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Pregnancy Planning
Hi B & Daniel,Are there specific blood tests you’d recommend doing before conceiving (for men & women)?
Based on the courses posted, I’d assume a full thyroid panel, measuring glucose/insulin markers, and some micronutrients (iron, vitamin D) would be a good start. Are there any additional tests?
Thanks
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3 Replies
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Hi – yes great start if there are no underlying symptoms/issues. In addition to your list, I would also add the following:
-vitamin A (critical for fetal development)
-zinc (protects sperm from oxidative damage and increases chances of conception and reduces risk of miscarriage. Also important for stomach acid production and all downstream consequences)
-copper (to see the ratio of zinc & copper)If stress is a factor (mental/emotional, physical, physiological), I would also run a test to check adrenal function, as it will directly impact thyroid function. One of the most common causes of infertility and miscarriage is hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s – and adrenal health goes hand-in-hand. You can watch this video here to better understand how cortisol impacts thyroid function.
I have added a few different testing options for adrenal function in the latest adrenal balance course, which you can watch:
->At-Home
->In Blood
->In saliva/urine (my favorite is the Dutch adrenal or Dutch plus test which checks all sex hormones)And since fatty acids are critical for sex hormone production, ensuring enough healthy fats are in the diet is key. You can test your levels of fatty acids as well (but this is another functional test – here’s the video on testing fatty acid status).
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Thank you ! Would you recommend the same tests for my husband as well or another set of tests for him?
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for your husband, you can add in a sex hormone panel as well:
FSH
LH
Progesterone
Testosterone
SHGB
Testosterone/SHGB ratio
Prolactin
Estradiol
DHEA-s
Free testosterone
Dihydrotestosterone
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