I am fertility

03/15/2025

https://liyateplitsky.com/learn/f/the-roll-of-mitochondrial-health-in-fertility--part-2?blogcategory=Metabolism

So, in the end of part one of this article i made a declaration which i would like to expand more about in this this part.

03/15/2025

https://liyateplitsky.com/learn/f/the-roll-of-mitochondrial-health-in-fertility?blogcategory=Metabolism

What is the Mitochondria?

10/20/2024

Let's talk about the role of carbohydrates when it comes to reproductive health.

**Part 2**

3. Essential nutrients for reproduction do not abundantly exist in carbohydrates. Therefore, if we must replenish a nutrient depletion in the stage of preconception (and we all do) and definitely a fertility challenge carries in it a depletion in reproductive nutrients- therefore we must focus on foods that carry the essential nutrients for that process and abandon the once that are counterproductive. Not doing so, will cause the condition that most women who struggle with natural conception are going through.
The essential nutrients for improving mitochondrial health (and thus reproductive health) are vitamins E, C, D, B, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, folate, biotin, choline, inositol, methionine, taurine, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, iodine, selenium, alpha lipoic acid and CoQ10 (5). These can all be consumed from foods, and most foods that contain them abundantly and in the most compatible way (meaning absorbed well) are animal based non processed foods.

4. Women's overall health determines egg quality. What does it even mean "overall health"? Science is defining our "overall health" by looking at our blood sugar, thyroid function and levels of inflammation. Other than thyroid function, which we will get to soon, we discussed above how exactly all of these markers affect your reproductive health, and let me be clear, these are the exact explanations for why women are struggling to conceive naturally. And through reading this, and applying this information you can easily fix this condition by yourself within a month or so, by focusing on replenishing your reproductive essential nutrients through diet. Do I believe that diet is the only change that is needed? NO.
Do I believe it's the number one factor that can lead to natural conception in 99% of women? YES.

5. Thyroid and reproductive health. There's a direct connection between our reproductive health and our thyroid hormones. Let's break it down. The thyroid needs 5 organs to work properly: brain (specifically the pituitary gland- the thyroid stimulating hormone) thyroid, liver, gut and adrenals. We also know that when there are fertility issues, one of the most common hormonal exams is the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). The thyroid is like the body's thermostat, every cell in your body has thyroid receptors. Therefore making thyroid working well is crucial for proper functioning of every system of the body. Women are 5-10 times more likely than men to be diagnosed with thyroid disorder, and infertility is just one kind of such issue.
How does thyroid disorder affect fertility? research has shown that thyroid autoimmunity is linked to lower ovarian reserve parameters, lower lower egg quality, and, consequently, poorer assisted reproductive technology outcomes (IVF treatments)(6) Therefore it's natural to a associate thyroid disorder with menstrual cycle irregularities, increase miscarriage risk, and pregnancy complications (7)(this is such a remarkable example for why IVF treatment are nor only so ineffective but also counterproductive in most cases, it's an example for why even a successful IVF treatment will lead to a pregnancy that is full of complication and risks and explains why so many IVF treatments are ending in miscarriage, again, the problem was not solved, in fact it only gets worse with pregnancy because it has such a great demand on the body, that it keeps depleting the body from the hormones that our bodies need for sustaining our health while growing a whole new person). I haven't personally found a study that shows that a certain amount of carbohydrate can impact thyroid disorder, in fact there are studies that show that restriction of carbohydrate can slow down the production of thyroid hormones (which we can argue whether its a positive or a negative outcome). This is one reason why I don't recommend fully removing carbohydrates from the whole cycle period (unless you have adopted a carnivore diet and you have been on it for over three months consistently and that is for healing purposes). Nevertheless, please understand that the key nutrients for the purposes of restoring thyroid function are not in carbohydrates but in animal based food (in the most abundant and compatible way). Here are the most important thyroid supporting nutrients: vitamin D,A, Selenium, Zink, Iodin, Magnesium. But can a low carb (or a zero carbohydrates) diet improve thyroid function? The simple and honest answer to that is there is no scientific answer for that that we can apply to every person, therefore in the context of thyroid health, I'd rather not recommend a specific diet, and instead I'd look at the healing process holistically.

Some mind hacks to consider when going through natural conception challenges...
I have spent the past 7 years of my reproductive life researching reproductive health, not because of struggling with it, but because i was so passionate about producing healthy babies, because of my pre-pregnancy believe system...here's a few of my beliefs that serve me well as a woman and a mother:
1.My health is my (and only my) responsibility (a belief system that I believe every human should have) and not of any doctor or medical professional.
2. I believe that our bodies have the power to heal themselves, and that if we make ourselves ill, by acknowledging this, we then own our power for healing ourselves.
3. When a health challenge shows up, ask yourself- what is it (an idea, a belief) that I refuse to let go of, that doesn't serve me any more? ..this is a deep mental process that takes some people decades to go through and often takes professional help, but I found that with constant practice of self-awareness tools this can be accelerating (plus, healing a mental problem is also healing, and I already said that I believe that I can heal myself). When there's something in my life that I want, and seems like it's challenging to manifest, I will ask- what's in it for me not having it right now (or a variation of this question) I will then spend some time meditating over this question. The lack of anything can be painful, I refrain from judgment when it comes to people's problems, but all lack should be confronted with a fundamental belief that there is no such thing really, it is only a human perspective of an experience that must lead us to a profound evolution and growth.

If you found this article helpful, remember that every one out of 5 women is struggling to get pregnant naturally, maybe you can be kind enough to share.

Reference:
1. Rasheed, P., and L.S. Al-Sowielem. “Prevalence and predictors of premenstrual syndrome
among college–aged women in Saudi Arabia.” Annals of Saudi Medicine (2003).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16868373/

2. Loy, S.L., et al. “Plasma glycemic measures and fecundability in a Singapore preconception

cohort study.” Fertil Steril 115(1) (2021): 138–147.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33070964/

3. Rodríguez-Cano, A.M., et al. “Nutrients, mitochondrial function, and perinatal health.”

Nutrients 12(7) (2020): 2166.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7401276/

4. Rodríguez-Cano, A.M., et al. “Nutrients, mitochondrial function, and perinatal
health.” Nutrients 12(7) (2020): 2166; Kuszak, A.J., et al. “Nutritional interventions

for mitochondrial OXPHOS deficiencies: mechanisms and model systems.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7401276/

5. Ibid.; Kuszak, A.J., et al. “Nutritional interventions for mitochondrial OXPHOSdeficiencies: mechanisms and model systems.” Annu Rev Pathol Mech Dis 13 (2018):163–191; Priliani, L., et al. “Maternal multiple micronutrient supplementation stabilizesmitochondrial DNA copy number in pregnant women in Lombok, Indonesia.” TheJournal of Nutrition 149 (2019): 1309–1316; Jong, C.J., et al.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099651/

6. Li, F., et al. “A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between Hashimoto’sthyroiditis and ovarian reserve.” International Immunopharmacology 108 (2022): 108670;Hasegawa, Y., et al. “Effect of hypothyroidism and thyroid autoimmunity on the ovarianreserve: a systematic review and meta‐analysis.” Reproductive Medicine and Biology 21(1)(2022): e12427; Monteleone, P., et al. “Female infertility related to thyroid autoimmunity:the ovarian follicle hypothesis.” American Journal of Reproductive Immunology 66(2)(2011): 108–https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361953935_https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381168472_Evaluation_of_ovarian_reserve_in_women_with_thyroid_autoimmunity

7. Dosiou, C. “Thyroid and fertility: recent advances.” Thyroid 30(4) (2020): 479–486;Țarnă, M., et al. “Preconception counseling in patients with hypothyroidism and/orthyroid autoimmunity.” Medicina 58(8) (2022): 1122.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31903865/

10/20/2024

Let's talk about the role of carbohydrates when it comes to reproductive health.

Part 1:

The health of the reproductive system relies heavily on the nutrient stores we have access to in the preconception phase. Numerous nutrients are determining our egg quality and the support of the possible development of a healthy embryo and these are also directly related to Mitochondrial support.

WHY am I insisting on emphasizing the role of carbohydrate specifically, (as a pose to added sugars and processed foods that have a different issue when it comes to reproductive disruptions and hormonal imbalance).

Many women argue about the role of carbohydrates when I talk about recommendations of reducing carbohydrates as one of my strategies (the one that really works amazingly well) for the improvement of reproductive health. First, I must stress that in almost 100% of the times one strategy can't work without the other, meaning that reducing the amount of carbohydrates in once nutritional plan in an effort for improving fertility can't and won’t work on its own, with that being said, having resistance about the reduction of carbohydrates by itself isn't reasonable.

Here's why, though, I consider the reduction (and yes, in some cases a full elimination for a period of time in the menstrual cycle) of carbohydrates is absolutely critical in the process of improving fertility and optimizing reproductive health.

Impaired reproductive health and poor fertility are tied together. This scientific fact is actually very good news to all women who are struggling with natural conception and are going through life forcing themselves into mentally and physically painful and detrimental fertility treatments not knowing how easy it is to actually fix 99% of infertility cases, turning to solution that are not meant to heal but to force. This is why I am determined to put information that is 100% science based. Hopefully you will get to it before you will get to the next IVF cycle.

So let's get to science.

In today's article I would like to tell you more about the connection between carbohydrates and poor reproductive outcomes focusing on fertility (but not just).
(and I mean "healthy" carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and starches). The scientific references are below.

1. Menstrual cycle and reproductive health. Even though it is quite clear to us how the "fifth vital" sign is connected to fertility, it is deeply underlooked by woman who struggle with natural conception as for what exactly to look for when your tracking your cycle, and how does a dysregulated cycle looks like, and we are far from understanding how to get this process into regulation in order to support natural conception. Even though it is clear to every woman that she must have a cycle (and a healthy one) in order to naturally conceive. As this article is discussing the relationship between carbohydrates and fertility (and the lack of it) I will not discuss here (ruther in a separate discussion) regarding the signs we need to look into when tracking our cycle.
Consuming a high carbohydrate diet on a consistent basis, is incredibly dysregulating our cycle, and in some phases more than others. In my pregnancy coaching program, where I dedicate the first month for "cycle regulation", I separate a woman's cycle into 4 phases (and in some phases she will be following a diet protocol that is higher in carbohydrates than others. I do this because some parts of your cycle can actually benefit from a some amount of carbohydrates (for example: phase 4 when progesterone production is ramping up and progesterone really does thrive better with carbohydrates) and in other phases the absence of carbohydrates is exactly what can help the production of the wanted hormones to shine (for example: in phase 1 when your period starts and your body ramps up your estrogen levels, and estrogen does not thrive on carbohydrates).
Please remember that this article is for women who are struggling with natural conception, therefore a nutritional protocol that is recommended here, might not be relevant for a woman that has no metabolic issues, which we can argue whether there is one woman like that on this planet or not.

So we get that the amount of carbohydrates matter, but does the type of carbohydrate matter as much? Honestly it's a tricky question, why? the researcher around it is much more difficult to conduct and the information that has been collected is completely unreliable because it's based on questionnaires and not on lab results. The fact is that the main reason for why we want to reduce or eliminate carbohydrates is because they have the most meaningful impact on our blood sugar (but it's not the only reason) which is the cause for elevated inflammation over time, but it's also a fact that unrefined carbohydrates (or what we call "healthy/ whole carbs) have an effect on our blood sugar and quite honestly, if you are treated by a health professional that doesn’t tell you that, or tries to sugar coat this basic information, then either they have no understanding in carbohydrate metabolism (and it's not their fault, most health care professionals don't have nutritional education) or they haven’t discovered yet the strategy for healing inflammation (we are all on a journey). Health professions (like myself) will encourage you to consume carbohydrates that are less processed (that simply means unrefined), less "simple sugars" that we consume through sugary beverages, snacks, starches that the fiber was piled off them, and yes, even fruits, these foods impact the blood sugar more instant then the non refined version of them and if you combine protein and healthy fats with your complex (unrefined) carbohydrates than the impact on your blood sugar can become manageable...but is that all the story? there's much more to it. Research does show that women with severe PMS symptoms are those who consume the most amount of refined carbohydrates (1), further, in a study of over 750 women who were actively trying to conceive, those with higher blood sugar levels were more likely to have menstrual cycle irregularities (2) and it's really important to distinguish here the fact that high blood sugar does not apply to obese or even overweight, you can absolutely be a thin individual with high blood sugar (in fact this is extremely common, and in woman with fertility challenges it's even more common because that's exactly the whole point of the manifestation of infertility). We also need to learn how to read research and to understand how research in nutrition is being conducted (not all science is done the same). In my experience, if your plesiosaur is to have 1 oreo cookie as your source of carbohydrates once in a while, (just an example of a refined carb source) then heck- you can have it as long as you keep it under the desired carbohydrates intake. Do I want to encourage eating like that as a strategy for conception? Absolutely no.

1. Metabolic health and reproductive health, are also directly connected to blood sugar levels and our ability to process carbohydrates (since they are sugars). I love being brutally clear and honest with my clients, therefore it should make you exuberant to know that most cases of infertility are nothing more than an insulin resistance case and because we know how effective is ketosis for dealing with such cases, i highly recommend using strategy for elevating blood ketones in some phases of the cycle.
Therefore, in all reproductive challenges the number one method that I use is the immediate reduction of all carbohydrates regardless of their quality, and giving more attention to quantity then to quality. You will need to heal the inflammation that comes from the overflow of carbohydrate injection first to improve your blood sugar sensitivity. After you do that, you sure want to pay attention to the quality of the carbohydrates that you do consume, but that will not be step 2 when considering the steps towards healing the reproductive system.

2. Mitochondrial health and reproductive health. If i had to put all my attention on healing one part of our reproductive system in order to put the whole system back into harmony it would be to improve the function of our Mitochondrial health. In essence we can heal most of the reproductive issues through healing the functioning of this single organelle. In a nutshell the Mitochondria is the powerhouse of our cells. Its main job is to produce energy. In the case of elevated inflammation in the reproductive system, that is vastly (but not solely) caused by the inability to process carbohydrates, and the detrimental depletion of essential reproductive vitamins and minerals (which we will discuss in a different article).
In women the mitochondria promotes cellular homeostasis in the oocyte (a developing egg) and embryos which can impact the viability (the chance for the development of the oocyte into an egg to occur) and is determining the long term health of the baby (3). Nutrients and their delicate balance is crucial for the establishment of these processes.
understand this, excessive intake of carbohydrates can trigger "persistent states of inflammation" that is caused by "mitochondrial glucose overload" (4)

11/24/2022

My gang is growing m ❤️🌷

11/02/2022

My postpartum recovery, after having 3 boys in 4 years.

It’s been 10 days after my third baby boy was born and mama craves to feel herself.

I will lie if I’ll say that my body feels the same like I felt after my first two pregnancies. I was sick towards the end and still recovering from a virus that I bought from my kid. Sucks.

But, I am still sooooo grateful knowing what is the normal postpartum experience I give thanks for my postpartum experience.

Throughout all my pregnancies I have followed religiously three principles, or rituals that simply gave me better results then what is the average postpartum experience usually is.

1. Workouts- I was lifting heavy as long as I could. Until week 38.4 in my last (third) pregnancy (had the baby at 39 weeks). Until the night before I had my babies with my first and second pregnancies.

2. Diet- I followed a keto carnivore diet with all my pregnancies.
With my first two pregnancies I was more strict, there was less temptation and more time to prepare food. In my last pregnancy I definitely had more carbs and also some dairy. I know that even though my diet was focused on meat, eggs and liver, the amount of carbohydrates in my diet (which is as high as 100 gr in my high carb days when I was working out) I could have had a better experience if I eliminated them completely.
I never in all my pregnancies had nausea, or inflamed joints and pains. My health was absolutely robust.
In my last two weeks in my pregnancy I caught a virus from my kid which made the end of the pregnancy quit challenging for me. I know that if I wouldn’t stick to the diet I would’ve finished in the hospital and not being able to nurse or take care of my baby.
I used healing protocol that included bone broth, meat, eggs, ginger and turmeric. I supplemented with magnesium citrate, natural plant remedies (that honestly felt ineffective) and stayed strict with the diet.

10/19/2022

Working out with a feeling like the baby should have been out already.

Feeling under the weather, even coughing hurts to a point where I can’t hold p*e in and I’m in a diaper in the gym. But a workout is moving me closer to my baby and keeping my diet on track, yes, even at 38.5 weeks I’m putting my feeling good, eating the best growing baby and nourishing mom diet and moving. And of course resting as much as I need (and not as much as possible).

09/18/2022

34 weeks In.
15 lb gained.
Feeling amazing.
Powerful workouts at the gym.
Feeling baby movement all the time.
Sleeping amazing through the night, even though I have a 4yo and a 3 yo boys.
Having mild manageable labor Kinda contractions.
Feeling a ton of energy.
Nutrition: no limits of: red meat, eggs, bone broth, salt. 🥩🍳🥚🧂

Limited amounts of: coconut oil, butter, goat cheese and blackberries and avocado (not because I need them, but because it’s a part of my kids daily nutrition and sometimes I pick up on leftovers).

09/17/2022

From my last class at the Port Charlotte pregnancy center.

Teaching about the difference between complete proteins to incomplete proteins.

The benefits of eating more of the complete versus the incomplete ones.

This is a two hours workshop that dives deep into prenatal nutrition and some highlights about postpartum and baby first foods, it is so hard to choose what matters to pass forward since I believe that every piece of information can make a difference for this mamas.

Here’s what I see in all of my workshops as reactions from moms (and their partners that join them or sometimes their moms that join them…)
“I wish I could be pregnant again, I would’ve had such a different experience, now that I know all of this” (said a grandma).

“This is crazy information, mind blowing, I wish I knew that with my previous pregnancies” (a mom of 2 kids, third time pregnant).

“I feel like I could benefit from eating like this also without being pregnant hahah” (said a dad)

09/12/2022

01/11/2022

You are bigger than the challenges that are facing you.

Whatever is confronting you today, the answers are already there for you. Someone, somewhere has solved this problem and knows how to fix it.

Don’t make your problems bigger than they are, because most of the time, they are IMAGINARY. The ones that aren’t, are solvable.

* Your webinar isn’t converting? It can be fixed.
* Facebook disapproved you? It can be fixed.
* Not enough cash at the end of the month? We can solve that too.

Don’t let yourself be paralyzed by bu****it problems that people far less intelligent than you have already solved.

The only mistake is to hesitate when the solution is right there in front of you.

Who knows how much your business could be earning right now?

Who knows how many lives you could be changing?

Who knows how much freedom you could be enjoying?

The real cost of problems is the time you spend paralyzed, wondering what to do next.

I’ll tell you exactly what to do:

1. Realize you are bigger than the problem.

2. Realize that no matter what that problem is, someone else has already solved it…sometimes decades ago.

3. Find that person.

4. Get them to help you solve that problem too.

The faster you can execute these 4 steps, the faster your business will evolve and grow.

But the more time you squander turning imaginary problems into very real hesitation, the longer you go without enjoying the life you were put here to enjoy.