Does our age determine our fertility? It absolutely impacts it. Once we go through menopause and are no longer ovulating or cycling, of course, we can’t conceive. But what about during our cycling years? Are we doomed if we are trying to conceive and are past 30-35? The short answer is no, but let’s get into more nuance.

Age and Egg Quality

It’s common to assume that as we get older our egg quality is automatically declining, but this isn’t exactly the case. The older we are the more potential our eggs have to be exposed to inflammation and oxidative stress. This can significantly impact egg quality, but if we are mindful of our health and make good choices the majority of the time, we can actually improve egg quality. And just because you’re younger, doesn’t automatically mean your egg quality is better. It’s all about our unique health histories and circumstances. We’ve had clients struggle with fertility that aren’t even 30 yet and clients that have had their first children at age 40. Age is one piece of the puzzle but your overall inflammation and exposure to oxidative stress will have an impact.

What About AMH?

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a hormone produced by developing ovarian follicles in women. AMH levels in a woman’s blood can indicate her ovarian reserve, or how many eggs she has left:

• Higher AMH levels indicate more follicles or potential eggs. AMH levels can vary by age, with typical levels for different ages ranging from 3.0 ng/mL at age 25 to 0.5 ng/mL at age 45.
• Decreasing AMH levels indicate a decreasing egg reserve. However, the rate of decrease and the number of eggs left can vary from woman to woman.
• High AMH levels can also be a sign of PCOS.
• AMH levels peak around age 25 and then gradually decline until they reach undetectable levels around age 50–51, which is when menopause typically occurs.
• Your AMH levels will vary month to month.

We NEVER want to go by one AMH level–we really need to compare to FSH, LH, estradiol, and progesterone over the span of at least 3 cycles to understand what our AMH levels mean. They shift cycle to cycle. AMH also tells you nothing about your egg quality, which is very important for a healthy pregnancy.

Having a low AMH and being diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve also tells you nothing about egg quality and doesn’t mean you cannot conceive. While there is a lot of stigma around low AMH, research shows that low AMH doesn’t mean you can’t conceive naturally.

How To Support Egg Quality

It is important to support egg quality as much as you can, especially if you are struggling to get pregnant or have gone through a miscarriage. There are a few different ways we want to think about this.

1. Lifestyle
2. Gut Health
3. Supplemental Support

Lifestyle & Egg Quality

Supporting your circadian rhythm is a great way to support two particularly helpful nutrients/hormones in the body that support egg quality:

• NAD, or Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, can help maintain cellular health inside our eggs and improve egg quality. The coolest part? We make this! Here’s how we can support our own production:
  • Strength training
  • Stop eating after dark
  • Get natural light exposure in the morning
  • Block blue light at night
  • Heat therapy
  • Cold therapy
• Melatonin is another important one for fertility. It’s a potent antioxidant that can help protect our eggs (and other cells) from oxidative stress. Melatonin also influences hormones like GnRH, LH, and FSH, which are all critical for ovulation (and sperm production in men). You can find melatonin receptors in the ovaries and melatonin is also involved in the development of our follicles. It can regulate the timing of ovulation and support a healthy luteal phase. Here’s how we can support our production of melatonin:
  • Avoid artificial blue light after sunset. Dim lights and use blue-blocking glasses to protect your eyes.
  • Use blackout shades to allow for complete darkness while sleeping.
  • Get morning light (UVA) to support tryptophan levels, which will then get made into melatonin.

Gut Health & Egg Quality

This is one of the big areas we focus on with our Nurture Your Fertility clients. When someone comes to us wanting to have a healthy pregnancy, we want to take a look at their gut with a GI map stool test. This shows us if there’s anything present that shouldn’t be, digestive capacity, if they have enough good bacteria, and how their immune system is functioning. You can have gut issues without gut symptoms.

Here are some ways gut issues can manifest themselves without gut symptoms:

Skin Issues

• Acne, eczema, psoriasis, or rosacea
• Dry or itchy skin
• Unexplained rashes or hives

Mental Health Symptoms

• Anxiety or depression
• Brain fog or difficulty concentrating
• Mood swings or irritability
• Chronic stress or feeling overwhelmed

Fatigue & Sleep Problems

• Chronic fatigue or low energy
• Insomnia or poor sleep quality
• Waking up feeling unrested

Immune System Dysfunction

• Frequent colds or infections
• Autoimmune conditions
• Allergies or food sensitivities

Joint & Muscle Issues

• Unexplained joint pain
• Muscle aches or inflammation

Weight Fluctuations

• Unintentional weight gain or loss
• Difficulty losing weight despite efforts

Bad Breath & Oral Health Problems

• Persistent bad breath (halitosis)
• Gum disease or frequent cavities

Hormonal Imbalances

• Irregular periods
• PMS or menopause symptoms worsening
• Thyroid issues
• Fertility concerns

Supporting digestion is a great first way to support your gut. You can learn more about that here.

Supplemental Support

You will notice we are mentioning this last because the first two categories will make it so that you get WAY more out of supplements. Supplements aren’t miracle workers on their own. They need a supportive foundation to build from. Here are our top two supplements to support egg quality:

1. Glutathione: we use this with clients during gut protocols since it will also help support their detox pathways and hunt down pathogens.
2. Ubiquinol: CoQ10 is a popular one for egg quality but most people take the wrong form. You want ubiquinol, not ubiquinone and you need to take 12mg per kg of body weight in order for it to be effective.

reminder: i’m currently accepting people into my Nurture Your Fertility program. you can learn more here about the program and fill out an application!