#162 | Why Fertility Treatments Alone Won’t Help If Autoimmunity Is the Real Problem To You Getting Pregnant

Have you ever wondered if your own immune system could be the reason you can’t get—or stay—pregnant?

Millions of women are told they have “unexplained infertility,” but what if the real issue is an overactive immune system mistaking pregnancy as a threat?

This dives deep into how autoimmunity can disrupt conception, impact hormone balance, and even trigger early pregnancy loss—often without showing up on standard lab results.

In this episode you'll...

-Learn the key signs and symptoms that point to autoimmune-related infertility.

-Discover natural ways to calm inflammation, heal the gut, and rebalance your immune system.

-Find out which functional lab tests can uncover the hidden immune stress conventional medicine often misses.

Tune in now to uncover how supporting your immune system may be the missing link to finally getting pregnant naturally.

👉🏽Book Your Free Fertility Strategy Session Here

🌟Follow and connect with me on Instagram @the_wellness_pharmacist to fast-track your fertility so you can finally get and stay pregnant naturally!⁠

Finally Get Pregnant Naturally is your go-to TTC podcast for holistic fertility support to help you get pregnant naturally by addressing the root cause of unexplained infertility, secondary infertility, and recurrent miscarriage. Hosted by Dr. Katie Wood, a pharmacist and holistic fertility practitioner, this show offers natural fertility solutions for those on a fertility journey struggling to conceive, navigating miscarriage, or dealing with endometriosis, PCOS, low sperm count, or failed IUI or failed IVF. Whether you're trying to conceive, increase egg quality, optimizing sperm health, or healing after a miscarriage, each episode delivers practical guidance to support your fertility journey. Learn how to improve fertility, balance hormones, regulate your fertile window, and conceive naturally through root cause healing, emotional wellness, and mind-body tools—because true fertility starts from within.

DISCLAIMER: By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use it as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or others. This podcast offers information to help the listener cooperate with physicians, mental health professionals or other healthcare providers in a mutual quest for optimal well-being. We advise listeners to carefully review and understand the ideas presented, and to consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be having. Under no circumstances shall Pharm to Wellness LLC, any guests or contributors to the Finally Get Pregnant Naturally podcast, or any employees, associates, or affiliates of Pharm to Wellness LLC be responsible for damages arising from the use of the podcast. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
In this episode, we're talking aboutautoimmunity and how your body's
own defenses can actually block yourability to get and stay pregnant.
Welcome to the finally GetPregnant Naturally Podcast.
The podcast helping women identifythe real reasons you haven't
conceived or stayed pregnant, soyou and your partner can finally

(00:22):
grow the family of your dreams.
I'm your host, Dr.
Katie Wood.
Let's dive in, shall we?
In this episode, you are goingto learn what autoimmunity really
is and how it can affect yourability to get or stay pregnant.
The key fertility, red flags that maypoint toward an autoimmune issue and

(00:43):
how to start addressing autoimmunetriggers naturally to support
your fertility in overall health.
So what is autoimmunity andhow can it affect fertility?
Autoimmunity happens when your own immunesystem, which is designed to protect
you, actually starts attacking your owntissues by mistake for various reasons.

(01:10):
And when it comes downto trying to conceive.
This can be a huge hidden barrier becauseyour immune system needs to recognize your
partner's sperm and later on the embryoas safe and not as an invader, so to say.
So if your body is in a state of chronicinflammation or immune confusion,

(01:37):
it can actually see pregnancy.
As a threat to the body and to yoursurvival, rather than something to
protect so autoimmune activity in thebody can interfere with ovulation,
especially when the thyroid is involved.
Egg quality and development.
Implantation since the uterine liningcan actually become inflamed and

(01:59):
even early pregnancy loss because theimmune system is becoming overactive.
Some of the more common autoimmuneconditions that can affect fertility
include Hashimoto's thyroiditis, whichis an autoimmune thyroid disease, celiac
disease, lupus, endometriosis, which is.

(02:21):
Coming to be understood as havingan autoimmune component to it,
and also general undiagnosedsystemic inflammation that really
never got an official diagnosisbut is still present in the body.
So some signs to look outfor that autoimmunity could

(02:41):
be impacting your fertility.
So if you've been diagnosedwith unexplained infertility.
Or are experiencing recurrentmiscarriages or pregnancy loss if
you have irregular cycles, despitehaving quote unquote normal hormones.
If you experience chronic fatigue, brainfog, or joint pain, having cold hands or

(03:06):
feet, or even difficulty losing weight.
Experiencing bloating, digestive issues,food sensitivities, having skin issues
like eczema, psoriasis, or rashes and alsoa family history of autoimmune conditions.
So one of the most frustrating piecesof this is that women and couples

(03:29):
are going years without realizingthat this is what is happening.
They're just spending so much time,money, and energy, potentially
on fertility treatments and theydon't even know what's going on.
And this could be becausetheir labs look normal
or their symptoms are just gettingdismissed as stress or part of aging.

(03:50):
But the truth is.
These are early signs that your body isunder immune stress and that imbalance can
directly impact your reproductive system.
So let's talk a little bitmore about how autoimmunity
can interfere with conception.
So when your immune system isoveractive, it releases inflammatory

(04:15):
molecules called cytokines.
And these cytokines can disruptcommunication between your
brain and ovaries, which canimpact hormone production.
It can inflame the uterine lining,which can make it harder for an
embryo to implant, and it can alsoreduce blood flow to the ovaries,

(04:35):
which can impact egg quality.
And it can trigger early miscarriagesif your immune system sees the
developing embryo as a threat.
So it's like your body being ina constant fight mode really.
And conception requires your body tofeel safe, to be able to create life.

(05:00):
And this is why addressingautoimmunity is so much more than just.
Calming inflammation.
It's about reregulating your immunesystem so it can protect you the way it
was designed to without overreacting.
So here are some steps you can taketo start supporting your immune

(05:22):
infertility health naturally.
So number one we want to test.
Not guess.
So identify triggers.
So this can involve getting tested forfood sensitivities, gluten intolerance,
gut dysbiosis, chronic infections, asthese can all be common immune activators.

(05:44):
And these are things that Ido with all of my clients.
We can support the gut because over 70%of our immune system lives in our gut.
So this can look like repairing yourgut lining, balancing your microbiome,
and reducing the permeabilityor quote unquote, leaky gut can

(06:06):
calm autoimmunity drastically.
And gut issues are just so common this dayand age due to our stressful lifestyle.
And honestly, our.
Poor diet because the food that wedo eat is just nutrient depleted.

(06:27):
And then if you're following thestandard American diet, that's
certainly not helping anybody.
Number three, focus on nutrient repletion.
So definitely this includes vitaminD, omega threes, zinc, and magnesium.
All of these play key roles in theimmune balance and hormone production.

(06:49):
Number four, we wanna regulate yournervous system because chronic stress
keeps your immune system on high alert.
So things like breath work, meditation.
Are powerful tools to shift your bodyback into the parasympathetic nervous
system, which is the rest digest,which is what we want for reproduction.

(07:13):
Number five, runningcomprehensive functional labs.
So autoimmune markers like TPO antibodies,a NA and CRP can reveal what is
typically missed in conventional care.
Again, these are labs that Irun with all of my clients.
So I just wanna remind you that havingan autoimmune condition, if potentially

(07:37):
you're listening to this and youalready know that you have an autoimmune
condition, it does not mean that you're.
Fertility journey is over, orthat your chances of conceiving
even naturally is just impossible.
It really means that your bodyis asking for deeper healing.
It's communicating with you, andwhen you can support it at the

(07:58):
root conception becomes possible.
Again, our bodies are resilientand they're very wise.
Okay.
Your immune system, infertility are meantto work together, not against each other.
And when your body feels safe,balanced, and supported, it can
shift from the fight or flightmode to the rest and digest mode.

(08:24):
Let's recap what we talked about today.
We learned what autoimmunity is and how itcan block conception, the key symptoms and
red flags to look out for and natural waysto calm and balance your immune system.
For optimal fertility outcomes.
So I just want to share that if you'vebeen struggling with infertility,

(08:47):
maybe you've been diagnosed withunexplained infertility, you are
experiencing recurrent miscarriage,and you suspect that there could be
an immune or inflammatory component,or you just plain, haven't gotten
any answers from your doctor so far.
I invite you to book a free fertilitystrategy call together on this call,

(09:09):
we'll uncover what's going on in yourbody and we can talk about creating
a customized roadmap to restore yourfertility naturally so you can finally
grow the family of your dreams.
I just wanna thank youso much for listening.
I hope you have a beautiful day,and I'll see you on our next episode

(09:29):
released every Tuesday and Thursday.