Podcast Summary: Unlocked with Savannah Chrisley
Episode: The Fertility Formula (feat. Dr. Natalie Crawford)
Release Date: May 5, 2026
Host: Savannah Chrisley
Guest: Dr. Natalie Crawford (Double Board Certified Fertility Doctor, Co-founder of Fora Fertility, Host of the “As a Woman” Podcast, and Author of “The Fertility Formula”)
Episode Overview
This episode dives deep into the state of fertility in America, with Dr. Natalie Crawford sharing both professional and personal insights. The conversation covers the current fertility crisis, the science and lived experience behind infertility, impact of inflammation and environment, practical advice for optimizing fertility, the real deal on diet and lifestyle, and answers to common fertility myths. Dr. Crawford also discusses her new book, “The Fertility Formula,” aiming to demystify fertility and inspire people—especially women—to advocate for their own reproductive health.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Modern Fertility Crisis
- Infertility Has Increased:
- Infertility rates have jumped from 1 in 8 couples (a decade ago) to 1 in 5 today (02:04).
- “That’s a huge change in a short amount of time.” – Dr. Crawford (02:30)
- Sperm counts have dropped 50% in the last 50 years; more women have low ovarian reserve (AMH) (02:30-02:54).
- Higher rates of miscarriage are reported.
- The System is Set Up to “Fail First”:
- Most doctors advise waiting 12 months before intervening—which Dr. Crawford critiques as outdated and disempowering (03:18).
- “Why do we live in this culture from medicine that makes you fail first?” – Dr. Crawford (03:18)
2. What Drives Infertility?
- Equally a Male and Female Issue:
- Infertility is 1/3 female factor, 1/3 male factor, 1/3 mixed (04:09).
- “It’s 50% female, 50% male. And that’s important because so often women take the whole burden.” – Dr. Crawford (04:09)
- Chronic Inflammation as Core Cause:
- Driven by disease (e.g., endometriosis, PCOS), lifestyle, environmental toxins (plastics, fragrances), food choices, stress, sleep, and lack of exercise (04:39-05:34).
- “All of these decisions actually play a role in how much inflammation we experience day to day. Isn’t that interesting?” – Dr. Crawford (05:34)
- Endocrine disrupting chemicals and poor air/water quality directly correlate with higher infertility (05:44-06:10).
- “We know this is impacting our hormones and our ability to get pregnant.” – Dr. Crawford (06:10)
3. Dr. Crawford’s Personal Fertility Journey
- Painful Losses, Lack of Support:
- Dr. Crawford suffered four miscarriages during her medical training (06:28-09:52).
- Felt dismissed by the system: not evaluated until after three losses, highlighting systemic neglect.
- “Very dismissive. Especially as a woman who felt like I was pretty in tune with my body and felt like something wasn’t right.” (07:40)
- Taking Control Where Possible:
- Focused on controllable variables (diet, environmental toxins), did her own research, discovered strong evidence against endocrine-disrupting chemicals (08:36-09:52).
- “I still remember going home one day and cleaning out our entire kitchen… There was compelling evidence that endocrine disrupting chemicals impair our hormones and our fertility.” – Dr. Crawford (09:36)
4. The Truth About Environmental Toxins
- Misleading Marketing:
- Warns against “unscented” vs. “fragrance free” labels; only fragrance free is truly safe (10:46-11:56).
- “Unscented is what we call a greenwashed marketing term.” – Dr. Crawford (11:37)
- Self-Advocacy:
- “Nobody’s going to care for our health like we are.” – Dr. Crawford (11:59)
5. Proactive Fertility: “Trimester Zero”
- What Is Trimester Zero? (15:47-17:49)
- The months before conception (especially 60 days for eggs, 90 days for sperm) are crucial.
- “The months before you conceive set up the stage for both egg quality and sperm quality.” – Dr. Crawford (15:59)
- Focus on five pillars: sleep, stress, exercise, diet, and toxins.
- “The reason why Trimester Zero is so insightful is that your eggs are in your body your whole life, but they’re most sensitive to the world around you in the 60 days before they ovulate.” (17:49)
- Practical Flexibility:
- Emphasizes progress, not perfection—be adaptable but informed (16:55-17:49).
6. The Fertility Clinic Experience & Problems in Standard Care
- Impersonal, Profit-Driven Models:
- Many feel “like a number” in big clinics; Dr. Crawford founded a patient-first practice (18:48-20:10).
- “Their outcomes reflected that. Instead of making personalized decisions… it was just like, this is the protocol we do.” – Dr. Crawford (20:08)
- Patients Need Personalized, Empowered Care:
- Root of dissatisfaction: lack of real connection, little education, dismissal of lifestyle factors.
7. The Role of Diet in Fertility
- Anti-Inflammatory Diet Overview: (20:38-24:39)
- Foundation: Fruits, vegetables, fiber, plant-based protein, healthy fats.
- “Food is never net neutral. It’s either worsening inflammation or improving it.” – Dr. Crawford (21:28)
- Gut health is key: fiber feeds microbiome, which processes estrogen (22:55-23:53).
- Red meat isn’t inherently bad—but too much crowds out fiber and plant-based nutrients.
- 12-Week Plan for Inflammation:
- Detailed plan in the book, especially for those with inflammatory disease, unexplained infertility, or recurrent loss (28:35-29:13).
8. Dr. Crawford’s Celiac Diagnosis & the Underlying Dangers of Missed Inflammation
- Decade-Long Delay in Diagnosis: (29:14-30:39)
- “It actually was gluten sensitivity… causing me to be so inflamed that my body wasn’t able to carry a pregnancy.” – Dr. Crawford (29:14)
- The downstream effects: gut, bone density, chronic health.
- Infertility as a Warning Sign for Wider Health:
- Untreated chronic inflammation not only affects pregnancy but raises future risk for heart disease, cancer, and early death (30:39-31:16).
- “Fertility is more than just getting pregnant. It’s a state of cellular health within your entire body.” – Dr. Crawford (31:16)
9. Debunking Fertility Myths
Some of the Most Common Myths Addressed:
- “It’s just the woman’s fault.”
- False; male factors are half the problem (31:31-32:13).
- Birth Control and Fertility: (32:47-35:22)
- The pill does not cause long-term infertility; “Post Birth Control Pill Syndrome” is not real (34:03).
- Dangers are more about lack of education and empowerment, not the medication itself.
- IUD Risks: (36:12-37:33)
- Physical pain, potential impacts on uterine lining, and under-counseling highlighted.
- “I have a love-hate relationship with IUDs… they are a very effective birth control. They also can cause scarring inside the uterus.” – Dr. Crawford (37:03)
- Insurance & Systemic Failures:
- Insurance dictates too much of the care plan; doctors often have hands tied (40:09-41:24).
10. Endometriosis and PCOS: Prevalence & Societal Change
- Underdiagnosed & Dismissed:
- Average time to diagnosis for endometriosis is 7–10 years (42:10).
- “Too often…women get dismissed, they are not believed and they get gaslit.” – Dr. Crawford (43:07)
- Social media raises awareness, helping more people advocate for themselves.
- Genetics, Trauma, and Health:
- Genetic component plus childhood/environmental factors; chronic stress raises inflammation and disease risk (44:38-45:56).
11. IVF Explained Simply
- Overview:
- Taking hormone shots for 2 weeks to stimulate egg growth, then retrieving and fertilizing eggs in a lab. (47:14-50:48)
- Eggs retrieved are only those already “out of the vault”—the baseline monthly cohort.
- The Two Week Wait:
- After embryo transfer or ovulation, two weeks of uncertainty and high emotional stress (51:59).
- “That is probably mentally and emotionally one of the hardest times.” – Dr. Crawford (51:59)
- Role of Progesterone and Support:
- “We typically pump you full of high doses of progesterone—not to be mean, but because progesterone is so important in early pregnancy.” (52:27)
12. GLP-1 Medications and Fertility
- When to Use:
- Must be stopped two months before conception. Valuable as an interim tool to lower inflammation, especially with endometriosis or autoimmune conditions (52:41-54:40).
- “GLP1s can take the baseline down. For people with chronic inflammation… they’re a powerful tool.” – Dr. Crawford (53:45)
13. Rapid Myth-Busting (“Myth or Medicine”)
- “Try for a year before seeing a doctor”: MYTH—get tested whenever you’re ready (54:54-55:07)
- “Birth control causes infertility”: MYTH
- “Stress is the main cause of infertility”: Not main, but does matter.
- “Pineapple core helps implantation”: Not proven, but pineapple is healthy.
- “No coffee while trying to conceive”: Limit to one cup, not none (55:53-56:08).
- “If you’ve had a baby before, you can’t have trouble the second time”: MYTH—secondary infertility affects at least 30%.
- “Fertility is only a woman’s issue”: MYTH—50/50 men and women.
- “Irregular periods aren’t a big deal”: MYTH—period is a vital sign.
- “You can’t get pregnant when breastfeeding”: FALSE—pregnancy is possible.
- “Men can father children at any age without issue”: FALSE—advanced paternal age increases risk of certain diseases in children (56:49-57:23).
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Why do we live in this culture from medicine that makes you fail first?” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (03:18)
- “Nobody’s going to care for our health like we are.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (11:59)
- “Food is never net neutral. It’s either worsening inflammation or improving it.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (21:28)
- “Fertility is more than just getting pregnant. It’s a state of cellular health within your entire body.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (31:16)
- “Too often…the average time to diagnosis for endometriosis is seven to 10 years.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (42:10)
- “You don’t have to fail first.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford (55:01)
Key Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment/Topic |
|:-------------:|:-----------------------------------------------------|
| 01:01 | Introduction to Dr. Natalie Crawford |
| 02:04 | Current infertility stats and crisis |
| 04:09 | Infertility is 50/50 men and women |
| 05:34 | Chronic inflammation explained |
| 06:28 | Dr. Crawford’s personal miscarriage journey |
| 10:46 | Greenwashing: “Fragrance free” vs. “Unscented” |
| 15:47 | Introduction to “Trimester Zero” |
| 18:48 | Fertility clinic experience, profit vs. patient care |
| 20:38 | Anti-inflammatory diet basics |
| 28:35 | 12-week anti-inflammatory diet plan in the book |
| 29:13 | Dr. Crawford's delayed celiac diagnosis |
| 31:31 | Debunking “It’s all the woman’s fault?” myth |
| 32:47 | Birth control and fertility myths |
| 36:12 | IUD risks and side effects |
| 41:49 | Endometriosis, PCOS prevalence and diagnosis |
| 44:59 | Childhood trauma, stress, and long-term health |
| 47:14 | Step-by-step explainer of the IVF process |
| 51:59 | The IVF “two week wait” |
| 52:41 | GLP-1s and fertility |
| 54:53 | Myth vs. Medicine rapid-fire |
| 57:56 | Book details and wrap-up |
Resource Links
- Dr. Natalie Crawford’s Website & Book: nataliecrawfordmd.com
- “The Fertility Formula” available on Amazon and other booksellers.
Final Thoughts
This rich and highly personal episode is a must-listen for anyone facing fertility challenges, looking to prepare for conception, or simply wanting to understand how environment, lifestyle, and medical systems impact reproductive health. Dr. Crawford brings accessible science, practical advice, and empathetic advocacy—empowering listeners to take control of their own fertility journeys.