
How to Safeguard Your Hormone Health & Fertility | Dr. Shanna Swan
Andrew Huberman
Nov 4, 2024
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Avoid harmful exposures in pregnancy to protect future generations
Harmful exposures in the womb, such as from a mother smoking, can cause permanent reductions in sperm count that cannot be reversed later in life.
Beware of "BPA-free" labels masking harmful chemicals
Products labeled "BPA-free" often use equally harmful chemical relatives like BPS and BPF, so the label does not guarantee safety.
Avoid canned foods to reduce BPA exposure
The primary source of exposure to the endocrine disruptor BPA is the lining of metal cans used for drinks and food, not plastic bottles.
Avoid scented products to protect hormonal health
If you can smell a fragrance in a product like laundry detergent or soap, it is likely affecting your hormones as phthalates are used to hold scent.
Utilize anogenital distance as a biomarker for fetal hormone exposure
The anogenital distance (AGD) in newborns acts as a permanent physical marker of the hormonal environment they were exposed to in the womb.
Monitor anogenital distance to assess fertility potential
A shorter anogenital distance in adult men, reflecting their in-utero hormone exposure, is strongly correlated with lower sperm counts.
Understand sperm count thresholds for optimal fertility
For fertility, sperm count matters immensely when it's below 45 million per milliliter, but makes little difference once it's above 75-100 million per milliliter.
Reduce pesticide exposure to protect sperm health
Men living in an agricultural area in Missouri with high pesticide use had half as many moving sperm as men in Minneapolis.
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