The First Step to Fertility [Podcast with Aimee Raupp]

 “I can tell you exactly what to eat and how much to sleep, and when to meditate, and all the supplements to take. But the first step to this process is you believing you are worthy of the healing.” – Aimee Raupp

Aimee Raupp proudly calls herself a fertility detective. She has helped thousands of women overcome their health and fertility challenges using a Chinese medicine approach for the past two decades. She works with you on every level: emotionally, mentally, physically, and nutritionally to help you thrive and get pregnant faster.

In this podcast, we explore the often overlooked first step to fertility, emotional inflammation.

Listen in (or read the transcript) as we discuss:

• The difference between emotional inflammation and physical inflammation
• How trying so hard can actually be sabotaging your fertility efforts
• Aimee’s fertility diet: 100-day elimination diet to heal the gut and improve egg quality
• Transgenerational trauma: Women who heal themselves heal their children’s children
• Getting your partner on board the fertility train

All PCOS Diva podcasts are available on:

Mentioned in this podcast:

• PCOS Diva Podcast #79 – Body Belief: 3 Steps to Heal and Thrive
• PCOS Diva Podcast #31 – The PCOS Pregnancy Secret: Being Fertility-Focused
• Aimee Raupp
• Yes, You Can Get Pregnant
• Body Beliefs
• The Egg Quality Diet
• Aimee Raupp Instagram
• Aimee Raupp Facebook
• Frank Lipman

 

Author, acupuncturist, and herbalist Aimee Raupp is a women’s health and fertility expert. Her mission is to educate and inspire women, improve their health, celebrate their beauty, prevent disease as well as increase their fertility. Aimee helps her clients reconnect to the presence of their optimal health. Aimee is the author of Chill Out And Get Healthy (Penguin, 2009) and Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: The Diet That Will Improve Your Fertility Now & Into Your 40’s (Self Published, 2012). Aimee’s third book, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: How to Improve Your Fertility Now & Into Your 40s (Demos Health, June 2014), which was endorsed by Deepak Chopra, combines her clinical expertise and personal experience helping scores of women—many of whom have been told they had poor fertility outlooks—to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and have healthy babies. In alignment with the belief that everything women ingest should be fertility friendly and of the highest quality, organic, natural ingredients, Aimee developed her own skincare line, Aimee Raupp Beauty ( AimeeRauppBeauty.com). Aimee is in private practice in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Nyack, NY. She is licensed by the State of New York to practice acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbology and is certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Aimee offers an online fertility coaching program.

Full Transcript

Amy Medling:

I’m so happy to be welcoming back one of my favorite fertility experts, Aimee Raupp, she joined me on episode 31, so check out all about becoming fertility focused, and episode 79 about body belief, and how viewing your body is essential to healing.

But today, we’re going to be talking about her new work that she’s put out into the world, The Egg Quality Diet. And I just finished that a little while ago. So, much important information that we’re not hearing other fertility experts talk about. So, so glad you’re here to talk to PCOS Divas how we can improve our fertility. Aimee thanks for coming back.

Aimee Raupp:

Well, thank you, Amy. Thanks for having me on for a third time, I appreciate that so much. And I appreciate all the work you do to inspire and empower women. So, thank you.

Amy Medling:

Oh, thank you.

Well, you have been in the business of helping women get pregnant for more than 17 years, as a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. People call you a fertility detective because you’re really good at figuring out the why behind a woman’s fertility challenges. And we know that PCOS is one of those big whys.

Aimee Raupp:

Oh yeah, it’s a big one.

Amy Medling:

It can be many other factors as well. And you have written multiple books. I mentioned… oh, I guess I didn’t mention about your How to Become Pregnant… What’s the name?

Aimee Raupp:

Yes, You Can Get Pregnant.

Amy Medling:

Yes, You Can Get Pregnant and Body Beliefs. And now you have The Egg Quality Diet.

Aimee Raupp:

Yes.

Amy Medling:

I was wondering if you could just share briefly your story. I’d love to lead with your story. I think it just really shows that you’ve been in the trenches, like I have been with PCOS.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah so, I mean, it all started for me with the desire to become a medical doctor, so way back when. I have a undergraduate degree in biology and in chemistry.

And what turned out to be, it was a hugely devastating moment back in the day, but one of the greatest blessings of my life was I didn’t get into medical school the first time I applied. And so, I went on to do some graduate research in neuroscience, which then led me to work with a certain mentor, who then turned me on to the powers, and the beauty of traditional Chinese medicine. I happened to be in the same city, at that time in San Diego, with one of the best Chinese medicine schools. And I decided, I then was about to enter into the medical school program, and I decided instead to go to the Chinese medicine school. And that was about 21 years ago, which is crazy to say.

And my whole world changed because what I loved so much about Chinese medicine, and acupuncture’s one part of Chinese medicine, Chinese herbs, diet, lifestyle, mental/emotional health is a huge component as well to Chinese medicine. And it just spoke to me, and in a way of helping people heal themselves from the root up. Rather than what I think of from a Western medicine perspective is they’re really good at treating the branch. They’re really good at mediating or band-aiding symptoms. Whereas the Chinese medicine approach is just really rooted in whole body renovation, if you will.

And so, that just led me down the path of my private clinical practice. And I started treating a lot of women. And a lot of women started coming to me with hormonal imbalances. As you’ve mentioned PCOS is a big issue out there, whether women are trying to get pregnant or not. And then, endometriosis is another one. I mean, just general bad… Like PMDD, now there’s a label for it, there wasn’t back then.

But as I learned more and learned more then, I became inspired to want to write books and spread my message to the masses. And then, now I have an online business, where we’re educating and empowering women all over the world. And yeah, I feel really blessed to do the work I do, and also really blessed to be so inspired by it to continue to learn more, and teach more and expand that knowledge base to everybody who’s willing to listen.

Amy Medling:

Well, your work has been really prolific. I mean, I don’t think that I know that many women’s health and wellness experts that have written as many books as you have. And they’re all so valuable. And I think what I find that they resonate with me the most is the importance of, you mentioned, the mental and emotional wellness. And that is something that a lot of people are not talking about.

And when I wrote my book on healing PCOS, I led with the chapter about mindset. And your book, Body Belief, you talk about the importance of your mindset when you approach healing and especially fertility. And I was wondering if you could just kind of briefly talk about emotional health and wellness, and how that relates from your Chinese medicine background.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah, the Chinese medicine background, I mean, we say any disease, dis-ease, disharmony, discomfort in the body there, obviously, physical manifestations of that. But there are emotional links to it whether the emotions came first or the physical came first, it doesn’t quite matter to us, but both are really important to look at and to treat.

And often, I mean, I think if we use a woman on a path to healing her hormones, or trying to get pregnant, or dealing with fertility challenges, there’s a lot of trauma wrapped in that. So, it’s one thing to balance your hormones, and regulate your blood sugar, and create good quality eggs, and get pregnant, and stay pregnant. But there’s a whole other piece to it that we’re not talking enough about is just how hard are we on ourselves in the process? How hard is the medical community, our peers, our relationships? How hard is all of that on us as well?

And I talk about that in the beginning of Body Belief as well, where I say I can tell you exactly what to eat and how much to sleep, and when to meditate, and all the supplements to take. But the first step to this process is actually you believing you are worthy of the healing, and you getting on your own team. And since Body Belief, I have gone on to talk a lot about what I think of as emotional inflammation versus physical inflammation. And we know now from the science, and the data and, obviously, you and I see it clinically with our clients too. We have clients who are, if you will, nailing the diet, and they’re nailing the supplements, and they’re nailing the workouts. And they’re doing everything they’re supposed to be doing, and things still aren’t clicking into place.

And you have to step back and think, “Okay, so there’s an emotional component here. There’s something here that has to be addressed, or unblocked, or opened up, or forgiven or let go of,” whatever it is. And I’m talking about it super loosely, not to discredit anybody’s trauma because we all have it, and it’s significant and, I think, we’re all worth the time and effort to work it out. But that we know now too, from this scientific perspective, I think basically when you look at a woman trying to conceive, for instance, if she’s in chronic fight or flight every single day, and feels like survival mode because she’s devastated over the fact that she doesn’t have this child yet, and she’s doing all this work, and all this effort. And every day is just she’s just racing through her days, and trying to take all her supplements, and do all her things, and check all her boxes, and hoping for good test results, or what have you the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal access is really triggered. And then, cortisol is really triggered.

And then, the body just says, “Well, I’m in this state of fight or flight. I can’t quite think about making a baby right now ’cause I’m just surviving over here.” And so, it’s so important that it’s yes, to do all the things that we say to do because we do think that they’re really helpful and supportive to healing yourself. But to try to shift it into a space of doing it creatively and with a sense of discovery, and excitement, and less with our hands so clenched. And just more in the flow of things, adopting this as a lifestyle, and really trying to tune into the why behind these changes.

And, obviously, what we’re hoping to get out of it is still the same end result. And I think you have every right to desire that. But how you go about it really does impact how your body heals, or how you progress to the goal that you want.

Amy Medling:

And I think the other thing that sets you apart too, is that you give women the tools to empower them. I know that there’s a time and place for going for IVF, and fertility doctors, and all of that. And your work, certainly, complements that. But I think when we do that, we put so much control in the doctor’s hands. And your work really teaches us that we can take back a lot of that control.

And I think that this book, The Egg Quality Diet, is a way to do that just by the choices that we make of the food that we’re putting in. And the way that we look at food to figure out what works best for us. And I know you’re a big proponent of the elimination diet, which I am, but this book, you’ve really kicked it up a notch on the way to proceed with that elimination diet. But I don’t want to get too far ahead.

I want to talk about, you mentioned emotional inflammation and how that plays a role in trying to conceive. But tell us about inflammation caused by the foods that we eat, and how that plays a role.

Aimee Raupp:

I mean, the data is so clear and that’s why I was so compelled to write this book, The Egg Quality Diet. I, obviously, already have a book on fertility, I have the diet laid out in the book. It’s pretty current, there’s some good research in there, I think. But the last couple years, the research is so compelling about antioxidants, and inflammation. And seeing endometriosis look like inflammatory condition, but it does really respond well. I always say it responds really well when I treat it like an autoimmune condition, which I find fascinating. And similarly with PCOs. And I remember us talking about this the last time I was on.

More and more women that are coming to me are asking questions about mitochondrial support. And so, what kind of antioxidants are the best? And there’s just so many out there now. Should I take acai, or should I take N-acetylcysteine, or should I take glutathione, or should I take NAD? Oh my gosh, there’s just so many. Resveratrol, Pycnogenol, you name it.

And I always like to do the research and have really integrous answers, if you will, for my clients. And I do tend to think one thing is you can’t out supplement a crappy diet is my opinion. So, you can take all the antioxidants you want in the world, but if you have a ton of inflammation and your gut isn’t working properly, and there’s gut dysbiosis, you’re not going to absorb those vitamins and they’re just a waste of money.

But looking deeper at the research, what started to come across very clearly is that it is less about our age, so egg quality. But egg quality, by the way and I feel fine saying this and judge me, if you want to, the title of the book, The Egg Quality Diet, is a good way to get your attention and call you in. But the truth is, is that the diet isn’t just for egg quality. It’s if you improve the quality of the cells in your ovaries, which then make healthier eggs, you are thereby improving the quality of every single cell in your body, and thereby improving mitochondrial function, and homeostasis, and reducing inflammation and healing the gut. That’s the crux of the diet is reducing inflammation, healing the gut, and that should then get you on the path to wherever you want to go from here.

And the research just shows pretty much across the board that it age is not the number one factor that’s impacting fertility outcomes. It’s actually inflammation. And then, there’s also gut dysbiosis. There’s a lot of cool research showing that if the microbiome is off it can throw off the microbiome in the uterus, which I think we have a clue on, and you and I are already actively treating that. But most people are not. And most people aren’t even aware that this could impact things. Like you could have really healthy eggs, and healthy sperm, and make a healthy baby. But guess what? The environment in the uterus is not implantable because it’s got the wrong microbiome. It’s got too much whatever, bad bacteria in there.

So, when you don’t address the underlying inflammation you risk compromising not just your egg quality, but kind of every single cell in your body. And that just sets off a cascade of all your hormones being out of balance and your body, again, feeling like it’s in survival mode versus thriving mode. And we do have to shift you from survival to thriving in order to make a baby.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And I think understanding that you have such control, and make such an impact based on what you put on the end of your fork-

Aimee Raupp:

Oh my gosh, yeah. And end of your hands, and on your skin. I mean, you change those two things alone you will significantly reduce the inflammation in your body and things will turn around.

Amy Medling:

Exactly. And, to me, that’s so hopeful, and so empowering to know that you really are in the driver’s seat here, and you have a lot of control that you may have thought you’ve kind of given away.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah. And, for me too, I think that was another impetus for this book and the same impetus for writing, Yes, You Can Get Pregnant. And I had this moment one day, where I remember saying to a friend I’m like, “I just want to scream from the rooftops to these girls like, ‘You can do this. Like you can freakin’ do this. Stop giving your power away.'” And that was the impetus for Yes, You Can Get Pregnant. And then, seeing the research now, and constantly, constantly, constantly being asked, no matter what the age of the woman is, “Am I too old? My doctor says I’m too old. My doctor says my eggs are all bad. My doctor says, there’s no chance of my own eggs.” My doctor says, my doctor says donor eggs, or this, or that.

And they’re just being so robbed of their own choices in this process. And the data doesn’t support what the doctors are saying. So, the doctors are not up on the research, and I’m generalizing here, there are plenty of doctors that are. But there’s also a lot that are not. And they’re giving misinformation out there and it’s unethical and it’s wrong. And women, women deserve to know what the research is showing us that we have a lot of control here. They’re not easy changes sometimes. For some people they’re super easy. For others they’re not. I’m not saying that, it definitely requires a mindset shift and, and education, and probably some extra spending on groceries. But you’ll save that in the long run on fertility treatments, in my opinion, at least that’s what I see clinically. And you’ll feel so much better along the way, which is the goal.

Amy Medling:

Another “doctor says” is lose weight and go on a low carb diet-

Aimee Raupp:

Oh yeah, low carb is no bueno.

Amy Medling:

Yeah, and a lot of women are not really sure where to turn. So, they try like some of these low carb diets that are filled with the foods that are packaged processed.

Aimee Raupp:

Oh my God, yes. That aren’t real foods and they taste like crap, yeah.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And the other concept that I really love that you like to talk about is in this process of improving the cells of our body, our egg quality, and all of the cells eating a nourishing, nutrient rich diet.

And as women heal themselves, they also heal their children’s children. And I absolutely adore that concept because I know if I had not gone through this journey with PCOS, my three kids would be in much poorer health because I would not be making great choices, probably still. I’d still be on my South Beach diet, and Weight Watchers, and eating a lot of diet junk. And they probably would be. And that’s what I would have been bringing in the house.

And they are very health-conscious, and look at what they’re putting in their mouths, and at end of their fork, and on their skin, and all of that because of my journey. And I feel like I’ve been able to pass that along to them. But it’s not just the lifestyle habits, it’s also the kind of epigenetics, and the genetics. And I’d love for you to just touch upon that with us.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah so, we took that quote, I think, from Christiane Northrup’s book, I think it’s from her first book, Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. I found it online somewhere, and I loved it. And then, I did the research, and I think it’s women who heal themselves heal their children’s children’s. And there’s variations of it out there now, but it has since become literally the mission of my team. It is our mission statement. We talk about it at every one of our weekly team meetings, so we’re all on the same page. And we remember the service that we’re doing and why we’re doing what we’re doing.

But what’s cool is that’s the two parts. So kind of what you said, women who heal themselves heal their children’s children’s, I think, through the act of nurture. So, you’re teaching them. One thing I’ll say a lot to clients and even in public is my goal really is never the positive pregnancy test. That’s the cherry on top. My goal is getting a woman to take care of herself, and nurture herself, and get her into her healthiest space, her most proud space that she’s nourishing herself from the inside out. And the baby will follow from there, if we get them there. And, to me, it’s really because I want her to be the kind of mother that this world needs. And so, that’s what I always say. And it really is the crux of the mission for me because our children learn from our behavior. It’s not do, as I say, not as I do. It is very much do as I do.

And so, knowing that if you know how to honor yourself, how to nourish yourself, how to maintain healthy boundaries, how to ask for what you need, how to be in your own power, your kids are going to learn that from you just by you being you. And it does, it just shifts the whole paradigm. It’s like a ripple effect. And we know also from, I guess, a spiritual, but also a psycho emotional perspective there’s something called trans generational trauma that is passed on to us while we’re in the womb, we’re affected, impacted by our mother’s trauma. And our mother was impacted by her mother’s trauma. And they say it’s actually two generations, what you’re exposed to.

I was listening to a really awesome podcast actually yesterday, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald’s podcast. And she had an epidemiological expert on. And I’m not going to remember her name, but I can get it for you if you want to put it in the show notes. And she was talking about the fact that the stress endured in the mother while she’s pregnant, it actually changes the epigenetics, it shifts the genetics of the woman who is pregnant and the child. And it basically becomes language that the cells then start to use to communicate that that same language is now in the baby, which is in the womb. And that baby, when they become a parent, their egg, or sperm, it’s equally impactful, then impacts that child.

So, it’s two generations that we know for certain the emotional state impacts us. And we also know that how we nurture nourish ourselves, I think is the other side of that coin, impacts the child while we’re pregnant with them, but then also for the rest of their lives. And then, there’s this I think even bigger perspective from that epigenetics. So epigenetics, basically, is we have our genes, they’re passed onto us from our parents, but they’re not set in stone the way we once thought. And I know you talk about this, but I’ll just do a recap. How we live our life, determines whether or not genes turn on or turn off.

And what the research is showing now is the preconception, and pregnancy period is extremely impactful to epigenetics, and the child we are making. And so, to take that very seriously, because you’re not just impacting your child from this nurture perspective. So, then learning your behaviors when they’re out of the womb. But you’re impacting them from how you nourish yourself from the nature perspective, how you’re impacting your epigenetics impacts their epigenetics.

And some really interesting studies, preconception and pregnancy care in the mother, if it was poor, the child has 80% more likelihood of chronic long-term illness. It’s very significant. If they’re born underweight, same thing. So, we’re learning all of this, that this impacts for generations too, because it’s two generations from what happened in the mother’s womb. And so, if you really take that in, it’s so much more than just changing your diet to balance your hormones to get pregnant. This is about, we’re literally changing the future of our world, in my opinion.

Amy Medling:

Oh, it’s extremely powerful. And I think getting back to being empowered, you talk in the book about 100 days. And your book is broken down to kind of a 100 day plan, and meal plan to improve your egg quality. And there’s kind of a reason that you chose 100 days because it really can make a meaningful impact on the egg quality. Maybe you could explain that.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah, I chose 100 days because of the process of follicular genesis is about 100 days. And what that means is, I mean, I know a lot of you guys are PCOS, so it might take you awhile to ovulate in the cycle, but not if you’re working with Amy, and doing the things that she tells you to do. But the egg you’re about to ovulate was recruited from your reserve about 100 days prior to its ovulation.

And what we also know now from epigenetic research, from inflammatory research, just current research is you recruit that egg from your pool of eggs. And during the 100 days, while that egg is going through its maturation process, leading up to ovulation, or whether or not it gets chosen, it still goes up with the lot whether or not it’s the chosen one, it is impacted by every single thing that is going on in your body. So, if there is inflammation in your body, whether it’s emotional, whether it’s physical, or both, if there’s gut dysbiosis, if your microbiome is off, you are impacting the quality of that egg.

And so, when it does ovulate, or one of them will become the chosen one it might not have all the goods to make a healthy child. And so, to know that though, if you know the diet lasting 100 days gives you this really good framework to then start to turn over. We also know too, from research that cellularly about every three months we are different, every single cell in our body turns over. So, you’re rejuvenating yourself on a cellular level in about the same timeframe. And so, that was the reasoning behind the 100 days.

It is my hope of course, because it is an elimination diet, and I leave you one day 100, and I have the last chapter of what 100 days and beyond looks like. But that you learn because it is an elimination diet, you learn exactly what your body likes and doesn’t like. And you now have all the tools to nourish. It’s like my team member Beth said, and I repeat her all the time now, this isn’t just a fertility diet. This is your fertility diet. You actually learn what your diet needs to be. And that, I think, is also super empowering. And will then set the stage for the next 100 days. And you keep the process going. It’s my hope that you don’t just go back to your old ways after 100 days, if it doesn’t “work.” Some women require more days than that, depending on the level of inflammation in their body.

But it’s a really good starting point. And also it’s a really good starting point to gut healing, which is at the crux of regulating the immune system, regulating inflammation, getting you to absorb the nutrition you need, getting your body out of fight or flight, and into this feeling of safety, and feeling like it has enough to procreate.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And I think that so many women they’re overfed and undernourished. And so, many of the cravings. I’m constantly getting questions about sugar cravings. But when your body isn’t getting the nutrients that it needs from the foods, what is it? Nourishing Traditions. What’s the book?

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah, I love Nourishing Traditions.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And you talk about having liver.

Aimee Raupp:

Oh yeah, nutrient dense foods.

Amy Medling:

Really nutrient dense foods, you’ll be surprised at how cravings subside.

Aimee Raupp:

Just go away.

Amy Medling:

They just go away.

Aimee Raupp:

I study with a master herbalist and then I have been in her mentorship program for years, and it’s a Chinese medicine thing. But she always says we have to do these case presentations. And if someone’s craving sweets, we usually attribute it to the spleen in Chinese medicine. But she always corrects people when they’re like, “Oh, they’re craving salty, it’s a kidney thing.” She’s like, “No, it’s a nutrition thing. They’re not getting the nutrition that they need.” That’s how you have to think about it, their body is deprived.

And then Frank Lipman, a functional Western doc that I work with a lot, he says, he’s like, when there are cravings, especially sugar cravings, it’s the bad bacteria asking for more because it’s starting to die off, and it needs its nourishment to continue to grow, and wreak havoc on your body. So the sugar cravings, especially, or carb cravings, I think too, are really telling us that there’s some gut dysbiosis. And to look into that, and not to go down the rabbit hole of all the gut tests, and things like that. But just do an elimination diet, that will give you your answers. And you’ll help your body figure it out. And yeah, it gives your body really good nourishment, and it should stop craving.

Amy Medling:

And just to let folks know that your book, honestly, I’ve seen some elimination diets, but you really taken it up to times 10, 10 X.

Aimee Raupp:

Like taking everything out?

Amy Medling:

No, not taking everything out, but really giving you detailed instructions on how do it day by day.

Aimee Raupp:

I mean, and you know this too, like we’ve both written books before. And it hit me one day of like the crux of, I think what we talk about so much, we talk about diet, we talk about supplements, we talk about mental/emotional health. I only have one chapter in my book dedicated to diet. And I thought there should be a whole book, you know what I mean? And also, I’m giving a week menu, what?

And so, what I started to see was women come to me, “I’m following the diet, Aimee. I’m doing exactly what you say.” And then they send me a food diary and they’re not eating enough protein, they’re not eating enough fat, they’re not eating enough vegetables. They’re having too many gluten free, but they’re processed packaged carbs, or something like that. And it’s like, okay so, I take some responsibility for that too. I kind of missed the boat. I wasn’t as clear as I needed to be.

And so, it came to me one in the middle of the night. I literally woke up and I was like, “I’m going to give ’em 100 days. I’m just going to write out 100 days of menus.” Now, there are templates, you can adjust things. You can switch things because we also give you, I think, a good formula for how to navigate the phases of the diet. But that’s what I thought. I just felt like they needed that, they need us to take out the guesswork, and simplify it as much as we can.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And I’m just in phase one. Here’s a typical day, two hard boiled eggs, half a cup of blueberries, handful of almonds. Snack, half a cup of hummus with celery. Lunch is organic sausage sauteed in olive oil with roasted beets. I mean, this all sounds great. Apple with lemon butter.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah, I agree.

Amy Medling:

I know. Dinner, beef tenderloin with sauteed bok choy, garlic and spinach. I mean this type of elimination diet that you put together, I don’t think you’d feel deprived.

Aimee Raupp:

No. And people are like, “Oh, I’m afraid I’m gonna feel hungry.” I’m like, “You are not going to feel hungry.” It is calorie, I think, stabilized, it’s macro nutrient balanced. If people are hungry, I give them tips in the book. There’s also an entire resources page that goes with the book where there are recipes, and all the PDFs, and documents like shopping lists. And all that you can just download, we’ve made it really easy. And then, at about halfway through the book, because it really is just focused on diet which is also, as you know, different for me because the mental/emotional is just so important to me.

So, at about halfway through, I think it’s like week eight or nine, I start layering in what I call a weekly tip for success. And when I talk about the other things you can be doing for your fertility. Like I cover sperm health, I cover exercise, I cover sleep, I cover epigenetics, and mental/emotional health, I talk about emotional inflammation. So, there’s just a lot of content that’s also layered into the book to help you do all of it, if you will. Achieve your desires and kind of hit all the marks.

Amy Medling:

And I think it’s important, and I’m just going to put this out there, that partners really need to walk along the journey with your PCOS woman. You can’t be eating pizza and drinking beer.

Aimee Raupp:

No, it’s not fair.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And it’s impacting your sperm quality too. And it takes two to tango.

Aimee Raupp:

Well, that’s it. And we’re learning that too. That’s another thing that data is showing us, it’s not all on the egg. The sperm really does play a role, and a big role. And you are worthy, if you’re in a partnership, of your partner stepping up to the plate with you. You deserve that. And this doesn’t have to be a forever thing.

I mean, ideally you learn enough about your body that you learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and maybe you’ll continue on with the changes you’ve made. But let’s put our game faces on, if you will, and get the results we want, and then reassess our life at that point.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And knowing, again, bringing it back to healing yourselves will heal your children.

Aimee Raupp:

And it’s so important. I had an interview the other day, and I said that. And I was like, especially on a food front, and you and I both have children so we know it. But if your partner is not on this same page about feeding your family, holy cow. It is, excuse my language, it’s a shit show. You really need them to understand and respect what’s important to you, and vice versa because the biggest fights I’ve ever had in my marriage are over whether or not my kid can eat a certain thing.

And we came up with a good rule that works for everybody. And it’s everything in moderation, and the 80/20 rule. But you really need them to respect and understand. And then, you also need to allow your child to be human in a human world, where you also need to allow yourself to be human in a human world. And I do address those topics in the book as well because I think it’s really important to. And there’s a video on the Resources page too, where I really get into allowing yourself to be human while you’re in this discovery phase, and learning the ins and outs of this diet, that just be easy on yourself.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. I mean, I think it comes back to that term nourishment. That’s what I always go back to. You have to fill your body. I was just talking to my daughter about this, that you got to give your body lots of good water, and food so that you can keep it going the way… all the things she wants to do this summer.

Aimee Raupp:

It’s your machine. It really is. And you and I said this before we went and recorded, but food is an ally, not an enemy, and so to really begin to see it like that, that this is your means. This is an act of empowerment. This is you learning how to nourish you. And you’re going to then teach that to your little people. And it’s such an important life lesson.

Amy Medling:

Yeah. And, like you said, Aimee, and hopefully we’re both doing our little part to change the world, by helping disseminate this important information. So, thank you for writing this great book. And sharing what you do on social media. You have some great social media handles. Maybe you could share that with us and how to find your book.

Aimee Raupp:

Yeah. I mean, I think Instagram and Facebook are where I’m most active on social media. But Instagram is @aimeeraupp. And then my website, AimeeRaupp.com is where you can find links out to all of my books. And The Egg Quality Diet is basically sold anywhere books are sold right now.

Amy Medling:

Perfect. And I will have all of that in the show notes, and the transcript of this podcast, if you want to refer back to that on my website, PCOSDiva.com. So, thank you so much, Aimee, for joining me again.

Aimee Raupp:

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really appreciate it.

Amy Medling:

And thank you everyone for listening. I look forward to being with you again very soon. Bye-bye.