Insulin Resistance and #Infertility

Insulin Resistance and Infertility

As Doctor Nadia points out: It’s an issue for men, too.

If you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), you may have already made the connection between insulin resistance and reproductive concerns. PCOS is the most common endocrine condition in women during their reproductive years.

Not only is it a common condition, it is debilitating and very serious. Dr. Jason Fung and I have written a book called The PCOS Plan that came out in April 2020, because this is truly a condition we believe can, and needs to be addressed seriously.

Maybe you don’t have PCOS (or you aren’t even a woman) but are still struggling with fertility and reproduction. Can Intermittent Fasting (and Real Food) still help you have a baby even if you don’t have PCOS? Yes, it absolutely can!

We now know, in part because of PCOS, that insulin is a powerful hormone with reproductive functions. What this means is that if you have insulin resistance and/or hyperinsulinemia, your reproduction may be impaired, Even if you don’t have PCOS, and even if you’re not a woman!

With obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, PCOS and all other Insulin Resistant conditions on the rise, it’s no shocker that infertility is, too. Yes, rates of infertility have gone up in part because people are trying to conceive later in life, but this also coincides with the fact that your insulin resistance also tends to rise as you age. (Unless you eat real food and intermittently fast, that is!).

I’m reminded of the story of a woman I know who struggled to get pregnant in her 30s, went through many fertility treatments with her first two pregnancies, yet “miraculously” conceived at 42 years old with her third child, in the very first month of trying. (Or not trying, I should say.) Did her fertility improve in her 40s? Possibly. But her insulin status certainly did.

I truly enjoyed listening to Dr. Priyanka Wali’s talks on Insulin Resistance and sexual health, particularly when it comes to men’s health. We often focus a lot on women and overlook the role of lowering insulin in men for reproductive health (including libido and sperm quality).

We have much anecdotal evidence and hear many stories of people who struggled with fertility in their 20s and 30s but, after finding IF and LC, successfully conceived. We now know that this is because of IF and LC’s ability to lower insulin to a more adequate level.

You need insulin, of course, but too much of something is never a good thing, and this old saying holds true here too!