How Stress and Other Factors Negatively Impact Sperm Quality

Today I'm welcoming Dr. Deb Matthew to the podcast.

We're digging into how to address missed healing opportunities for male factor infertility

Dr. Deb Matthew MD, The Happy Hormones Doctor, is a best-selling author, international speaker, educator, wife, and mom of four boys. After suffering for years with fatigue and irritability, her quest to resolve her personal health led her to change everything about her practice of medicine. She has been featured on national podcasts, radio, and broadcast shows, including NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX.

Most of the time its women that find me – either by listening to my Get Pregnant Naturally podcast (we recently celebrated over 400,000 downloads), my blog, YouTube channel, or social media.

As you know our proven Fab Fertile Method includes your partner so you can improve your chances of pregnancy success.

We’ve reviewed countless tests for men and there are ALWAYS areas to improve even if the semen analysis is fine or especially when it is not.

But it may be confusing to know where to start. As you know we are all about action – but it has to be the right type of action that fast tracks getting pregnant naturally – otherwise it just wastes time and money.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1) How cortisol impacts sperm counts.

2) Thyroid health and the connection to sperm quality.

3) What causes low testosterone and how can we improve it

4) The link between cholesterol and sperm health. Why addressing gut infection and optimizing the microbiome matter for male fertility

5) Causes of erectile dysfunction and low libido

TIMESTAMPS:

07:13- INTRO TO TODAY'S EPISODE AND DR. DEB MATTHEW’S BIO

07:55- DR. DEB MATTHEW’S PERSONAL STORY AND BACKGROUND

11:40- WHAT IS CAUSING LOW SPERM COUNTS?

• “Our environment conspires to create ill health”
• EMF’s and the health issues with radiation
• Chemicals in the environment and how this affects us
• Other hormone disruptors

15:30- DIGGING IN DEEPER TO EMF’S & WHAT WE CAN DO

16:30- CORTISOL LEVELS & HOW IT AFFECTS SPERM

• Symptoms and signs that stress is affecting you

19:15- INSULIN AND HOW IT AFFECTS SPERM

20:40- FUNCTIONAL LEVELS OF INSULIN

21:30- HOW THYROID HEALTH AFFECTS SPERM

• Low libido as an effect of poor thyroid health
• Symptoms to be aware of
• “Thyroid is very important for fertility.”

23:10- ISSUES OF LOOKING AT TSH AND NOT LOOKING AT THE FULL PANEL

• “There are all these things that are fixable that we should be looking for.”

25:18- TESTOSTERONE: WHAT’S NORMAL? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• “You don’t want to be ‘normal, you want to be optimal.”

28:50- STEPS YOU CAN TAKE FOR LOW TESTOSTERONE

• Nutrition and exercise recommendations
• Cholesterol’s role in our bodies (not what you may think!)

31:10- TRIGLYCERIDES AND CHOLESTEROL

34:19- BODY FAT, POOR SLEEP, AND TESTOSTERONE

• What body fat cells do in our body

35:53- FEMALE SYMPTOMS THAT THEY HAVE EXCESS ESTROGEN

36:42- GUTT INFECTIONS AND SPERM HEALTH

38:50- HOW DO WE GET RID OF H.PYLORI?

39:39- NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY AND SPERM HEALTH

• Most common nutrient deficiencies she sees
• Functional level recommendations

42:35- LEVELS OF ZINC AND COPPER

• “It’s good to know the levels”

43:45- WHAT CAUSES ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION AND LOW LIBIDO?

• Younger men are now struggling with this- why?
• Breaking the stigma and the importance of addressing it
• What is a ‘normal age’ to deal with this?

47:29- DIET AND LIFESTYLE CHANGES

• The importance of fats and oils in your diet
• Antioxidants, foods to avoid & reducing stress
• The importance of practicing gratitude and how it can impact your health
• “You cannot feel worried and grateful at the same time.”
• Things you can do to avoid chemicals

51:54- RED LIGHT THERAPY AND TESTOSTERONE

52:37- DR. DEB MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATIONS

53:10- DR. DEB MATTHEW’S FREE CHAPTER IN HER BOOK

53:50- DR. DEB MATTHEW’S FINAL THOUGHTS

• “We want to get to the root of the problem instead of just medicating.”
• “Living well is the best medicine.”

Resources:

A Busy Woman's Guide to Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance www.isityourhormones.com

Book your free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery call. We’ll come up with a simple plan to help you move forward…towards your dream of having your baby.

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