Aimee Raupp | The Fertility Authority Podcast

Aimee Raupp
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For over 21 years Aimee Raupp, MS LAc, has helped women get and stay pregnant against all odds. As a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, functional medicine clinician, and bestselling author, Aimee brings real science, real clinical experience, and a whole lot of hope to every episode. This is The Fertility Authority. aimeeraupp.substack.com

Episodes

  1. 3d ago

    The Research On Egg Quality That Your Fertility Doctor Missed

    Episode SummaryThis episode explores groundbreaking research from 2023 to 2026 that is transforming our understanding of female fertility and ovarian aging. Hosted by Aimee Raupp, a seasoned fertility expert, it covers inflammation, AMH, insulin resistance, NAD+, light exposure, stress, and oral health, offering practical insights for women seeking to optimize their reproductive health. Keywordsfemale fertility, ovarian aging, inflammation, AMH, insulin resistance, NAD plus, fertility research, reproductive health, stress, oral health Key Topics * Chronic inflammation and its effect on egg quality * The role of AMH and inflammation in fertility * Insulin resistance as a driver of IVF success * NAD+ levels and mitochondrial health in eggs * Impact of light exposure and circadian rhythms on ovaries * Stress and ovarian reserve decline * Oral inflammation and systemic reproductive effects * Practical steps to improve the ovarian environment Sound Bites * “Inflammation ages your tissues faster than your birthday” * “Low AMH reflects inflammation, not just egg count” * “NMN and resveratrol fuel mitochondrial health” Chapters00:00 Introduction to New Fertility Research02:25 Chronic Inflammation and Female Fertility06:37 Peritoneal Endometriosis and AMH Levels10:44 Insulin Resistance and IVF Outcomes15:21 NAD+ and Cellular Energy in Eggs20:31 Light Exposure and Ovarian Function21:25 Stress and Its Impact on Ovarian Reserve23:45 Oral Inflammation and Reproductive Health 10 Things You Can Do With This Research * Get your inflammation markers checked — hs-CRP, homocysteine. * Look at your gut — a major driver of the inflammaging pattern. * Stop fearing a low AMH number by itself; it’s a data point, not a verdict. * Prioritize protein and fiber at breakfast to support insulin sensitivity. * Move your body after meals — even a 10-minute walk helps glucose regulation. * Get morning sunlight within the first hour of waking. * Put your phone away 30–60 minutes before bed. * Build in real nervous system downtime — acupuncture, breathwork, meditation, nature walks. * Don’t skip your dental checkups. * Work with someone who looks at your whole picture — gut, blood sugar, inflammation, sleep, stress. Perfection doesn’t equal pregnancy. It’s consistency and frequency that moves the needle. ClosingEgg quality isn’t a fixed countdown. It’s shaped by inflammation, metabolic health, mitochondrial energy, circadian rhythm, and nervous system regulation. Age is a modifier, not a mandate. Before you go: there’s exciting new endometriosis research I haven’t covered yet — that’s coming as its own dedicated episode soon. If endo might be part of your story, ask your doctor about a pelvic MRI or 3D sonohysterogram in the meantime. Ready to work on this? Head to aimeeraupp.com and book a coaching call. Grab the revised edition of Yes, You Can Get Pregnant — it has the full lab panel, the nutrition breakdown, and every protocol I referenced today. And follow me on Substack, Instagram, and right here on the podcast for more research like this every week. Research Citations * Ameho & Klutstein — “The effect of chronic inflammation on female fertility,” Reproduction, 2025. PMID: 39932461 * [Authors incl. AW Horne] — AMH decreased in superficial peritoneal endometriosis with elevated inflammatory profile, University of Edinburgh, Reproduction and Fertility, 2026 (venous blood n=105, peritoneal fluid n=38). DOI: 10.1530/RAF-25-0127 * Bai et al. — Insulin resistance and IVF outcomes, Human Fertility, 2025 (cohort n=1,193). PMID: 40684365 * NAD+ gene expression and human oocyte quality, single-oocyte RNA-seq (n=46), JARG, 2025. DOI: 10.1007/s10815-025-03720-1 * Ying et al. — Circadian rhythm disruption and ovarian follicular development, EBioMedicine, 2026. PMID: 41797048 * Jiang et al. — Chronic stress and meiotic arrest/ovarian reserve decline, Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2023. PMID: 37720535 * Kles et al. — Chronic oral inflammation impairs female reproduction, Journal of Dental Research, 2026. DOI: 10.1177/00220345251412768 Note: only studies #2 (Edinburgh AMH) and #3 (Bai IVF cohort) are direct human clinical data; the rest are animal/rodent models or ex vivo human tissue. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    The Research On Egg Quality That Your Fertility Doctor Missed

  2. Aug 12

    An AMH of 0.1, Six Failed IVFs, and a Baby at 42

    Miranda shares her five year fertility journey, from low AMH and multiple failed IVF cycles to an endometriosis diagnosis, immune support, gut healing, and finally a healthy natural pregnancy at 42. Aimee Raupp guides the conversation with clinical context, showing how the bigger picture emerged only after looking beyond standard IVF protocols. We discuss why repeated IVF did not work, how endometriosis and inflammation showed up in Miranda’s symptoms and outcomes, and what changed once the team focused on root causes like uterine scar tissue, immune dysfunction, gut health, and environmental exposure. Key Topics * Miranda’s fertility journey began after marriage in her late 30s, with an initial AMH of 0.545 at age 37 and early warning signs that standard IVF might be a poor fit. * She was told she had the egg count of a 50 year old woman and would likely need multiple retrievals, leading to a major financial and emotional burden as a cash pay patient. * Her first IVF cycle was derailed when she ovulated through stimming medications, a sign that the standard protocol was not adequately suppressing ovulation for her body. * A severe allergic reaction to a COVID vaccine, treated with prednisone, coincided with her second retrieval and may have influenced that cycle, which produced 7 eggs, 4 fertilized, 3 blasts, and 2 PGT normal embryos. * Both transferred embryos ended in a chemical pregnancy, followed by a third retrieval with poor egg quality and no usable blasts, deepening frustration with the first clinic. * A second RE changed protocols with estradiol priming, but Miranda experienced intense headaches and a severe reaction pattern that Aimee flagged as a clue for estrogen dominance and possible endometriosis. * Miranda ultimately pursued a consultation with Dr. Check and then Dr. Vidali after recognizing that endometriosis, inflammation, and low ovarian reserve might be driving the repeated failures. * Dr. Check encouraged timed intercourse and later IVF, but Miranda had repeated failures, including one cycle where no eggs were retrieved and another where she ovulated too soon and the cycle converted to an unsuccessful IUI. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    An AMH of 0.1, Six Failed IVFs, and a Baby at 42

  3. Jul 24

    The Real Driver of Low AMH and POI

    Rethinking AMH and Ovarian Reserve: The Inflammation Connection In this episode, Aimee Raupp challenges traditional beliefs about AMH levels and ovarian reserve, emphasizing how inflammation plays a crucial role in ovarian aging. She discusses groundbreaking research suggesting that ovarian decline isn’t solely about egg quantity but also the health of the ovarian environment. Key topics: * The history and misconceptions surrounding AMH testing * Why AMH is not a definitive measure of total egg reserve * The impact of systemic inflammation on ovarian aging * The discovery of ovarian stem cells and the potential for new egg formation * How chronic inflammation damages granulosa cells, reducing AMH * The importance of understanding the ovarian environment in fertility * The influence of autoimmune conditions, gut health, and diet on ovarian reserve * Practical steps to identify and reduce ovarian inflammation * The significance of current research outpacing mainstream medical guidance * Encouragement to look beyond AMH numbers to understand true fertility health Timestamps: 00:41 - Introduction and the history of AMH testing 01:09 - Why a high or low AMH isn’t the full fertility story 01:52 - Inflammation’s role in ovarian health and aging 02:22 - Limitations of AMH as a fertility marker 03:20 - The analogy of the factory to explain AMH fluctuations 04:16 - Women in menopause still have eggs: myth vs. reality 04:45 - Ovarian environment vs. egg quantity 05:13 - The American Society of Reproductive Medicine’s stance on AMH 05:48 - Challenging the dogma: Are we really running out of eggs? 06:16 - Recent studies and the impact of ovarian stem cell research 07:07 - Breakthrough research by Jonathan Tilly on ovarian stem cells 08:05 - Evidence supporting the regeneration of follicles in adults 09:03 - The lag between research and clinical practice 09:32 - The myth of running out of eggs and new findings 10:01 - The longevity of eggs in menopause 11:01 - Rethinking ovarian aging and the role of inflammation 11:32 - How inflammation damages the ovarian support system 12:02 - NLRP3 inflammasome system and chronic stress 12:29 - The destruction of granulosa cells and declining AMH 13:28 - How turning off the inflammatory alarm can slow ovarian aging 13:53 - Linking inflammation to conditions like endometriosis and Hashimoto’s 14:16 - Impact of diet and gut health on ovarian reserve 15:18 - Numbers are data points, not destiny 15:46 - Viewing AMH as a smoke detector for inflammation 16:10 - Root cause workup and anti-inflammatory strategies 16:39 - Invitation to explore part two of the series for practical insights Resources & Links: * Yes You Can Get Pregnant – Revised Edition by Aimee Raupp * Jonathan Tilly - Northeastern University (search for his current publications) * NLRP3 Inflammasome research Connect with Aimee Raupp: * Instagram * Website This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    The Real Driver of Low AMH and POI

  4. Jun 29

    She Was 45, Had 7 Retrievals, 2 Failed Transfers, and Got Pregnant Naturally. This Is Rebecca's Story.

    SHOW NOTES This is one of the most remarkable fertility journeys I have ever had the privilege of witnessing in over 21 years of clinical practice. Rebecca came to me as an acupuncture patient in 2012. Over the next decade I watched her freeze eggs in her mid thirties, improve her AMH and FSH through diet and lifestyle, navigate a demanding career in New York City, find her person, and then embark on one of the most grueling and ultimately triumphant paths to motherhood I have ever seen up close. Seven retrievals. Two failed transfers. Two mock cycles. Hysteroscopies. Endometrial biopsies. Seven rounds of PRP. Two IUIs. A chronic endometritis diagnosis that changed everything. A clinic switch. And one sweet, perfect baby boy. She was 45 when she got pregnant. She gave birth at 46. In this episode Rebecca shares everything. The failed transfers and what we found when we dug deeper. The immune panel that finally gave us answers. The decision to switch clinics. The ovarian PRP. The Egg Quality Diet. The emotional work. The mantra she said to herself every single day. And what she wants every woman in the thick of this journey to know. This is not a story about luck. This is a story about belief, about doing the work, and about what becomes possible when you refuse to accept that your biology is fixed. What we cover in this episode: Why the foundations you build in your mid thirties matter enormously even years later. How Rebecca's AMH and FSH actually improved between her first and second egg freeze through diet, acupuncture, and lifestyle. What chronic endometritis is, why it is so frequently missed, and how it was affecting her transfers. The immune panel that changed the entire clinical picture. Why switching clinics and moving to low stim and mini stim protocols made a difference. Ovarian PRP and what Rebecca noticed cycle by cycle. The Egg Quality Diet and how she implemented it fully. Managing a high stress career while going through fertility treatment. The emotional and spiritual work that held her together. Her mantra and why she credits belief as one of the most important parts of her journey. Resources mentioned in this episode: Yes, You Can Get Pregnant by Aimee Raupp, revised 2026 edition: aimeeraupp.com/booksThe Egg Quality Diet by Aimee Raupp: aimeeraupp.com/booksWork with Aimee and her team: aimeeraupp.com/coachingThe Fertility Authority on Substack: aimeeraupp.com/substack Rebecca's mantra: I am worthy. I prayed and it is coming. I am doing all I need to do. We are ready. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    She Was 45, Had 7 Retrievals, 2 Failed Transfers, and Got Pregnant Naturally. This Is Rebecca's Story.

  5. May 25

    Ovarian Communication Meditation

    Ovarian Communication Meditation Your ovaries are listening. This 8-minute guided meditation is an invitation to slow down, drop in, and open a line of communication with your ovaries. Through breath, visualization, and intentional awareness, you will send love, energy, and healing directly to your reproductive center -- and learn to listen to what your body is trying to tell you in return. This is the kind of practice that no protocol, supplement, or lab result can replace. It is you, your body, and the quiet wisdom that lives within. Settle in. Press play. Your ovaries are ready. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    Ovarian Communication Meditation

  6. May 11

    A Meditation for Your Ovaries: Calming the Brain-Ovary Connection

    I recorded this meditation for a program I am running and it felt too good not to share. It is short, it is calming, and it is exactly the kind of nervous system reset I think so many of you need right now, especially if you have been deep in the research from this series. Press play, close your eyes, and give yourself five minutes. You deserve it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aimeeraupp.substack.com/subscribe

    A Meditation for Your Ovaries: Calming the Brain-Ovary Connection
  • 6 Episodes

About

For over 21 years Aimee Raupp, MS LAc, has helped women get and stay pregnant against all odds. As a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, functional medicine clinician, and bestselling author, Aimee brings real science, real clinical experience, and a whole lot of hope to every episode. This is The Fertility Authority. aimeeraupp.substack.com

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