing with secondary fertility issues. I can see sometimes where the man's, I feel content with one with a woman. It's a biological need to expand. Or other times a man equally wants another child in the family. The secondary infertility piece, we work with a lot of people to have that easy breezy.

Having your child the first time and then the second time. These diagnoses, the POI, the DOR, the low a h, the Hi FSH, the recurrent loss seems to come outta nowhere. While you've gotten pregnant, you've breastfed. You need to boost up your nutrients and boost up your health and get you ready for the second child.

Right now, as we are about to head into 2026, we can reflect on what's worked and what didn't. So what changes truly made you [00:05:00] feel better? How is your energy? How is your sleep? How is your digestion? How is your mood? Like all these pieces, there can be the mental, emotional side of things and also the biochemical side of things.

So we think we're just an irritable, cranky, depressed person. Maybe just 'cause of all of our nutrients we're low, and if we start to boost those up, it can improve. But we also need the mindset help too. There's just a lot of stress with this. You can feel like you're stuck and in a bad position. You're comparing comparison as a thief of joy.

You're comparing yourself to others. We can look back on this year which supplements or strategies felt forced or stressful. Yeah. Taking a boatload of supplements with really not knowing if they're right for you. Part of our fab Fertile method, we ship testing worldwide. The protocols are based on your biomarkers, your blood work.

Your testing and then you know why you're taking them. A lot of times they're like, I'm just taking ashwagandha, I'm taking some Mac, some bee pollen. I gotta take some nack, all these different fertility [00:06:00] supplements, but maybe you just have expensive pee. If we don't really know why we're taking something or doing something, it could just feel not purposeful.

And so when we do something that's individualized for us, it can help you understand why that is key. So this year, did you address the underlying imbalances that might be impacting your cycle? So if your cycle has been irregular or if you haven't been ovulating or you still have PMS or you have cramping or you have heavy periods, or it's painful period periods, shouldn't be all this pain and taking all this medication to get through it.

No. That's a signal that something's out or maybe yours have been very irregular and so rushing to IVF. We haven't looked at those underlying imbalances. So what's driving it? The health of your gut. You don't need to have digestive issues, diarrhea, constipation, burping, bloating, but those are definitely a sign if you have 'em.

If you have GERD or acid reflux, those are definitely a sign. Something's going on with your digestion. But with gut issues, you can have the mood issues, the joint, the [00:07:00] skin autoimmune. That can be signaling issues with your gut health. The thyroid talked a lot about the thyroid health, so we don't want normal.

Don't take it that they tell you it's normal. We want optimal. It's regularly missed inflammation. So is there just inflammation in your body? Then we can look at your high sensitivity, C-reactive protein. And maybe your nervous system is dysregulated and that's just caused all of this. So did we look at those underlying imbalances before we go and deploy A-A-P-R-P-A-I-V-F?

A IUI Medicaid cycle. We need to look at your health and from a functional standpoint, or AL method is about listening to the feedback that your body is giving you. Each day she's telling you something, wait a minute, my cycle is off. Oh, I've got this bloating. Oh, I have a headache. Oh, I feel irritable.

Like all these signals, the body is whispering to you. And right now the reproductive health has been deprioritized. And as we start to [00:08:00] listen to those little signals, that's what's gonna help improve a quality. Ovarian function, the embryo, making it an implantation, so it's all connected. As you move into 2026, it's time to look at your lap.

If it's been six to 12 months, retest your biomarkers, your thyroid, your iron Done Podcast, on thyroid, done podcast, and iron and ferritin. Your vitamin D we like between 60 to 80 or high sensitivity, C reactive protein, depending on how triggering it can be. Look at your A MH from your FSH. Look at your gut health.

Get some clarity on the testing. Support your mitochondria looking at your sleep. If you have insomnia, your sleep is dysregulated, you should go to bed. Wake up eight hours, feel great if it's off. That can then impact your blood sugar. That can impact your ovarian reserve. You're making sure you're getting enough protein, looking at the minerals.

They're just spark plugs the body, maybe yours are just slow. Looking at some coq 10 or ubiquinol the, that's the foundation of good egg [00:09:00] quality they can't test for, but looking at your egg quality, improve your stress recovery. So build in nervous system regulation practices. So some breath work, breathing in for four, holding for eight, and then out for seven, walking some acupuncture if it feels good for you.

Therapy, like talking about this stuff, right? We times we just push it all down. I'm fine, don't worry about me. Meanwhile, we need to get it out and give voice to us. That's why we have mindset coaches be able to help with this. Journaling. Whatever feels right for you. Then choose your next step intentionally, not out of fear where the doctor's, okay, time for IVF.

Just because they think it's time for IVF. We need to make sure you feel it's time for IVF and not just blatantly trusting the doctors. We need to deploy them at the right time. And have you looked at all your testing and your biomarkers to make an informed decision to spend a whole bunch of money over there on something that may not work?

And if you can't get pregnant, naturally we need to deploy it at the right time. We're not anti IVF, whether it's trying naturally. [00:10:00] Sometimes we need to take a pause on trying. Naturally we see people's bodies fire up. They have a pregnancy loss that sets you back even further. So some of our protocols, it's gonna be contraindicated to try so we won't you to take a pause.

Still having intimacy, but not actively trying. 'cause we don't want you to have a loss, especially if you have had loss. It's not about just forging forward and keep going. That is your superpower and we got people having multiple losses and it just, it sets you back. And so we need to understand what's happening with that.

That's why the genetic testing can be really powerful to personalize this and seeing what is causing inflammation in the body and why it's not working. And also looking at your partner and looking at his DNA fragmentation, his sperm. It's not just, but looking at your health. So it's about being aligned, not feeling rushed.

We don't wanna feel rushed or panicked. That's not how we bring in our baby. When you're like, oh my goodness. I'm too old. It's too late. No, we need to go in knowing we've worked on our health and feeling calm and that's when it works. Many women conceive after they work [00:11:00] on their health. We see it all the time, and many times people, I'm just thinking of one where she recently had her son and she'd done our fertile method for about a year, decided she wanted to go to the fertility clinic.

As she was preparing for the stimulation protocol, she found out she was pregnant naturally. Sometimes when we calm down and think about our next steps we've seen that a lot where people go in for the retrieval, they're pregnant, they decide to go to IVF and about to start. They find they're pregnant, but they've done the work, right?

They've made the changes, and then they decide when to deploy the next step. And so healing is not linear, right? You can be like, feel good, and then you slip down all over the place. Knowledge, all the good things we've done this year to improve our health. And then go in for 2026 in a targeted way, looking at some testing, looking at your biomarkers, looking at the nervous system to dysregulation, decide when it's right for you to deploy the IVF.

Make sure you hire a team around you that specializes in this. Don't [00:12:00] just throw money and wasted on practitioners that don't specialize in POI or recurrent pregnancy loss or diminish variant reserve. 'cause they're gonna miss themes. We see these themes all the time where you're like, I don't need mindset.

That's the person that needs the mindset the most. Or I feel so panicked, or I just wanna bring back in gluten. When can I have it? You shouldn't be addicted to a food if you can't wait to eat gluten again, because there's so many gluten-free options, and maybe you don't have celiac, but it's non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and that's causing inflammation in your body.

So if there's a certain food, you're like, oh, I need to have the cheese again. No, it's taking those foods out for 60 to 90 days. We're about to head into January. Now is the best time to make the diet changes, to get some clarity on your lab work, to look at your biomarkers, to bring in some testing to figure out exactly what's going on with this.

And you don't have to have all the answers right now, but just know that your body wants to procreate. Take that [00:13:00] pressure off and to enter into 2026 with curiosity. Wait a minute, what's been missed here? And how do we be our own advocate and do this on our own timeline. So if you wanna get my eyes on your specific situation, send me a message to hello at Fab Fertile Subject line Fertile, and we will talk about options to help.

Take care and happy New Year.

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FAQs

Is pausing the same as losing time?

No. Strategic pauses often improve clarity, decision-making, and outcomes.

Can low AMH or high FSH change?

These markers can fluctuate, and ovarian activity can be intermittent. They are part of the picture, not the whole story.

Should functional work replace IVF?

Not necessarily. Many people benefit from doing both in parallel rather than choosing one or the other.

What if I feel pressure to act now?

Pressure usually comes from fear. A clear plan reduces fear more effectively than rushing.

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Key Takeaways

• Constant “doing” keeps the nervous system in fight-or-flight, which can interfere with hormonal signaling.

• Reflection helps you separate what supported your body from what simply added pressure.

• A clear 2026 plan works best when testing, nutrition, lifestyle, and stress recovery are aligned rather than stacked.

• Many people see progress after reducing urgency and addressing underlying imbalances instead of adding more.