Today’s bonus episode guest is Dr. Cecilia Kitic, an exercise physiologist with a Ph.D. in exercise immunology and founder of The IVF Project and Fertile Gut.
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Dr. Kitic and Heather discuss optimizing your gut health for conception:
INTRODUCTION
- I’d like to start by hearing a little bit about you. Tell us about your academic background and training.
- Why did you choose a career in exercise physiology and immunology?
- Take us through your career.
FERTILE GUT
- A healthy egg and sperm are the foundation for a healthy embryo, so what does the gut have to do with conception?
- What is our gut microbiota?
- How is our gut structured, and who is living in there?
- What is dysbiosis?
- LPS harms fertility, but what is it and where is it coming from?
- What infertility conditions are associated with dysbiosis?
- How does our gut microbiota affect our sex hormone balance?
- What is the connection between our gut and our mental health?
- How do our microbiota influence toxin exposure?
- How does exercise affect our gut microbiota?
- What food do our microbiota love to eat?
- What is the difference between a prebiotic and fiber?
- What type of foods contain prebiotics?
- How do you find out who is living in your gut?
- How can you adjust your diet to create a fertile gut?
- What research has been done in this area recently, and what questions remain unanswered?
- Do you have any success stories you can share with us?
- Is there anything else you’d like to add?
WRAPPING UP
- What words of hope would you offer to infertility warriors who are interested in optimizing their gut health for conception?