The guest
Andrew Huberman: Professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast. This is a solo episode.
What this episode covers
Huberman explains the full reproductive axis: how the hypothalamus, pituitary (GnRH, LH, FSH), and gonads orchestrate the ovulatory/menstrual cycle in women and spermatogenesis in men. He details egg and sperm biology, chromosomal segregation, fecundability by maternal age, miscarriage risk, and how to time intercourse around ovulation. He then covers fertility-harming behaviors (smoking, cannabis, alcohol, heat, phone use, STIs) and fertility-supporting tools including sleep, exercise, deliberate cold exposure, acupuncture, and a list of supplements with dosages. He frames optimizing fertility as a proxy for optimizing overall vitality and longevity, whether or not one wants children.
Recommended on this episode
ProductRecommended
L-carnitine
“has been demonstrated to be significantly improved by the ingestion of L-carnitine; wouldn't you want to maximize the quality”
“The first on the list of things that people can take in order to improve egg quality or sperm quality is L-carnitine.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Garlic extract
“I suggest also taking 600 milligrams a day of garlic extract”
“if you're going to take oral L-carnitine, I suggest also taking 600 milligrams a day of garlic extract.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
“compounds that have been shown to improve egg quality and sperm quality, and quite robustly so”
“The next item on the list of compounds that have been shown to improve egg quality and sperm quality, and quite robustly so, is coenzyme Q10.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Myo-inositol
“something that I do, along with the other supplements that I take and recommend”
“taking 900 milligrams of myo-inositol prior to sleep, which is something that I do, along with the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
D-chiro inositol
“the recommendation is that women take 1 to 5 grams of myo-inositol but also D-chiro inositol”
“the recommendation is that women take 1 to 5 grams of myo-inositol but also D-chiro inositol because of the ways that it can balance androgens.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Magnesium threonate
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as magnesium 3 and 8”
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as magnesium 3 and 8, apigenin, and theanine.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Apigenin
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as ... apigenin”
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as magnesium 3 and 8, apigenin, and theanine.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Theanine (L-theanine)
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as ... theanine”
“the other supplements that I take and recommend for sleep, such as magnesium 3 and 8, apigenin, and theanine.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA)
“I've suggested before on this podcast and many fertility docs will suggest that their patients take omega-3 fatty acids”
“The fourth item in the list of commonly suggested supplements for men and women wishing to optimize egg and sperm quality, respectively, is omega-3 fatty acids.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Tongkat ali
“Many people find it beneficial; many people, both males and females, seem to benefit from and like tongkat ali”
“when taken at 400 milligrams per day... tongkat ali has been shown to increase free testosterone by way of reducing something called sex hormone binding globulin.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Shilajit
“been shown to improve both egg quality and sperm quality ... as well as to increase libido fairly substantially”
“The other supplement that's been shown to improve both egg quality and sperm quality... as well as to increase libido fairly substantially is a substance called Shilajit.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductRecommended
Zinc
“zinc likely is a good candidate; can really be helpful in terms of increasing sperm count, testosterone”
“if you're a male and you're interested in improving sperm quality and your testosterone levels overall for whatever reason, zinc likely is a good candidate.”— Andrew Huberman
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
ProductReferenced
Snowballs cooling underwear
Snowballs
“you will find available online called snowballs. These are sort of like gel pack cold briefs that you can buy and men will wear for some period of time.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductReferenced
Testosterone cypionate
“the most typical TRT approach nowadays is testosterone cypionate, which is biologically identical to the kind of testosterone you would make.”— Andrew Huberman
ProductReferenced
Clomiphene (Clomid)
“Some people take clomiphene, Clomid. There are any number of different ways to bypass or offset the sperm-reducing effects of taking exogenous testosterone.”— Andrew Huberman
Big reveals from this episode
- Average age of female puberty onset has dropped dramatically over a century (US: ~14 in 1900 to ~11 in 1990; Norway: 17 in 1850 to 13 in 1970).
- Seat heaters in cars, hot tubs, saunas, and laptops on the lap can seriously harm sperm quality by overheating the scrotum.
- For women 30 or younger, the chance of conceiving in any given month is only about 20%, dropping to ~5% by age 38-39.
- Carrying a smartphone in your pocket can measurably reduce sperm count and possibly testosterone, regardless of usage time.
- One in five couples with fertility issues find the problem lies with the sperm, not the egg.
- Acupuncture now has clinical-trial and mechanistic support (Harvard's Qiufu Ma lab) for improving both male and female fertility.
- Sex selection is possible via IVF karyotyping, and emerging clinics can centrifuge sperm into male/female fractions for use in IUI.
Worth remembering
- Elevated prolactin after ejaculation is what sets the male refractory period and prevents erection for a time.
- Progesterone rises roughly 1,400-fold in the luteal phase versus the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.
- Sperm take about 60 days to be generated, plus extra time to mature and travel before ejaculation.
- Scaled to body size, sperm must swim a distance equivalent to Los Angeles to San Francisco to reach the egg.
- One in 25 men carry a single cystic fibrosis mutation that can disrupt the vas deferens and cause low sperm despite normal semen volume.
- There is zero data supporting Aristotle's claim or sexual-position lore for determining a baby's sex.
- Zinc skyrockets in fish testes during breeding season (observed in 1921); high-dose zinc can raise testosterone and sperm count in men.
- Oral L-carnitine can raise artery-stiffening TMAO, which 600mg/day of garlic extract (allicin) helps offset.
- For healthy non-pregnant adults the alcohol limit is about two drinks per week; during pregnancy it should be zero.
- Mitochondria are central to egg and sperm quality, which is why many fertility supplements target mitochondrial function.
More from Andrew Huberman
All 3803 recommended