Get Pregnant Naturally

Failed IVF? Low AMH? High FSH? Told donor eggs? Book a free Functional Fertility Second Opinion before your next fertility decision → fabfertile.com
Your cycle was cancelled on day eight or day nine. Someone called and said there were not enough follicles and it was not worth going ahead. At the follow up, you heard the words poor responder.
What do you actually do with that? Change the protocol. Go again next month. Take three months off and work on your health. Get another opinion. Or accept that this is what your ovaries are capable of and stop looking for an explanation.
This is where I see women get stuck, because if you are listening to this, you have already done a lot. Clean eating, the supplements, CoQ10, a methylfolate prenatal, vitamin D, no alcohol, no plastics, acupuncture twice a week, reading It Starts With The Egg. Almost nobody walks into IVF blindly.
None of that answers the question in front of you now. What should I actually do before another retrieval?
In this episode, I walk through the three questions I would want answered. None of them are more supplements, and none of them are another checklist.
A cancelled cycle tells you how your ovaries responded to medication. It was never designed to tell you about the environment those eggs were developing in during the ninety days before the injections started.
What I cover: what the cycle actually established and what it was never built to answer. What happened in those ninety days, including the full thyroid panel with antibodies rather than TSH alone, ferritin where we look at 80 to 100, high sensitivity CRP where we like it below one, and absorption. Your partner's side, including DNA fragmentation, sperm antibodies and the seminal microbiome across his seventy-four days. And the question to ask your fertility team before you agree to another retrieval: what exactly are we changing, and why?
I am not telling you which protocol to be on. That is a conversation with your fertility team. I am also not saying any one of these markers explains a cancelled cycle. That is not the claim I am making. It is about whether the investigation was finished before the next decision.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Your cycle was cancelled and you heard poor responder
01:00 Question one, what did the cycle actually tell us
02:00 Everything you had already done before the cycle
03:00 Question two, what happened in the ninety days before stimulation
04:00 Full thyroid panel, ferritin, high sensitivity CRP and absorption
05:00 His side, DNA fragmentation, and why this is personal for me
06:00 What Your Clinic Missed, and what we actually look at
07:00 Question three, if you go again, what will be different
08:00 The Functional Fertility Second Opinion
09:00 Closing
WHAT YOUR CLINIC MISSED
A list of markers worth reviewing before another IVF cycle or a donor egg decision. It also gives you a sense of what we look at with clients, beyond bloodwork. Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line MISSED, and we will send you the guide.
FUNCTIONAL FERTILITY SECOND OPINION
A free 45-minute call where I review your bloodwork, your history, and your partner's results with you. Bring your partner and load your labs before the call. Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line FERTILE, or book here.
ABOUT THE HOST
I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over one million downloads. My functional fertility team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.
Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile, host of Get Pregnant Naturally (1M+ downloads), and author of Fabulously Fertile.
If this episode helped, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is how other women find this work.

Failed IVF? Low AMH? High FSH? Told donor eggs?  Book a free Functional Fertility Second Opinion before your next fertility decision → fabfertile.com
After a failed cycle, the pressure to decide arrives fast. Another retrieval. A different protocol. A different clinic. Donor eggs. And underneath all of it, the question of what to do next.
This episode is not an argument against IVF. It is the opposite. It is about walking into the next cycle having looked at the whole picture rather than only the protocol.
These are the five questions I would ask if we were sitting together reviewing your case.
What your last cycle actually told us, and why stimulation works with the eggs your body has already been developing rather than creating egg quality. What has genuinely changed since the last cycle beyond the medication. Whether investigating costs you time, or whether the two can run in parallel. Whether both partners have been evaluated, or only one. And what information would let you feel settled about the decision either way.
I also share what I would do differently. I was 28 when I was told donor eggs were my only option. I did not know there were other questions to ask.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The pressure to decide after a failed cycle
00:52 Review ask
01:00 What our team reviews and how we work
02:30 The type A pattern, and the tracking data that still has not answered it
03:10 Question 1. What did your IVF cycle actually tell us
03:40 Stimulation does not create egg quality
03:55 Question 2. What has actually changed since your last cycle
04:30 His full workup, beyond count and motility
05:00 Question 3. Will investigating cost me time
05:50 What is happening to your eggs while you gather information
06:15 Running functional work and IVF in parallel
06:50 Question 4. Have we looked at both partners
07:20 The 70 to 80 day window before conception
07:35 Question 5. What would help you feel confident either way
08:05 Medical gaslighting, and the symptoms nobody connected
08:30 I was 28 and I did not know what to ask
09:15 The Functional Fertility Second Opinion, and how parallel timing works
FUNCTIONAL FERTILITY SECOND OPINION
A free 45-minute call. Upload your bloodwork and IVF records to the portal beforehand and we go through what has already been investigated, where the gaps are, and whether our approach is a fit. If you have a retrieval scheduled we can still work with you. Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line FERTILE, or book at fabfertile.com
ABOUT THE HOST
I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over one million downloads. My functional fertility team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.
Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile, host of Get Pregnant Naturally (1M+ downloads), and author of Fabulously Fertile.
If this episode helped, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is how other women find this work.

Failed IVF? Low AMH? High FSH? Told donor eggs? Book a free Functional Fertility Second Opinion before your next fertility decision.→ fabfertile.com
You knew before the nurse called. You had been checking the portal, and there it was. FSH, flagged high. You read the range beside it several times, then searched the number late at night hoping it would tell you what it meant for your future. What came back was not an explanation. It felt like a verdict. Diminished ovarian reserve. Poor responder. Consider donor eggs.
A high FSH is a real finding, and this episode does not pretend otherwise. But a number tells you where you are standing. It does not tell you how you got there, and it does not decide for you.
In this episode, I walk through what a high FSH does tell us, what it does not, and the questions I would want answered before making another fertility decision. That includes the cycle day the sample was drawn on, whether estradiol was measured alongside it, whether the result has ever been repeated, and the layer of health that sits underneath the number and rarely gets examined.
I also share the outcomes I have seen across ten years. Some couples conceive naturally. Some go on to IVF, and it works. Some choose donor eggs. Some choose adoption. Some decide not to pursue children and feel better than they have in years. The goal of this work is clarity, not a promise.
CHAPTERS
00:00 The portal, the result, and what it felt like
01:00 What our team reviews and why it looks different
02:00 Both partners, and why this is multifactorial
03:00 What FSH is actually telling us
04:00 Cycle day, estradiol, and whether the test was repeated
05:00 What could be contributing to the bigger picture
06:00 Thyroid, ferritin, vitamin D, blood sugar, inflammation
07:00 Autoimmunity, gut health, endometriosis, sleep, nutrition
08:00 Under-fueling, chronic stress, and what the DUTCH test shows
09:00 The pattern I see in type A women, and my own diagnosis at 28
11:00 Every path we have helped couples take
12:00 What Your Clinic Missed
12:30 Three questions before your next decision
13:30 The Functional Fertility Second Opinion
WHAT YOUR CLINIC MISSED
The companion guide walks through the markers worth reviewing before a donor egg decision, so you can go through your own results and see what is there. Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line MISSED, and we will send you the guide.
FUNCTIONAL FERTILITY SECOND OPINION
A free 45-minute call. Before we speak, I review your bloodwork, your history, your previous treatment, and both partners' health, so the conversation focuses on what has been explored and what questions remain. Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line FERTILE, or book here.
ABOUT THE HOST
I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over one million downloads. My functional fertility team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.
Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile, host of Get Pregnant Naturally (1M+ downloads), and author of Fabulously Fertile.
If this episode helped, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is how other women find this work.

Failed IVF? Low AMH? High FSH? Told donor eggs? Book a free Functional Fertility Second Opinion before your next fertility decision.→ fabfertile.com
You have the appointment booked. Maybe it is a second opinion with a different clinic. Maybe it is a consult after a cycle that did not go the way you expected. You have your lab work, your partner is ready to join, and you have your questions ready. And some part of you is wondering whether the whole picture will actually be looked at this time.
Here is what most women are never told. A diagnosis names where you are. It does not always explain why you are there. "We did not find anything" and "we looked for these specific things and ruled them out" are not the same sentence. One is the absence of an investigation. The other is the result of one.
In this episode, I walk through exactly what to bring and what to ask: the records that tell the real story of your cycle, the symptom history most workups leave out, your partner's complete evaluation, and the three questions that move the conversation from what happened to why. Pull it up and take notes.
This is not about avoiding IVF or distrusting your doctor. It is about walking into your next decision having asked every reasonable question, so the decision is an informed one.
CHAPTERS
00:00 What to bring to a fertility second opinion
01:00 Why functional testing looks upstream, not just one more test
02:00 Your bloodwork and IVF cycle records, and how to get them
03:00 Your symptom history, and why every symptom is a clue
04:00 His records, including sperm DNA fragmentation
05:00 The first question, what has actually been ruled out
06:00 What would explain your numbers
07:00 What happens if you change nothing
07:30 The Functional Fertility Second Opinion
WHAT YOUR CLINIC MISSED
The companion guide walks through the patterns a standard fertility workup tends to miss, with the markers behind each one, so you can take it to your next appointment and ask the questions.
Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line MISSED, and we will send you the guide.
FUNCTIONAL FERTILITY SECOND OPINION
A free 45-minute call where I review your bloodwork, your history, and your partner's results with you. You leave knowing what your biology has been telling you and what your next decision could be.
Email hello@fabfertile.ca, subject line FERTILE, or book here: https://fabfertile.com/pages/book
ABOUT THE HOST
I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over one million downloads. My functional fertility team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.
Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile, host of Get Pregnant Naturally (1M+ downloads), and author of Fabulously Fertile.
If this episode helped, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is how other women find this work.

Failed IVF? Low AMH? High FSH? Told donor eggs? Book a free Functional Fertility Second Opinion before your next fertility decision.→ fabfertile.com
IVF stimulation doesn't create egg quality. It reveals it.
Most people think an IVF cycle starts on day one of stimulation. Biologically, that's already too late.
You were told the protocol would be adjusted. Maybe the dose went up. Maybe they switched you to a different one entirely. And the result was the same, or close enough that nobody could explain the difference. Somewhere in it, you started wondering whether the cycle was ever really the variable.
The follicles recruited in your cycle have been developing for weeks to months. They reflect the metabolic and inflammatory conditions that were present during that window. Stimulation doesn't override those conditions. It asks the system to perform under them.
The same applies to sperm. His semen analysis came back normal, he got a high five from the REI, and nobody looked at DNA integrity or fragmentation.
In this episode, I walk through three patterns we see with clients and why repeating a cycle without reassessing readiness often produces the same result.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Why the cycle was decided before day one
01:00 Pattern one: egg and sperm quality are set before stimulation begins
02:00 The sperm side nobody looked at, and why stimulation amplifies what is already there
03:00 Pattern two: why pre-IVF prep fails when it is just supplements and timelines
04:00 Blood sugar, gut and immune signaling, and stress physiology
05:00 Pattern three: preparing for IVF versus auditing whether you are ready
06:00 The hierarchy, and whether now is the time to push the system
07:00 The reframe: clarity protects your time, energy, and biology
EMBRYO AUDIT CHECKLIST
If you're preparing for IVF or considering another cycle, the free Embryo Audit Checklist walks through the key systems that influence egg quality, embryo development, and implantation, so you can have a more informed conversation before moving forward.
Download it here: https://fabfertile.com/pages/embryo-audit-checklist
FUNCTIONAL FERTILITY SECOND OPINION
A free 45-minute call where I review your labs, your history, and your patterns with you. This is a diagnostic review, not coaching on a protocol. You leave knowing what your biology has been telling you and what your next decision could be.
Book here: https://fabfertile.com/pages/book
ABOUT THE HOST
I'm Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile and host of Get Pregnant Naturally, a podcast with over one million downloads. My functional fertility team works with couples navigating low AMH and failed IVF, reviewing functional lab results, gut microbiome, food sensitivity, vaginal microbiome, nutrigenomics, HTMA, DUTCH, toxin testing, and bloodwork alongside nervous system work, to help identify patterns that may not have been considered. We work alongside your medical team, not instead of them.
Sarah Clark, founder of Fab Fertile, host of Get Pregnant Naturally (1M+ downloads), and author of Fabulously Fertile.
If this episode helped, leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It is how other women find this work.