Know your fertility numbers before you need them
Natalie Crawford, Huberman and Michael Eisenberg recommend testing ovarian reserve and sperm quality early, and explain how age and lifestyle affect both. Earlier knowledge gives people real options instead of late surprises.
Why do these experts say to measure fertility before you need it? Show answer
A number in hand turns a late surprise into earlier choices, such as freezing eggs or sperm, trying sooner or finding a hidden cause.
What two tests estimate a woman's ovarian reserve? Show answer
An AMH blood test and an antral follicle count done by transvaginal ultrasound.
What is Natalie Crawford's egg vault? Show answer
Her image for the fixed egg supply formed before birth, from which a group of eggs leaves every month regardless of periods or the pill.
Does egg freezing or IVF use up future eggs? Show answer
No. The medications rescue the group already leaving the vault that month, which would otherwise die.
What age does Crawford name as best for freezing eggs? Show answer
About 32 to 33, when egg quality and quantity still intersect well.
What cycle change can be an early sign of falling ovarian reserve? Show answer
A cycle that shortens, for example from 28 to 30 days down to 24, because fewer eggs respond faster to FSH.
How does the chance of conceiving per cycle change with age, per Huberman? Show answer
About 20 percent at 30 or younger, 11 percent at 34 to 37, 5 percent at 38 to 39, and 1 to 3 percent at 40 or older.
How often should men get a semen analysis, according to the advice Huberman relays? Show answer
About every five years, after 48 to 72 hours of abstinence, starting with a baseline when younger.
Why does Michael Eisenberg say men are overlooked in fertility care? Show answer
The man contributes to infertility probably half the time, yet is bypassed about a third of the time when couples seek care.
Why does Eisenberg want semen quality treated like a vital sign? Show answer
Men with higher semen quality tend to live longer and have lower cancer rates, and evaluations sometimes uncover other diseases.
Why does ACOG advise against routine AMH screening? Show answer
AMH does not predict a woman's monthly chance of natural conception, since a woman with low reserve still ovulates one egg.
How does Crawford answer ACOG's objection? Show answer
She says the test is for planning, not a monthly forecast; low reserve is actionable through freezing, timing or investigating causes.