How to Optimize Fertility in Both Males & Females

**Andrew D. Huberman** (0:00)
Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. Today, we are discussing fertility. We will discuss male fertility and female fertility. And I should mention that today's discussion is not just for people who are seeking to conceive children or who want to know how their children were conceived, but it's really for everybody. And I say that because it is the story of all of us. All of us are here because a specialized set of cells called germ cells, that is the sperm and the egg. And I'll make it very clear why they're called germ cells a little bit later, has nothing to do with infection.
But it's because a sperm cell and an egg cell arrived at one another, either in vivo, inside of our mother or in vitro, so-called in vitro fertilization, and then were implanted into our mother and became us.
And so understanding the process of how the egg cell and the sperm cell came to be is really the key to understanding how that fertilization process came to be. I know everyone's thinking, I know how fertilization occurs. It occurs through sexual intercourse and so on. And we'll talk a little bit about that, but I promise you that if you understand the menstrual cycle and the menstrual cycle in today's conversation can best be thought of as a biological cycle that occurs in females that allows the potential for fertilization by the sperm, because that's really what it is. And it's a beautifully orchestrated process that I'll describe to you. And I should say all people, males and females, should really understand how the menstrual cycle works, how it impacts fertilization, but also how it impacts the brain and body, behavior, psychology, et cetera. And we will also talk about spermatogenesis, how sperm cells come to be and how they arrive, that is how they swim to the egg and the incredible interplay between the biology of the sperm and the biology of the egg leads to this incredible thing that we call embryogenesis and the birth of the child. And of course, the development of that child into an infant, a toddler, an adolescent, a teen and an adult.
Today's discussion again is not just for those of you that are seeking to have children.
And I say that because when you look at the data, you look at the literature on longevity and vitality, two themes in biology that oftentimes people lump together but aren't always the same. For instance, there are a lot of things that we can do to increase our vitality that actually can harm our longevity. But there are a subset of biological rules and mechanisms that when aligned allow us to maximize both our vitality and our longevity. And I think it's fair to say that all of those mechanisms and tools are housed in the discussion around maximizing fertility. And that's true whether or not you're male or female. In other words, if you want children or if you don't, if you already have children or if you don't, understanding how fertility and fertilization occurs in the brain and body will allow you to maximize your vitality and longevity. And of course, today's discussion will provide an understanding of the biology and many actionable tools that will also help you conceive children if that's your wish. So of course, as is characteristic of this podcast, we will discuss science-based tools, including behavioral tools, both the do's and the don'ts. And we will discuss nutrition-based tools and supplementation-based tools and some other practices, including things like acupuncture, which have quite good data to support them in terms of improving fertility. And we will discuss why those certain practices can work.
And we will discuss prescription drugs that your doctor can prescribe to you. If, for instance, you have a deficit at the level of hormone production or neurotransmitter production at the level of the brain or the pituitary gland, I'll explain what all of those things are soon, or the gonads, the ovary and the testes in females and males respectively.
Again, by the end of today's episode, you will have a lot of knowledge and actionable tools related to maximizing fertility and you will have a lot of knowledge and actionable tools related to maximizing vitality and longevity. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast, our first sponsor is Maui Nui Meats. Maui Nui Meats, I can confidently say, are the most nutrient-dense and delicious red meat available. Maui Nui spent nearly a decade building a USDA-certified wild harvesting system to help balance invasive deer populations on the island of Maui. The solution they built turns the proliferation of an invasive species into a wide range of nutrient-dense products, from fresh butcher cuts and organ meats to bone broth, jerky and even pet treats. Their bone broth has an unmatched 25 grams of protein per 100 calories. I've talked before in this podcast and I've had several expert guests come on this podcast to talk about the fact that most people should aim to get one gram of quality protein per pound of body weight per day in order to maximize their health, tissue repair, which includes brain tissue repair, and if you're an active exerciser, to support recovery from exercise.