Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny (And Fertility Isn’t Either)
Your Genes Are Not Your Destiny
When a close friend handed me Dirty Genes by Dr. Ben Lynch back in 2020, I had no idea it would change the entire course of my personal and professional life. (I'm currently devouring Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Dr. Cate Shanahan—I highly recommend it if you're curious about how food literally shapes your biology.)
Today, the foundation of my coaching is built around epigenetics—supporting people in understanding how everyday choices influence their genetic expression and, ultimately, their health. In fact, it was this framework that inspired me to prioritize my own fertility and body literacy in a completely new way.
Fertility isn’t just about age or a number on a chart. It’s a reflection of how well your body is functioning—and the science of epigenetics shows us that you have more influence over that than you might think.
Think of Your DNA as a Library (And You Hold the Bookmark)
Your genes are like a library passed down from your ancestors. The books (your DNA) stay the same—but how you highlight, edit, or choose to read them? That’s up to you.
This is the beauty of epigenetics: the science of how your lifestyle can switch genes on or off. While fertility is often pinned on factors outside your control, we now know that what you eat, how you sleep, move, and manage stress all play powerful roles in reproductive health and hormone balance.
If you’re ready to support your body for now and the future, let’s break it down.
Epigenetics in Action: The Science Behind Fertility & Gene Expression
Epigenetics works like a director behind the scenes. It doesn’t change the script (your DNA), but it decides how the actors (your genes) show up. These changes are guided by chemical tags that respond to your environment—things like nutrition, movement, sleep, and toxin exposure.
In a groundbreaking 2015 Science study, researchers showed that these lifestyle-driven tags could directly impact markers of biological aging—like telomere length (those little caps that protect your chromosomes). Why does that matter for fertility?
Shorter telomeres have been linked to:
Lower ovarian reserve
Reduced egg and sperm quality
Earlier menopause in women
Poor sperm motility and higher DNA fragmentation in men
That means your daily habits—yes, even the ones that don’t feel like a big deal—can play a role in reproductive longevity.
Lifestyle Shifts That Support Fertility (and Your Genes)
Whether you’re TTC now, planning ahead, or just want to improve hormone balance, here are some research-backed steps to support your gene expression and fertility health:
1. Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods
Your eggs and sperm thrive on nutrients, and so do the genes that regulate hormones and cell repair. Focus on:
Colorful veggies and berries (loaded with antioxidants)
Healthy fats from things like avocado and olive oil
Organ meats, red meat, and shellfish for key micronutrients like B12, zinc, and choline
One study even linked Mediterranean-style diets to longer telomeres and improved fertility outcomes. What’s on your plate can support your future family.
2. Move Your Body, Support Your Hormones
Movement helps modulate stress, supports detox, and improves circulation—three essentials for reproductive health. Plus, regular movement boosts telomere integrity and keeps your cellular function sharp.
Don’t worry—it doesn’t have to be extreme. Start with 30 minutes of walking, strength training, or yoga most days. And if you want a plan tailored to your body and goals, that’s exactly what I help clients with.
3. Quality Sleep = Fertility Gold
If you’ve ever felt “off” after a night of poor sleep, that’s your body giving you a nudge. Sleep impacts your hormones, gene expression, and ovulation—and chronic deprivation can actually accelerate biological aging.
Make rest a priority: 7–9 hours of uninterrupted, high-quality sleep gives your genes a chance to repair and rebalance.
Reproductive Health Is Whole-Body Health
Your fertility isn’t separate from your overall wellbeing—it’s a mirror of it. Functional medicine shows us that reproductive wellness is deeply interconnected with gut health, stress resilience, blood sugar, inflammation, and more.
And here’s the best part: the choices you make now don’t just impact you. They influence your future child’s health—and even your grandchildren’s. This is what we mean by generational wellness.
Join a Community That Gets It
As a fertility nutritionist, life coach, and personal trainer, I’ve had the honor of helping people truly understand and support their bodies during this season of life.
I’m also part of the Wova Health community—where peers and experts come together to support one another on the journey to parenthood. If you're just starting to think about your fertility, or you've been on this road for a while and feel overwhelmed, please know you're not alone—and you don’t have to figure it all out yourself.
I’d love to support you in creating a sustainable, nourishing plan that fits your unique body, goals, and life.
Let’s rewrite your fertility story—on your terms.
References:
Blackburn, E. H., Epel, E. S., & Lin, J. (2015). Human telomere biology: A contributory and interactive factor in aging, disease risks, and protection. Science, 350(6265), 1193–1198.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab3389Passarino, G., De Rango, F., & Montesanto, A. (2016). Human longevity: Genetics or lifestyle? It takes two to tango. Immunity & Ageing, 13(1), Article 12.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-016-0066-zCrous-Bou, M., Molinuevo, J.-L., & Sala-Vila, A. (2019). Plant-rich dietary patterns, plant foods and nutrients, and telomere length. Advances in Nutrition, 10(Suppl_4), S296–S303.
https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz026Werner, C. M., et al. (2019). Differential effects of endurance, interval, and resistance training on telomerase activity and telomere length in a randomized, controlled study. European Heart Journal, 40(1), 34–46.
https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehy585Carroll, J. E., & Prather, A. A. (2021). Sleep and biological aging: A short review. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, 18, 159–164.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coemr.2021.03.021Keefe, D. L., Niven-Fairchild, T., Powell, S., & Buradagunta, S. (2005). Telomere length predicts embryo fragmentation after in vitro fertilization in women. Fertility and Sterility, 84(2), 364–371.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.02.021Thilagavathi, J., Venkatesh, S., & Dada, R. (2013). Telomere length in human spermatozoa and its association with DNA damage.Reproductive Biomedicine Online, 27(4), 418–425.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2013.07.008
