Is Infertility Genetic?

As exciting as it is to plan for a child, we often hear from future parents that there are concerns about potential infertility.

These concerns don’t appear out of thin air. In most cases they are due to infertility running in the family. The woman may have family members like mom, sister, and aunts who had difficulty conceiving or carrying to term. Or the man may have heard that his male lineage struggled with impregnating their partners.

Either way, it only makes sense that the question arises: “Am I doomed? Isn’t it likely that I will struggle with fertility, too?”

When infertility is a recurring issue, most people assume there is a heritable component. Naturally, we think there must be a genetic defect.

However, the number of genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities that cause infertility is quite low.

Infertility has been on a steep rise, and we need to ask why. Although both genetic and environmental factors play a role, the focus needs to be on environmental influences.

We live in an increasingly toxic world and our body is often faced with a tremendous burden. This stress together with poor eating habits, emotional stress, sleep deprivation, and other factors puts a big damper on fertility.

There is good news, though: Enter epigenetics.

Epi who?

Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence itself. Instead, epigenetic changes modify how genes are turned on or off.

Why is this good news? Well, if these changes can be influenced by environmental factors like stress, diet, toxins, or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, then we are in control.

Although some epigenetic modifications can be passed from one generation to the next, it doesn’t mean you are stuck with that curse.

Making healthy lifestyle changes, improving sleep, adding stress-reducing practices, eating healthy foods, eliminating harmful chemicals (i.e. pesticides), and other measures can get you off the path that family members have traveled, sometimes for generations.

These measures are not only important for conception but also for the health of your offspring since detrimental influences have a negative effect on future generations.

While much remains to be discovered, what’s clear is that our reproductive fate isn’t solely written in our genes. Epigenetics offers a powerful lens to understand how experiences, both our own and those of our ancestors, may shape fertility.

It also enables us to become powerful creators by taking control of our habits and making beneficial changes.

If this sounds a bit daunting to you, please feel free to reply to set up a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to get you started on your way of becoming wonderful parents to healthy, happy kids.