#164 | Your Doctor Isn’t Testing For This Fertility Lab — and It Could Be Sabotaging Your Ability To Get Pregnant

Did you know one overlooked biochemical process could be silently affecting your egg quality, implantation success, and miscarriage risk?

If you’ve been told your labs look “normal” yet still struggle to conceive or sustain a pregnancy, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode you'll...

-Understand how sluggish methylation blocks hormone balance and fertility at the cellular level

-Learn how to identify and optimize your homocysteine levels for improved conception outcomes

-Discover nutrient and lifestyle strategies to enhance methylation naturally — even with MTHFR mutations

Press play now to uncover how supporting methylation can transform your fertility from the inside out and bring you one step closer to the family of your dreams.

👉🏽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

Katie (00:00):
In this episode, we're diving into a topic that's
not talked about enough yet.
It plays a massive role in egg quality,implantation, miscarriage risk, and
overall fertility health, and it's allabout methylation and homocysteine.
Welcome to the finally GetPregnant Naturally Podcast.
The podcast helping women identifythe real reasons you haven't

(00:24):
conceived or stayed pregnant, soyou and your partner can finally
grow the family of your dreams.
I'm your host, Dr.
Katie Wood.
Let's dive in, shall we?
In this episode, you're going to learn what methylation is and
why it's essential for fertility,detoxification, and hormone balance.
How high homocysteine levels couldquietly sabotage conception and

(00:48):
pregnancy outcomes, and how to optimizemethylation naturally, even if you have
M-T-H-F-R or other genetic variants.
So let's talk about what methylationis and why it matters for fertility.
So methylation is one of the body'smost important biochemical processes.

(01:11):
It's almost like a light switch, so
it can turn genes, hormonesand detox pathways on or off.
So methylation helps your bodyprocess and clear out estrogen
efficiently, which can help prevent.
Estrogen dominance.
It can repair DNA, which is highlycritical for ag and sperm quality.

(01:34):
It can produce neurotransmitters that canaffect your mood and stress resilience.
It can convert homocysteine, which isa potentially damaging amino acid into
safer compounds, and it can even supportimplantation and placental development.
And the unfortunate partis when methylation.

(01:54):
Isn't working optimally.
Your detox pathways slow down,inflammation builds and your reproductive
system becomes less efficient, especiallyin the areas of egg quality, implantation
and sustaining and early pregnancy.
So let's discuss the role of homocysteine.

(02:17):
So homocysteine is abyproduct of methylation.
You can think of it like the exhaustthat needs to be processed properly
and when methylation is sluggish.
Either due to nutrient deficiencies,genetics, or inflammation,
homocysteine can build up.
And here's the problem.

(02:38):
High homocysteine damages blood vessels.
It impairs oxygen and nutrientdelivery to the ovaries and uterus,
and it can increase the risk of pooregg quality, implantation failure,
recurrent miscarriage, preeclampsia,and pregnancy complications.
This is honestly not a test thatconventional providers are running.

(03:02):
It is a lab test that I run onevery single client, and we like to
see homocysteine levels below 7.2.
And maybe you've gottenit run by your doctor.
And you're still falling within thenormal lab range, which it depends on

(03:24):
the lab, but it could even be under 15.
If your doctor told you that you'renormal and that level is above 7.2,
that's not an optimal level for fertility.
So check your labs or you canrequest this lab to be done as well.
So why does methylationget blocked anyways?

(03:45):
There can be several reasons yourmethylation might not be working
well, even if you're eating healthy.
So there's genetic variants likeM-T-H-F-R COMT or MTRR, and these
affect how your body processesfolate, B12 and methyl groups.

(04:07):
There's also a lot of folate confusion,so unfortunately most prenatal supplements
and even ones that are recommendedby doctors still to this day contain
synthetic folic acid, which your body maynot be able to convert properly if you
have any degree of an M-T-H-F-R mutation.

(04:29):
And this can actuallyworsen methylation issues.
And then of course, there'snutrient deficiencies.
So we need specific nutrientsto fuel methylation, including
methylated B vitamins like folate,vitamin B12, vitamin B six choline,
and also magnesium and zinc.

(04:51):
If you have a high toxin burden, exposureto pesticides, plastics and heavy metals
can deplete methyl donors in the body.
Also, if you have chronic stressor inflammation, cortisol and
inflammation can steal methyl groupsand increase oxidative stress.

(05:13):
So let's talk about some signs thatyour methylation might be sluggish.
So here's some common red flagsthat I can see in clients.
You're waking up feeling exhaustedeven after what feels like you should
have gotten a good night's rest, right?
Seven to eight hours.
You have a history of miscarriageor difficulty conceiving.

(05:34):
You experience anxiety,mood swings, or brain fog.
Your homocysteine is above 7.2
and you have high estrogen orsymptoms of estrogen dominance like
PMS, tender, breaths, heavy periods.
Maybe you don't.
Do so well.
If you have folic acid in yoursupplements, maybe you do experience some

(05:59):
symptoms, or you have a family historyof heart disease or clotting disorders.
So even symptoms like a poor detoxtolerance, headaches after wine or
chemical sensitivities can be clues.
So how can you support methylationand lower your homocysteine naturally?
Definitely top of mindis to test, don't guess.

(06:23):
You wanna request a homocysteineblood test and if possible, an
M-T-H-F-R genetic testing as well.
And you can also run a fullmethylation panel or organics
acids test for deeper insight.
You want to check and potentiallyupgrade your prenatal.
So look at your prenatal,see what it says on there.

(06:44):
Does it say folic acidor does it say folate?
And then list exactly whatkind that they're using.
So you wanna choose a formula thatcontains methylated B vitamins.
You wanna boost your choline intake.
Choline works synergisticallywith methylfolate and B12 for
methylation and egg health.

(07:06):
It's found in eggs, especially the yolks,grass fed liver, and supplementation
if needed, adding magnesium and zinc.
So both are essential co-factors thatkeep methylation running smoothly
and support hormone detoxification.
We ideally, of course, wannalower inflammation, so eating

(07:26):
an anti-inflammatory dietrich in leafy greens berries.
Cruciferous veggies, omega threes,and limiting processed foods,
alcohol and refined sugars.
We wanna reduce our toxic load,so filtering your water, avoiding
plastic storage and switching toclean beauty and cleaning products.

(07:48):
And of course, supporting the liver.
So your liver is where alot of methylation happens.
So including foods in your dietlike beets, lemons, dandelion root
tea, and cruciferous vegetables.
So a lot of what I see clinically is whenwe are able to lower homocysteine into

(08:09):
an optimal range and support methylation.
We are seeing improved egg qualityand ovulation patterns, easier
conception within just a few cycles,healthier pregnancies with fewer
complications, and better energy,mood and stress resilience overall.
So this is not just a fertilityhack, this is an overall health

(08:32):
and wellness and vitality.
It's like a whole body upgrade.
So let's recap what we talked about today.
We discussed how methylationimpacts hormone balance, egg
quality, and detoxification.
Why high homocysteine can sabotagefertility and what your optimal levels
should look like and the key nutrientsand lifestyle shifts to support a healthy

(08:56):
methylation and reproductive health.
So I just want to let you know ifyou've struggled with unexplained
infertility or recurrent miscarriage,or your labs show high homocysteine
or an M-T-H-F-R gene mutation, thisis your sign to go deeper . Book your
free fertility strategy call today.

(09:18):
We can review your lab results together,identify your hidden root causes, and
create a personalized plan to restoreyour fertility from the inside out.
So I wanna thank you so muchfor listening to this episode.
I hope you have a beautiful day,and I'll see you on the next episode
released every Tuesday and Thursday.