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#34 Five Fertility Myths We Need to Discuss
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The Bean Talk - Episode 34: 5 Fertility Myths We Need to Discuss
How many Fertility Myths have you heard before? Maybe you’ve tried a few of the old wives tales too. It can be hard to navigate all the conflicting information we’re told by different health professionals. Not to mention, trying to conceive and fertility is such a varied experience, sometimes joyous and fun but sometimes accompanied by heartache and exhaustion.
In this week’s episode, Riannon and Jeremy unpack 5 common fertility myths and shed light on some unknown factors of fertility.
From abstinence to AHM, this episode unlocks the truth about fertility, trying to conceive and overall health.
Connect with us on Instagram & Tik Tok @mungbean_health or visit mungbeanhealth.com for expert support.
Important note:
The information shared in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before starting, changing, or stopping any supplements, medications, or health protocols to ensure they are appropriate for your individual needs.
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Transcript
Introduction and Mission with Mungbean Health
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural wellbeing one episode at time.
00:00:33
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Bean Talk with Rhiannon and Jeremy. Welcome back guys. It's been a little while since we've done a recording so we try and do a couple together and then push it out a little bit. So nice to be back.
00:00:48
Speaker
It's good to be back. we We've had a lot going on in our personal lives, some things that will happen. come to light as we chat it through. i feel like there's always so much going on, but you know, obviously in business and then personal life, like you've got a lot of different moving parts.
00:01:04
Speaker
Yep. Being the business owners, they always collide with personal and business. Oh yeah, totally. Cause we have to try and keep both afloat obviously. yeah But yeah, we have some really exciting business stuff as well happening, which, oh my God, some of it just takes so freaking long.
00:01:20
Speaker
yeah it's Yeah, anything good takes time, right? Anything that's worth it, it always takes time. but And especially, I suppose, when you do put so much heart into things and you want it to be perfect or as close to, and I guess putting your name on it as well, you definitely want it to be the best.
00:01:40
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, so definitely things are just taking longer than expected, but it's okay. That's to come. We've had some exciting things to share over the next couple of weeks.
Personal Updates and the Healthier Home Project
00:01:50
Speaker
Look, for little bean and big bean, like our time has really been taken up in our personal life. We have...
00:01:56
Speaker
we're moving which is exciting not far we're still going to be in literally the same suburb yeah which is great but i guess that's taking up a lot of time jeremy especially because he used to be in the construction world yeah painting and you've done glazing you've done concreting concreting floor flooring yeah God, what what else? I think that's... Roofing.
00:02:22
Speaker
Yeah, roofing, my God, a little bit of everything. yeah And do we have our work cut out for us on this home? Yes, we do. I wish we could buy a brand new home. and We don't have to.
00:02:34
Speaker
But, yeah, look, nothing good comes easy, does it? And at least we can... Make it our own. we Jeremy has been like sussing out how can we make this more of a healthy home? Because obviously we worry about what we put on our bodies and like the foods that we eat and how we can optimize that. But how can you make your home healthy when we are surrounded by so much crap?
00:02:55
Speaker
Yeah. I guess some ways. Yeah, the late low VOC paints. Yes, which? So they're low organic compounds in there, volatile compounds. Which we'll be painting like as soon as we get in there. yeah Repaint the whole house internally and yeah some exterior painting. Luckily. And also with the flooring that we're choosing is an ah engineered timber.
00:03:15
Speaker
So a natural material. Yes. Trying to go like natural because like it's, God, there's just so much crap around. Our bed, I'd love to get like a proper timber bed, but at the bed we got, our mattress is good, but the bed we got, it still looks fine. But when we first got it, it was just like a cheap one. It's lasted ages as well, which is great and amazing because a lot of cheap stuff doesn't last well, but it's just that like plywood, what do you call it with the glaze over the top? It's a lemonade MDMF.
00:03:41
Speaker
Yes. do math Yeah. It was more just like at the time we've had it for years now and it still looks like fine. But yeah, ah the babies always climb up from the side tables. Like they pull out the drawer and they use it as like a step.
00:03:55
Speaker
And sometimes Rami will just be standing in there and now it's ruined the drawers. So yeah, we definitely need to make that happen. But when you've got young kids and they're just messing everything up, you don't really like, well, us, we're like, why would we buy a brand new thing now? Let's wait a couple of years, buy something new. destroying everything.
00:04:11
Speaker
Totally. I'd love to have a beautiful white lounge, but we have a black, a beige colored one, which we've had before kids and Charlie, our dog loves to jump up on it And being that it is leather.
00:04:24
Speaker
It's fine. And if the kids spell drinks and food all over, it doesn't matter. You can just wipe it off. It's got a little bit of Charlie's wear and tear. It's just, it's there. No point getting new one soon. ah I also feel good about the environment in that way, that it's not like we're buying new things. I like to buy new clothes. I don't like to go to the op shops. That's just me.
00:04:47
Speaker
I know so many people that love to go op shopping. I'm sure if I found something there that I loved, it'd be great. But anytime that I've gone in, it just hasn't been... for me but I love giving my old clothes to the op shops I feel like I'm like contributing in that way ah but I know a lot of naturopaths do like to get like the secondhand things because obviously it does stop that wastage which I totally get so I try and buy like good quality like cottons or linens or something that I know is going to last me and like plain clothes rather than a lot of pattern stuff I suppose when I was younger it was very different but
00:05:18
Speaker
Things that I'm like, okay, this is going to last me and look good, hopefully, like for a couple of years to five, ten years. Obviously, with pregnancies and things in the way of that, you have to make sure that you can get things that stretch. But I try and get pieces that last. Honestly, I've totally just gone on totally ah bit of a rant there. But bringing it back to the house, I guess it's just trying to do everything we can to, like, stop additional mold, make sure when we get in there the air con that's there,
00:05:45
Speaker
Make sure we clean like all the filters out and that sort of thing. Just the service yes get rid of all the dust because everyone has a different way of living and that's absolutely fine.
00:05:56
Speaker
But some people, I guess, don't have that same level of knowledge to even think about cleaning out the filters and worrying about the different types of paints or that sort of thing. Whereas for us, we'd prefer to spend a little bit more on invest, like especially in things like the flooring and at last.
00:06:14
Speaker
Yeah, we we're removing all the carpet. from Yes, removing all the carpet. I hate Yeah, especially the little kids and a dog. just doesn't work well. Seriously, and also going into someone else's carpet, it just grosses me out a bit because I know what kids are like. Like their vomit and poop and, you know, like all the things that they do naturally. If someone's got gastro,
00:06:35
Speaker
no carpet is safe. I don't want to be yet on that. Yep. Anyway, that's enough about that. We're riffing all of that up. So yeah, that's super exciting. And that is honestly taking up all our time. I feel like still trying to tick all the boxes of like hydration and protein. I've definitely been still working on getting in enough protein. I've been having the protein water. I can't if spoke about this last time, but I've got a little hack there, some protein water. We've both been having it because don't always feel like a protein shake. You don't always feel like a hefty protein thing. Having the protein water obviously helps with the hydration and then you're also getting the protein in there.
00:07:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's nice. Yes. It's a bit different. And always making sure we've got kid-friendly, healthy homes. This is also important for when you are on your fertility journey because there are like endocrine disruptors that do affect our fertility that are all around us, even down to like mattress, the clothes that you're wearing and so on.
Debunking Fertility Myths
00:07:32
Speaker
But today we wanted to talk a little bit more. and This is one of my favorite things to talk about is fertility myths. This is always, there's so many random things that come up.
00:07:43
Speaker
Jeremy reminded me of a funny one this morning when we were just chatting, which was the the sperm swims slower or faster depending on if it's a girl or boy. Oh boy back in the day, i can understand when they had limited testing and things, but now they have proven that to be very wrong. So unfortunately, when we do things like the gender swaying,
00:08:06
Speaker
We don't have control over it. It's you might have heard of it before. It's actually called the Shetler's method. And it is unfortunately an old wives tale, which I do find them always very interesting. But They pretty much used to, they did some testing with X and Y chromosomes.
00:08:27
Speaker
And what they thought was that the Y-bearing sperms were thought to be slightly smaller and may move a little bit quicker initially. And then the X-bearing sperm are thought to be slightly larger, sturdier, live longer, like live longer in the female reproductive track, but they were a bit slower. That's what they initially thought. That's what they thought. But modern research has now found that there's no consistent scientific proof that one type of sperm is going to swim faster than the other.
00:08:56
Speaker
Look, it's a fun little idea. It's cool to do some gender swaying if that's really what you're after. And I feel like manifesting plays a bit of a role there. It's obviously 50-50 and you don't get the choice, but it's a bit of fun. Yeah.
00:09:09
Speaker
Especially if you really want one gender. Yeah, it's a funny one. But obviously working in the fertility space, we've heard it all before. We've heard so many different things come to light about, oh, I've been told this or I've been told that.
00:09:25
Speaker
And unfortunately, most of it has been told to our clients by a health professional, which is no good. So let's talk a bit more about that. Obviously, couple's fertility journey is a very vulnerable time.
00:09:37
Speaker
Sometimes it happens by surprise. Sometimes it happens really easily. Sometimes it happens with a lot of loss and heartache. Sometimes it's just not happening at all. So there's so many different avenues and variables to it.
00:09:49
Speaker
But it's essential that we really ensure that our clients have the most up-to-date and accurate information. It's very important and also very empowering for our clients, but essential for the best fertility outcomes as well. So let's dive into it. Yep. Did you want me take this one from you?
00:10:08
Speaker
More abstinence equals stronger sperm. Yeah. Yeah, unfortunately that is a myth. yeah This is a big one and it's particularly aimed at men. The idea is that saving up sperm for longer will make it more potent.
00:10:22
Speaker
A lot of IVF clinics actually give this information out, but it's actually that the opposite is often true. So when ejaculation is actually delayed for too long, sperm quality can actually decline and motility drops.
00:10:38
Speaker
DNA fragmentation can also increase, which is not good. And overall vitality isn't as strong. So the research actually suggests that for men actively trying to conceive, the sweet spot is every two to three days. That is the optimal time.
00:10:55
Speaker
Shorter abstinence at times, like two to three days, tend to produce higher quality sperm with better motility. Longer absences may increase the total count, but quality often suffers daily. Abstinence? Abstinence.
00:11:07
Speaker
I know, it's a mouthful, abstinence. We all know what you mean by not actually ejaculating often, like not abstinence. What do they say? Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder or is that just...
00:11:20
Speaker
Probably. and i What's the saying? Oh, no, it's like distance. Yeah, distance. Gotta laugh, gotta laugh.
00:11:32
Speaker
ah Daily ejaculation in the fertile window can actually increase chances without depleting sperm. Yeah, so think of it like this. Sperm health thrives on regular turnover, not storage.
00:11:45
Speaker
And as a naturopath, I'd also highlight that sperm production is very sensitive to oxidative stress, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, and lifestyle factors as well.
00:11:56
Speaker
ah So supporting men with antioxidants like coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinol, zinc, selenium, your vitamin E, vitamin C, along with minimizing alcohol, ye smoking, drugs, poor diet.
00:12:11
Speaker
Yes, absolutely. And a lot of heat exposure can make such a big difference. The other one to sleep. Yes, and stress. and stress Because cortisol, the stress hormone, can affect our fertility very negatively.
00:12:27
Speaker
But, yeah, if you guys are trying to conceive, every two to three days is the sweet spot. And if you
Holistic Approach to Fertility Health
00:12:34
Speaker
aren't seeing each other that often, then the male should still ejaculate.
00:12:39
Speaker
masturbate ejaculate who you um yeah can do what you got to do like i know we have a lot of fifo clients that makes it so hard when you're trying to tee up ovulation and getting them home when they're home and when they're not but yeah still obviously we want to make sure it's optimal for when they do get home the next one myth two infertility is mostly a woman's issue Another bloody myth is that it's a women's issue.
00:13:07
Speaker
Unfortunately, all the fertility struggles usually come down to the woman. Not true. Obviously, women play a huge role in this side of things, but about 40% to 50% of infertility cases have a male factor issue involved.
00:13:22
Speaker
So whether it's low sperm count, could be poor motility, could be DNA quality, It's so important to take the pressure just off the woman and instead look at fertility as a two person health journey.
00:13:35
Speaker
Takes two to tango. Most sperm testing is also based on the five percentile of healthy sperm. This means that 19 out of 20 men who achieve natural conception in the prior 12 months had semen analysis results above the reference range.
00:13:54
Speaker
So the reference range is the very minimum that your sperm levels should be at. This is why it's essential that both partners undergo preconception protocols. And we're not just talking about just getting you pregnant.
00:14:06
Speaker
We're literally talking about the health of your child. So put down the cigarettes, put down the drinking, change your diet, do a little bit of exercise, even if it's just obviously ongoing is perfect and amazing for your health. But even if it's just in the six months prior to trying to conceive and then until you've you've done your part after you've conceived, honestly, then it's still obviously important for your health, but it's not going to be the child's issue anymore.
00:14:38
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Myth three, fertility is only about the reproductive organs. Yeah, that's a big one because obviously from a naturopathic perspective, fertility is an expression of our whole body's health.
00:14:52
Speaker
So our hormone balance, our blood sugar regulation, nutrient status, gut health, stress levels, god thyroid function, they all play a role in reproductive capacity.
00:15:06
Speaker
So when the body feels unsafe, depleted or inflamed, reproduction isn't prioritized. So instead of only focusing on the ovaries and the testes, we look at the bigger picture.
00:15:19
Speaker
Is there chronic stress? Is that cortisol causing an issue? Is there poor sleep? Like Jeremy said before. Is there digestive issues affecting nutrient absorption? This broader lens often uncovers the hidden factors behind unexplained fertility.
00:15:36
Speaker
Because when the clinics like the fertility clinics and stuff are looking at the fertility, like of people who are trying to conceive but can't, and they call it unexplained, often we will find the cause because they might not be looking at nutrients from an optimal level or they'll say, oh, like your sperm health looks fine.
00:15:54
Speaker
You're within range, but you could be on the very lowest side, which means it's just within the poorest it can be to hopefully get the job done. So yes. Before
Understanding AMH Levels and Alternatives to IVF
00:16:02
Speaker
low AMH equals infertility. Yeah, this is a big one we hear about a lot because again, fertility specialists and fertility doctors and even just some GPs,
00:16:12
Speaker
will say, look, your AMH is low. It's not goingnna not going to happen for you. You need to do IVF. We often have the clients that are booking with us with this news. They're extremely stressed because their doctors have told them about this AMH being low and that their chances of falling pregnant are also low.
00:16:27
Speaker
AMH is not a number that is set in stone, nor is it a reserve number of eggs that you're doomed to deplete over time. like It's not... a oh if you amh is low that's it you're never gonna have a baby i've seen people with the amh below one and their gps have obviously freaked them out about it and they fall pregnant naturally multiple times It's a hormone, anti-malarian hormone is what it's called.
00:16:55
Speaker
And it's secreted by the small immature follicles in your ovaries. These follicles actually house your eggs in their early stages of development. So AMH levels serve as an indicator of ovarian reserve at that particular time.
00:17:13
Speaker
and usually used medically to indicate how responsive your body is going to be to certain fertility medications so they can try and find the right dose for you. Although often they don't until it's a bit of like Russian roulette, let's just try all this.
00:17:29
Speaker
Particularly if you're undergoing IVF, this is important and that's why they test it. It does not indicate specifically egg quality. it can be influenced by your age, diet, lifestyle, hormones and medications.
00:17:43
Speaker
Therefore, if you positively support these areas, we know that AMH can absolutely be supported. And we need, i always say this to clients, like we essentially need one dominant egg.
00:17:55
Speaker
We just need the one egg. So try not to stress because cortisol makes it so much worse. Myth five, PCOS slash endometriosis equals IVF only way of conceiving.
00:18:07
Speaker
Yes, pretty much saying that if you've got PCOS or endometriosis, IVF is the only way that you're going to have a baby. And we do not want to discount the fact that PCOS and endometriosis are very serious conditions.
00:18:21
Speaker
We get that and they can absolutely impact your fertility. However, so often women with these hormonal conditions are told if they want to fall pregnant, they can only have a baby via IVF, which is absolute BS.
00:18:35
Speaker
It's not necessarily true and at times can actually put a lot of stress on the body again, back to that cortisol, which can then impact our health and hormones, making it so much harder to fall pregnant.
00:18:48
Speaker
So while yes, it leads to a pregnancy, sometimes no guarantee with IVF, This is obviously the best outcome if we can have a baby. It's not always going to happen. It's not guaranteed.
00:19:01
Speaker
Not all women with PCOS or endo find that IVF will actually help them to fall pregnant. And this is because the support for their hormonal imbalance isn't there. They haven't treated the root cause of PCOS or endometriosis.
00:19:15
Speaker
If we know that PCOS and endometriosis or endo can impact fertility, instead of solely focusing on fertility or forcing you to get pregnant, we may want to switch the gears and focus on the PCOS and the endometriosis itself, get those supported, and then in turn, absolutely, you can fall pregnant.
00:19:37
Speaker
We'll chat a little bit more about how we can support you with PCOS and endometriosis in another episode because that is huge. And obviously, there's so much we can do naturopathically. And PCOS, that's another myth, actually. we We can add in a sixth one because they say that once you've got PCOS, like you can't fall pregnant or you've got it for life.
00:19:58
Speaker
Yes, it is the biggest or main reasons that people won't fall pregnant naturally, but it is reversible.
00:20:11
Speaker
PCOS, you need to find that driver and you need to support that. i actually love supporting PCOS. I find that there's so much that we can do, whether it's because you don't have a cycle, you've got high male hormones like testosterone, if it's an insulin imbalance or something like that.
00:20:28
Speaker
There is, yeah, so many ways. Or even like from post-pill, post-pill PCOS is a big one as well. So it's all about finding that balance. But yeah, definitely not a life sentence, not set in stone, just like at AMH.
00:20:43
Speaker
So much we can do. Yeah.
Balanced Intimacy and Lifestyle Support
00:20:45
Speaker
Awesome. We want you to take away is that fertility is about balance and rhythm for couples trying to conceive. I recommend regularly enjoyable intimacy throughout the cycle, paying attention to fertile signs and supporting both partners with nutrition, lifestyle and stress management.
00:21:03
Speaker
That is the most important. It's an overall and it takes two to tango. So you definitely got to support both parties. ah Good. So
Connect with Rhiannon and Jeremy
00:21:11
Speaker
if you want any more information, you can reach out to us on Instagram at mungbeanhealth or... mungbean underscore health.
00:21:17
Speaker
And you can also ask any questions on our website, www.mungbeanhealth.com. We're on TikTok, same as our Instagram handle, which is mungbean underscore health.
00:21:29
Speaker
And we share daily videos. I share daily videos on TikTok. We share, join on our blog and you can get free recipes and heaps of education on there.
00:21:40
Speaker
And we also try and bring out a podcast every two weeks. So we try and do what we can to get all that information and proper information out there, the education, because... Unfortunately, it's very noisy in the natural health world and there's a lot of rubbish and things that you shouldn't be believing because there's people that are unqualified that jump on and just talk absolute nonsense. But we are hoping to change that. A lot of good people coming forward and spreading the word. So we can't wait to share more with you. And if you need support or want a book an appointment, please reach out and book in.
00:22:12
Speaker
Thanks. Bye. See ya.
00:22:24
Speaker
And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.