Reversing PCOS for Fertility

In today's episode of Health Youniversity, Dr. Susan Fox sits down with Dr. Angela Potter — integrative fertility doctor, nutritionist, and PCOS specialist — for a conversation that challenges much of what conventional medicine overlooks about this condition.

Dr. Angela addresses root causes behind why women with PCOS aren't getting pregnant. She's spoken alongside thought leaders from Google, Microsoft, and Headspace, and has been featured on ABC, CBS, and NBC — and today, she brings all of that expertise here.

Together, Dr. Susan and Dr. Angela unpack what PCOS actually is — a metabolic syndrome — and why Letrozole protocols for fertility are insufficient.

PCOS is a whole-body metabolic condition — not just a fertility diagnosis.  And why gut health may be one of the most overlooked drivers of PCOS-related infertility,  how environmental toxins, processed food, poor sleep, and chronic stress are fueling the rise of PCOS — and why the conventional model misses an opportunity to help a woman repair her metabolic health for life.

This episode is for you if you've been diagnosed with PCOS, done multiple rounds of letrozole or Clomid without success, or if you're (or someone you know) is heading into IVF and want to know what you can do right now to improve your outcomes.

💻 About Susan Fox: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/about

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Hello and welcome to today's episode of Health University Lessons in Fertility, Pregnancy, and Perimenopause, where we talk all things pertinent to all of these phases of life. And today we're going to talk about something that covers all of those phases of life, and that is the condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome, PCOS. And I'm delighted to have an expert who's going to talk with us about this, Dr. Angela Potter. I'm going to just turn my head to the side so I can read your bio. Dr. Potter is an integrated fertility doctor, a nutritionist, and a leading expert in PCOS. She is the creator of the PCOS fertility protocol, which provides individualized support, and I like the individualized component, I want to hear more about it, to return you to consistent ovulation and regular periods. As a speaker, she has shared the stage with global thought leaders from corporations like Google, Microsoft, and Headspace, and has also been featured on ABC, CBS, and NBC. I'm really grateful that you stayed up for the conversation. So welcome. Did I miss anything in your bio that you want to make sure that the viewers learn about you?

SPEAKER_01 2:32

No, that's great. I'm and I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

My pleasure. So PCOS, we know that this is a condition that is becoming more prevalent than ever. And we know that there are environmental lifestyle circumstances that are contributing to it, if not perpetrating it. So I I wanted to I want to delve into that a little bit first, and then we'll go into some of like the myths around what is PCOS. So tell us about what you have have learned in the last however long you've been working with it, decades, about this condition, how it starts, why it's not just a fertility condition, but how it affects fertility.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

Yes. So PCOS, it's a syndrome. It's made up of different symptoms that create this syndrome. And we are seeing it rise in numbers. And you know, that's such a good question to ask. Like, why is that? And there's many different factors for that, which let's speak to this issue first is that so often women who have PCOS, when they're trying to get pregnant, or not even try just trying to get pregnant, they're trying to get their periods back. They're being told that there is only one path, that there's only one medication that's going to get their periods to return, and that's the ovulation induction medication. There's two of them that are used right now, letrazol or clomid. That is speaking to the fact that PCOS is just an ovary issue, which it is not. And so PCOS, we know has the environmental triggers, right? There's a toxic load component to PCOS. There is a food component that wraps up with the toxic component because we have a lot of pesticides in our food. Our foods have uh, you know, our soil has lower nutrient contents than it did, say 100 years ago, 200 years ago. And so that's contributing to some hormonal issues with PCOS. Um, modern lifestyles, stress, eating foods on the go, poor sleep, um, screens before bed. And this is not to be put in. Yes, right. I mean, we're all guilty of plenty of those things.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Well, it's but it's but it's right. We live, we live in the modern world, right? So it's it's not about this is going to be doomsday. It's about there are things you can do within this paradigm to make changes that will reverse the PCOS metabolic condition.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Yes. And for certain women, you know, there certainly is a family component to it, a certain genetic component, we see it pass forward. And so for certain women, when their bodies aren't metabolizing toxins as they're supposed to be, if there's kind of a perfect storm, if you will, in the body, and then that's setting them up for PCOS, having cysts, having elevated testosterone, these issues that are then contributing to lack of periods, not being able to get pregnant.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

And if I may, I'd like to add that that what is also happening in this metabolic dysregulation is the cascading downstream inflammatory component. And we're seeing those inflammation markers inside the follicles, not the not the unruptured follicles that are the string of pearls, but the follicles that are trying to make it to ovulation. And so removing some of these insults, the environmental toxins, the processed foods, the excess sugar, you know, the things that are going to uh spike cortisol, spike insulin, we'll we can help remove some of those inflammatory markers from the follicular fluid that that egg is trying to grow in. So if you can't, if you can't pass up on that cookie for yourself, do it for the for that egg that's trying to ovulate for you.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yes, I'm so glad you brought that up. And I think for the listener, you know, it's really important to hear that there are so many different factors that are contributing to the PCOS, but that can also feel overwhelming. And so it's not, you know, I don't think we don't want to overwhelm you, but knowing that there is a path forward, that if you have been going to a doctor that said, oh, you know, you only lose weight and then everything's gonna open up for you, or here's a medication, come back to me in six months, you know, that kind of information is not going to bring you the results that you're looking for. And there is a path forward. That's why I created my PCOS fertility protocol, is because it's a step-by-step process that identifies the inflammation, the toxic load, the gut health, the hormone piece, the insulin, all of it in a streamlined pattern because PCOS is as a syndrome, it's slightly complicated. And so you need that path forward. You don't want to be just trying to, you know, throw spaghetti at the wall, trying different supplements that you've heard about online. It's about having a step-by-step process.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

And does this program of yours does it include, is it is it uh like online modules or is it coaching? Because I I really like uh highlighted the word individualized, which I think is really important because we know we have the sort of classical PCOS, the overweight, the high antigens, and then we have the sort of hidden PCOS, you know, the thin person who is having periods, but she's not ovulating.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Yes. So my program, it's a mix. I have modules set up, but really the important part is the coaching with me, because we just can't get that individualized support without that one-on-one coaching. Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

And that yeah, and nor can we put everything into the modules because that would become overwhelming and confusing for the person taking the program to say, well, which one am I? So I love that that it includes some personalized coaching as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

Yes. You know, over the years that I've been working, you know, over the last decade, that is truly the number one most important thing for someone with PCOS who's trying to get pregnant. It's that individualized support. Because PCOS does not fit into a box. You do not fit into a box, and yet the medical algorithm for PCOS is exactly that. It's a box. It is marching forward cycle after cycle, five cycles in total of medicated cycles. If those don't work, then IVF. Nowhere in that algorithm does it talk about talking to the individual, looking at their nutrition, supporting them with gut health, looking at other pieces in the body. And so that's why so many women are going underserved for their fertility.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

And I I'm going to suggest that moreover, prior to their fertility journey, they were put on the birth control pill for their PCOS, which, and I mean no disrespect to the you know, the guy's who are prescribing that to, you know, teens or early 20s. Um, but it is a band-aid, right? It is, it is at least helping you shed a menstrual lining, you know, about that, which is important for you know your uterine health, but it is not doing anything to address the underlying problem that caused PCOS. Let's talk about some of the myths around PCOS if we if we can. Would you would you share share us with us what you think are some of the most common myths that people believe about PCOS?

SPEAKER_01 10:38

Yes. So one myth I would say, just piggybacking on our conversation, is you can't get pregnant without medications when you have PCOS. So there is a lot of information out there saying that the only way to get pregnant is through medications. I have worked with women who come to see me and they are saying, Hey, you know, I was working with my last doctor. They told me that no lifestyle changes, nothing else but another round of letrozole is going to help me. And that just doesn't feel right to me.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Can you how it doesn't it doesn't make sense, right? Because that if if you don't make any changes, then that then that egg that's attempting to ovulate is it isn't in a new environment. It isn't in a healthier environment. And I'm smiling ear to ear because just before we got on this call, I got a lovely email from a patient who just with PCOS and endo who said positive pregnancy test, and so without any any intervention. And she was you know thinking that she was gonna have to head to the IVF Raji's Young's, and so I'm I'm just elated that she that we were able to get her healthy enough, get inflammation down enough so that to prove your point, she was able to ovulate a healthy egg and get pregnant.

SPEAKER_01 11:57

Oh, I'm so happy for her. It's it's a possibility. Women with PCOS are getting pregnant every day.

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Exactly, exactly. What might be some of those roadblocks to her fertility or her her pregnancy potential?

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Yeah, lots. So um I would say not getting the why before starting a medication. So I'm so glad you just mentioned how you know it's like if we just keep putting someone on that medication, how is that a different environment for the egg? You know, you hit that on the head because it isn't. And so for somebody who has been trying for about a year and then goes in to see their doctor, and their doctor says, okay, let's put you on a round of letrazol, and then another and another and another if those aren't working. Well, what's changing for that environment? Nothing. Now, these medications, they are absolutely wonderful tools. And let's give thanks that we live in this modern medical advancement that has these available, what's happening is that they're being used in the wrong time of the process. And so if somebody, if that person, right, let's call her Sarah, if she first understood what all of her hormones were doing, what her progesterone was at, what her thyroid looked at, got her inflammation low, supported her gut health, understood how that was impacting her implantation and fertility rates, did all that, got to a place where she was ovulating by herself, having regular periods, and then tried getting pregnant naturally for a few months, and then maybe didn't. Imagine how different of a situation that is when she goes in for a medicated cycle after doing all that prep work and getting her body into this vibrant, juicy, optimal place for fertility, and then just needing that medication kind of to just push her over the edge. That's a totally different scenario than going in and starting those rounds of medicated cycles right away.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Yeah. And he's because I want to, I want to um uh maybe maybe uh address somebody who might be listening or viewing, saying, uh-oh, but I don't have time, I don't have a year, and she may not have a year. This is not ideally, it's a prerequisite. Ideally, if you know you have you know long irregular cycles or you've been diagnosed with PCOS, you want to be addressing this in your 20s because it's again, it's not just a fertility issue, it's a metabolic issue. So it's gonna help you before you're ready to conceive, when you're ready to conceive, and when those baby-making years along past you, you'll be healthier. However, if you're listening right now and it's, you know, and you're like the clock is ticking, then do these kind of things that are in the fertility protocol and and in for the preconception plan at Health University concurrent. It's it I ideally it's a prerequisite, but let's at least definitely make it a co-requisite, would you say?

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Yes, absolutely. And you know, I for somebody listening who has been trying to get pregnant for the past year or five years or 11 years, of course, when we talk about, oh, hey, you've got to like take some time off and focus on your health. That's it can be triggering, it can be stress-inducing, anxiety-producing. Like, yes, I don't say that lightly. Um, so absolutely it can be done in together with medicated cycles or IVF. Also, you can consider your timeline. If you don't have to set aside a whole year, I see three, four, maybe six months being kind of that sweet spot for yeah, you see that too?

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Absolutely. I mean, it oftentimes it is the fourth month. It's almost laughable how predictable it is. And we know that that is because we're having incremental yet exponential beneficial input to this person as she goes through this cycle, then the next cycle, then the next cycle, the the arc of folliculogenesis, from when that egg is a potential to when it's ovulating. So, so yeah, and I uh if you're going into you know either a medicated cycle or if you're going into IVF, that usually doesn't happen instantly, right? You have to wait until the first day of your next period or the second day of next period. If you're in the IVF world, you're gonna have to go through a you know a variety of testing and diagnostic testing. So the time is already built in there. So definitely get started now, even if you're ready to call the IVF center or walk in for your appointment tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Yes. And the the other thing I'd love to add to that is when we're talking about doing that three or six month reset to really get your health ready, it can be a big conversation. Like I remember someone specifically who had been trying for over 10 years to get pregnant before talking with me. And so that was a big part of that initial conversation was that she was like, Oh, can I can I set aside these months? I know, like mentally, I know that I need to do this, but in my heart, it's hard. And so she did start working with me. And you know, I found things that her other doctor had not seen, and which were very clear why she wasn't ovulating, why she didn't have a period. So we addressed those, got her on a plan to fix those. She was started getting regular periods, and at that four-month mark, she was pregnant naturally. And so then talking to her once baby was born, it's like reflecting back and thinking, gosh, you know, where I was this time last year was basically the beginning of the journey to get my health reset. And at that time, holding her baby in her arms, it was like, gosh, you know, that how amazing to put those few months into that work because this is what it brought me.

SPEAKER_00 18:17

Right. And of course, um the the the work, the the the healthy, beneficial changes to your lifestyle don't stop once you're pregnant. They continue because the same, the the syndrome is there. It exists, right? The potential for it to recur is there, that that imprint is there. So you want to give the baby the best chance for a healthy environment, especially if it's a if it's a girl, because again, the the the genetic imprint uh up to up to possibly switch on that PCOS uh uh syndrome exists for the girl. So uh yeah, this is this isn't a until positive pregnancy test that I'm gonna revert back to my processed foods and my, you know, uh uh pesticide-riddled vegetables and my, you know, hormone-injected meats and so forth and so on and so forth.

SPEAKER_01 19:09

Yes. Well, I'm so glad you brought that up too, because what I hear so often is women saying, Hey doc, you know, I really want to get pregnant, but I also want to feel healthy. And I don't feel like my body's working as it's supposed to be. I feel broken. I don't know if my fatigue and my 3 a.m. insomnia and sugar cravings are related to PCOS, but I just I want to feel good in my body. And one, they want to say, I want, or they they're saying, I want my period to come back. So maybe I don't get pregnant, but at least I know I can give it a try because right now I don't have a period and I I don't think I can try because I'm not ovulating. And then they also want to be healthy for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. They don't want to just get pregnant with this body where they're asking questions like, Am I really healthy enough to hold a successful pregnancy? And so I find those are the women who are getting the best results when they're working with me because they have, yes, they want to get pregnant, yes, they've been trying for years, but there's this almost a bigger, more holistic why to wanting to do this work because they want to show up for themselves every day. They want to show up once baby is here as a present happy mother, they want to show up for their partners, and and that's huge. And I just want to honor that.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

So I've put together a free 28-day detox masterclass that you can access by clicking on the link below. And now let's go back to our show. So if the if the viewers were to say, okay, you know, I'm considering it, but but give me some examples as to, you know, what's some what are some of the changes I might w want or need to implement in order to start reversing my the the PCOS patterns? What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Okay, so let's think about that. Um, you know, first what I do is uncover, okay, what is your own body telling you when it comes to foods? And so that is really deep important work because it's not me telling you this is the diet for your PCOS fertility. You should be gluten-free and dairy-free. And, you know, there's no one size fits all diet or food plan for somebody with PCOS. It needs to come from their own body. And so that's what I am coaching them through is to figure out okay, what foods are actually creating inflammation, which foods are contributing to gas and bloating that you just didn't realize before. So we're gonna do that exploratory work to figure that out. And that's powerful when your body tells you that itself. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

I I would, if I may, I would I would just add, um, there are some there are some um hard hard stops, hard no's for me uh for the PCRS person, and that is you know, processed foods, you know, addition added sugars and processed foods. Um it's it's because they're not foods, frankly.

SPEAKER_01 22:35

Yes, I mean working on that nutrient density piece is something that I I come from because I'm not giving, you know, yes, we want to move away from processed foods, move away from added sugars, but if someone is able to use maple syrup over refined white sugar, that's already adding in extra nutrients, supporting that blood sugar response, getting it more regulated. And uh, you know, insulin resistance is one of the top symptoms of PCOS. Not everyone has it, but it's one of the top. And so really addressing that nutrient density, which is also really important in that weight picture of PCOS. I'll say that women with PCOS they get pigeonholed into this idea. That you have to hold on to a lot of extra weight. And if you don't, then you don't have PCOS. Or if you do hold on to the extra weight, then it's the weight's fault. It's your fault for not being able to lose the weight, and that's why you're not pregnant. And that's absolutely not where I come from. When we talk about just the weight, then we're missing this really important piece about okay, but how are your eggs getting nourished? Do your eggs get enough antioxidants from the foods that you're eating, or maybe we're going to supplement in something? Are you eating foods that are anti-inflammatory and you still hold on to extra weight? Then the weight, the number on the scale makes no difference to me. It's more about how are we nourishing eggs, making sure detox processes are happening in order for hormones to be working as they're supposed to be, because women who hold on to extra pounds can absolutely get pregnant. The issue is when they're working with doctors who are saying, well, the reason you're not pregnant is because you are overweight, and that is the only thing you have to lose weight in order to get pregnant. No, that is completely missing the mark, and there are absolutely ways to support this fertile body.

SPEAKER_00 24:44

And this is interesting, especially these days with all the GLP1 medications becoming more and more available. It is true that more people are being able to get pregnant when they lose weight on GLP1s. However, it is about, as you to your point, we don't know what those people were and were not eating while they were on the GLP1s to reduce the amount of um of consumption of uh assimilation in indigestion that you know when we reduce that amount, obviously we're gonna lose weight because we're only we're only getting so many calories and glucose and amino acids into the bloodstream at a time. And so we're not necessarily spiking cortisol and spiking insulin. But if if what you're having while you're on those GLP ones is processed foods, you know, if you're still having a piece of bread for breakfast and there's no protein and there's no healthy fat and there's no vegetable, you're gonna lose weight, but you're not feeding uh the ovaries and the eggs, the follicles and the eggs.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Exactly right. You're not setting your body up for that healthy baby, healthy pregnancy.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

And of course, we talk about nutrition, let's talk about hydration as a component of nutrition.

SPEAKER_01 26:00

Absolutely. Um, well, tell me more. What what would you like to talk about it in regards to that?

SPEAKER_00 26:05

Well, I mean, I think that you know, here in the States, you know, we we have uh our tap water is um not necessarily the healthiest. Uh it it has to meet a certain percentage of the uh what is it called, the uh EPA requirements. It if it tried to meet all of the EPA requirements, our water would cost an exorbitant amount each month. That being said, you can just put what you put into your body, the water you put into your body, can be healthier if you use some kind of either carbon or reverse osmosis filter to have cleaner water and you're getting enough in a day. You know, we get a lot of fluids in a day, but we don't necessarily get good water in in our body, and that's what our cells need. So that's what I'm thinking. And I do do you speak to that with your with your clients as well?

SPEAKER_01 26:52

Yes, absolutely, which really goes under that detox and cellular detoxification camp because I talk about okay, let's reduce the amount of toxins that come into the body, and then our bodies have a natural detox detoxification system, and we can highlight that and make sure that that natural system is working, and we need to do those concurrently together. And so, yes, you know, water is one of many things that has toxins that we're exposed to on a daily basis. So, you know, we get it in air pollution, we get it through food, we get it through beauty products and air fresheners and scented candles. I mean, the list goes on, which is just you know, you can't think about it for too long.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

Um, don't think about it too long, but but don't not think about it long enough to do something about it, right? So take a look at your toothpaste, take a look at your shampoo and conditioner. If there are ingredients there that you can't even pronounce, it is likely to be hormone disrupting. And so let's get you, you know, switch over to if you're still gonna have clean teeth and clean hair, probably cleaner for that matter, with products that aren't you know scented and and you know, uh added toxins that are that that increase parabens and phthalates that interrupt our hormonal signaling and all of that.

SPEAKER_01 28:23

Yes, and the more that you can do that's in your control by reducing toxins in the house, getting a water filter, reducing beauty products that have hormone disruptors, all of those things. Then when, say you're at a hotel or you're at a party and they only have bottled water or whatever it is, then it's like, okay, I've done everything else in my control, and I trust that my body is able to detox and I'm just going to, you know, have this bottled water, or my this hotel only has this one type of lotion. I don't know what it is, but you can trust that you also are letting your body do this detox process that it's doing on on a daily basis.

SPEAKER_00 29:11

Yep. I mean, it wants to. And so the more we can take out the overload, then then it will. It will it it will kick right into gear and and and do its proper detoxification. And do you speak with people about their sleep habits as well?

SPEAKER_01 29:28

Oh yes. Okay. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So sleep, yes. Uh, you know, our hormones reset at nighttime. And I, you know, I've been working with somebody who does nighttime work, and it's like different things are coming up on labs. It's like this, it's not like red flags, but it's labs are not optimal and they're a little erratic. And it's like we've got to get you on a normal circadian rhythm in order to see these labs improve. Um, I see, you know, LH and FSH, those two hormones are typically either elevated or that ratio. We wanted a one-to-one ratio, but with PCOS, it's common for one to be greatly higher than the other. Um, and those numbers really respond well to good sleep at night, dark bedrooms, waking up and getting some exterior light right away just to reset because those hormones are coming from the brain. And so we need to support the pituitary, the hypothalamus, to be in a steady rhythm throughout the day to then help that whole cascade that is helping you on a daily basis. But when you want to have a period and get pregnant, it's really helping with ovulation.

SPEAKER_00 30:52

Absolutely. Yeah, the the brain, the pituitary, the hypothalamus and pituitary are kind of like mom of our hormones, right? They're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna help us know what to stimulate, what you know, how to have our hormones be appropriate levels and in harmony. But if but if the feedback is to the pituitary, you know, the kids are not all right, then then the then the pituitary is is giving, you know, the doing its best to give you know different signaling. Um, but if you know, if estrogen is already high when it should be low, the pituitary is saying, well, there's plenty of estrogen here, so I don't have to stimulate those follicles quite so hard. And then and and then there's sort of this almost um everything stops. It's like a it's like a bottleneck of the hormonal cascade.

SPEAKER_01 31:41

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Yeah. And is there anything else in your program that that I haven't highlighted here that you want to say, oh, and this is really crucial to my program and to my my clients' successes.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

Yeah, well, I would add in that gut health piece. So I'm always evaluating gut health. And for a lot of people, the reason I want to highlight this is because a lot of people think that having daily gas or constipation or diarrhea is just normal. And maybe you know the people around them have those symptoms or just I don't we live in this society that just thinks symptoms like that are normal.

SPEAKER_00 32:21

Well, I mean, but in and to their defense, if they've had them for a long time, it's normal for them, but that doesn't make it healthy. It's yes, it is familiar, it is not normal.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

I love that. So succinct. Yes, exactly. And so that's why I've added it to my protocol because we have to identify first, are you having any signs of gut inflammation? Because if there's inflammation happening in the digestive system, it's not localized to that area. It's not localized to your stomach or to your intestines. No, that's just raising the alarm bells of your whole body's inflammatory system, which is impacting implantation and fertility rates. And so this is something that's going completely unnoticed by many doctors. Again, if you're just on that train that puts you on letrazole after letrazol cycle, and you have gut health issues, right? You're not, you're going into those cycles with a lower chance of them working anyway. And so it's key to understand okay, are there gut issues happening here? And if so, let's treat these because your goal goal is to get a baby, and this needs to happen in order for you to be healthy for that baby.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

And this is kind of a an overarching statement. So I don't know if I'm completely accurate, but I think I'm close. If you're struggling to get pregnant, if you have PCOS and long irregular cycles, you probably have gut issues because the because the the gut, the microbiome, is the master conductor of all of the hormones. So even if you're not showing signs like constipation, bloating, you know, uh you know, uh mixed, you know, diarrhea or anything like that, uh, or inflammatory signs like that, it's probably happening because because the end result is that the PCOS is there, the long irregular cycles are there. And again, while that might have been normal for youth from your onset of menstruation through now, it's not healthy, it's not ideal. So let's get let's get you to ideal.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

Yeah, absolutely. And the liver is a part of the digestive system, and that is our number one detox organ that's moving toxins out of the body or getting them prepped to move through the body. And if that's not healthy, then your your period's not gonna come back. I see this time and time again, particularly for women who have been on hormonal birth control, they get off, their periods do not come back. It's like we've got to get the liver functioning as it needs to be and getting that detox cellular piece in order, and then all of a sudden their periods come back.

SPEAKER_00 35:14

Wonderful. So, so I'm gonna sum up a little bit here. I want to like just do some of the bullet points here is that PCOS is not a fertility issue alone. It's going to affect your fertility, but it is a metabolic issue that you want to care about before, during, and after your fertile years for your whole health. We want to also make sure that you that you are in this metabolic dysregulation, it is a liver gut pancreas issue that is all part of you know making sure you are assimilating uh nutrient-dense foods and water and eliminating toxins daily, because otherwise the this toxic load will amplify and and uh the the PCOS syndrome. If you are going into a letrozole or Clomid cycle or an IVF cycle, it is almost raising the bar to get on this these protocols now, because again, at the end of the day, it's not a positive pregnancy test, it's a healthy baby. And and and so that and it's gonna start with that egg that you're trying that you're ovulating or hoping to ovulate. Um and and and it's it and it is a lifestyle change, right? Nutrition hydration, proper sleep wake cycles, proper movement, and then proper emotional sort of outlets because it this can always feel uh shameful, or not always, it can often feel shameful, isolating, and so forth. So you do want to get your um your your emotional support in place. And and if I may, I would I want to suggest that it's not just the partner you're trying to have a baby with. Like really expand your support system because sometimes you know the the the when that becomes the sole conversation of your relationship, it can weigh it down.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

Yeah, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 37:12

So I want to be respectful of your time and the viewers' time. Viewers, I want to just your sidebar here and listeners. I we we know that your time can be spent anywhere, and we really appreciate that you're spending it with us today. If there is anything in this that it resonates with you, you know, download. We've got all we'll have all of the links in the show notes. Share it with someone who you know and love. And I would even say just share it with five people. Chances are you're gonna help somebody in the one in five struggling with fertility, whether it be PCOS or not, improve their outcomes. And then before we wrap up, Doc, is there anything you want to make sure that we that we leave the viewers as a uh as a little token of our affection and wisdom?

SPEAKER_01 37:53

Yes, I just want to say, you know, if you're feeling lost and broken and like your body's not working as it's supposed to be, and like it's it's your fault because you haven't been able to get pregnant yet. That's not the case. You aren't broken. It's just that the missing pieces haven't been put together yet. And there is absolutely that possibility that those pieces get put together and you reach your fertility goals. And it takes an individualized plan looking specifically at what your body is asking for in order to get pregnant. So you are not broken and you have answers in front of you.

SPEAKER_00 38:36

Brings tears to my eyes because yes, oftentimes we, you know, we have to come away with some some understanding, and usually we blame ourselves as as the understanding. So let's be done with the blame and shame and let's like move into action. So thank you so much for your time and wisdom. Oh, is there is there any population? I you're you're over in in France. Is there anybody who you can't you know work with or are you able to work with people around the world?

SPEAKER_01 39:04

Um, so I'm just in France for a short time. So my practice is in Portland, Oregon. Okay, um, but I work with people virtually around the country. So I do have my program set up, but I work specifically with people in the US. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:19

And so when you're in, when when you're back in in Oregon, are you seeing people privately as well then?

SPEAKER_01 39:24

Like I'm doing all virtual.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

All virtual.

SPEAKER_01 39:27

Okay. I'm still doing all virtual. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

Very good.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

Okay, well, I just want to make sure that we, you know, kind of clarify that because I don't want you to be inundated with folks who who you have to say, oops. No, because I know for me, for instance, I'm licensed in the state of California. Are you licensed in in Oregon?

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 39:43

So so I I need to be mindful of how I support someone who is in California, as well, more importantly, how I support someone who is not in California. So I don't um, so so I'm practicing within the scope of my license. So I have my you know, my my license in California, and then I have my health and wellness coaching certificate in an entirely different business for coaching. So it sounds like you're probably doing something similar. Yes. Uh-huh. Excellent. Yeah. Okay. So peep so the the the short answer is anybody can can reach out to you and and get some some help with that with their PCOS. And I thank you, thank you, thank you for your time. And I I I will wish you a good night at this point. Wait, what time is it for you now? Yeah. Um, it's 7 40. Oh, that's not too bad. That's not so bad. Okay, so I wish you a good evening then. Oh, thank you so much. So very much. And and and listeners, viewers, again, uh, you know, like, share, subscribe, and uh we'll we'll look forward to seeing you at the next episode of Health University.