Advertise on podcast: Trying To Be Positive With Anne Matthews

Anne is back with Hayley, sharing her fertility journey from egg freezing at 34 through pregnancy at 44. She froze her eggs at 34, did a second retrieval at 38 that included making two embryos with a sperm donor before she'd even met her husband, and went on to have two unplanned chemical pregnancies with her now-husband before they'd officially started trying. She shares the loss of a pregnancy after IUI at 9 to 10 weeks, later confirmed to have an extra chromosome, and how three euploid embryos led to two failed transfers before Anne recommended an endometrial biopsy that uncovered chronic endometritis. After treatment, her third transfer worked, and she gave birth at 44. This episode is for anyone who thinks freezing their eggs alone guarantees a pregnancy, anyone facing failed transfers with euploid embryos, or anyone who needs to hear that age is not the whole story. FOLLOW ANNE Instagram: ⁠energytreeanne⁠ (00:00) Intro: Why This Story Matters (03:24) 35 Positive Tests in September (06:13) Freezing Eggs at 34 (09:38) Second Retrieval & Donor Embryos (12:06) Meeting Her Husband & First Loss (15:40) Trying, Moving to Vancouver & IUI (18:21) A Heartbeat That Was Too Slow (21:42) Three Euploid Embryos (24:29) Transfer Fails, Endometritis Found (28:43) Second Transfer Fails & the Odds (32:10) Third Transfer, Then Positive (39:06) Stacking the Deck in Your Favour (41:52) Advice: Be Gentle on Yourself

Anne is back with Leslie Fair, sharing three and a half years of trying to build a family that included six pregnancy losses, the pressure of being told her age was the problem despite bloodwork that looked completely normal, and two rounds of IVF. She walks through the devastating moment a technician told her "it happened again" during an ultrasound with no support offered afterward, why she and her husband kept trying to collect more embryos even when it wasn't working, and how a comment from Ryan on this podcast about not choosing a fertility clinic based on convenience led her to Anne. She covers what actually changed the outcome: testing her husband's DNA fragmentation for the first time, an immune and lifestyle overhaul through the Energy Makeover, and LIT treatment, after which she got pregnant spontaneously and carried to a healthy birth in February 2026. This episode is for anyone who's been told their labs look fine but keeps losing pregnancies, anyone considering another round of IVF without knowing why the last one didn't work, or anyone who needs to hear that six losses doesn't mean it's over. (00:00) Intro (01:11) Two Early Chemical Pregnancies (03:21) Age Fears & the Fertility Clinic (07:08) First Heartbeat, Then a Loss (08:31) A Fourth Loss and a D&C (10:42) The Gap in Miscarriage Care (14:45) Deciding to Start IVF (18:33) IVF Round One: 4 Euploid Embryos (23:47) Pregnant Again, Then Devastating News (29:44) Why Patients Fixate on Embryos (36:06) A Harder Second IVF Round (36:39) Finding Anne Through a Friend (38:47) The Quote That Changed Everything (47:30) Dismissed Despite Six Losses (48:30) DNA Fragmentation & Lifestyle Reset (50:37) Pregnant Naturally During LIT (53:54) A Healthy Baby, February 2026 (55:53) Naming the PTSD of Fertility Care

Anne is back solo, breaking down the latest research on sperm biology and why the old "sperm just delivers DNA" model is outdated. She covers a 2025 study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Harvard Medical School on "selfish sperm selection," where certain mutations allow sperm-producing stem cells to outcompete healthy ones as men age. She explains new research on imprint control regions and paternal age, and reframes what "egg quality" actually means: the egg's job isn't just to accept sperm, it's to repair sperm DNA damage before development begins, which means DNA fragmentation is a couple's diagnosis, not just a male factor one. She digs into why varicoceles are the most treatable and most ignored cause of male infertility, walks through the biology of testicular temperature and a landmark thermal contraception study, covers the 2018 Harvard boxers versus briefs research, and names specific reproductive microsurgeons for anyone considering a second opinion. This episode is for anyone being told their DNA fragmentation doesn't matter, anyone who's been told they have bad egg quality without anyone testing it, or anyone about to do funded IVF without addressing male factor first. FOLLOW ANNE: @energytreeanne (00:00) Intro: Beating the Instagram Hype (02:03) Why DNA Fragmentation Is Dismissed (04:05) 2025 Study: Selfish Sperm Selection (05:50) Imprint Control Regions & Embryos (07:48) Why Egg Quality Can't Be Tested (09:54) The Egg: Nature's DNA Repair Lab (16:35) Fragmentation Is a Couple's Issue (21:07) Sperm Regeneration: The 74-Day Cycle (23:42) Oxidative Stress: What Causes It (26:01) Varicoceles: Treatable & Dismissed (33:11) Traveling for a Microsurgeon Consult (36:57) Recommended Reproductive Microsurgeons (38:49) Why Sperm Need a Cooler Environment (40:00) Thermal Contraception Research (43:13) 2018 Harvard Study: Boxers vs Briefs (45:08) Lifestyle Factors to Cut (47:57) Closing: Eggs & Sperm Matter Equally

Anne is back with a solo episode on one of the biggest shifts happening in women's health right now: the rename from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) to PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome). She breaks down why the old name was misleading, why many women with PCOS never actually had ovarian cysts and why many women with polycystic-looking ovaries were completely hormonally well, and what the rename means for how the condition is now understood. She covers lean PMOS, post-pill PCOS, why letrozole works for PMOS patients, why high egg numbers in IVF don't automatically mean high embryo quality, and why PMOS patients are at serious risk of OHSS from aggressive stimulation. She also covers the lifestyle interventions that actually move the needle: resistance training, blood sugar stability, sleep, inflammation reduction, and why male factor is still being ignored in PMOS patients doing IVF. This episode is for anyone who has been told they have PCOS and sent away until they want to have a baby, anyone doing IVF with PMOS and wondering why egg numbers aren't translating to embryos, or anyone realizing that PMOS is a lifelong metabolic condition, not just a fertility problem. 00:00 - Introduction and the PCOS to PMOS rename 07:01 - What PMOS actually stands for and why it matters 09:49 - PCOM: An imaging finding, not a diagnosis 15:04 - Lean PMOS and post-pill PCOS 18:44 - Testosterone, letrozole and how PMOS actually works 23:40 - High egg numbers in IVF don't mean high embryo quality 31:08 - Male factor and OHSS risk in PMOS patients 33:52 - Lifestyle interventions: Resistance training, blood sugar, sleep 40:39 - How acupuncture supports PMOS 42:22 - 2026 research: Benjamin Button ovaries and later menopause 45:16 - Why the rename changes everything

Anne is back with Nico, her first male guest sharing a male factor story. Nico walks through DNA fragmentation climbing from 15% to 24% despite lifestyle changes, discovering he'd had an undiagnosed varicocele for 20 years, being dismissed by urologists who said his wife's PCOS was the real problem, and advocating for surgery that dropped fragmentation to 14%. After immune testing revealed LAD levels at 2%, they fixed both issues but still had five losses before IVF. This episode is for anyone dealing with male factor and recurrent loss, or anyone realizing structural problems need surgical solutions.

Anne is back with Sarah, who spent three and a half years navigating PCOS, two miscarriages, failed IUIs, and a fertility system that kept offering IVF without explaining why. Sarah shares how she got pregnant spontaneously right after her wedding, lost it at eight weeks, then spent over a year on medicated cycles that went nowhere. She walks through how Anne clocked her GI issues as endometriosis despite being told PCOS patients don't typically have both, getting an on-the-spot endo diagnosis at Sugo, and finally running a full immune panel that came back with LAD levels at 7% when they needed to be at 30-50%. After LIT therapy and intralipids, her levels jumped to 89% and she was pregnant two months later. This episode is for anyone being pushed toward IVF without answers, anyone with PCOS and unexplained digestive issues, or anyone who knows something's wrong but keeps being told everything looks fine. 00:00 - Introduction: Sarah's fertility journey begins02:51 - PCOS, spontaneous pregnancy, miscarriage at 8 weeks05:08 - Two failed IUIs and the IVF push without answers07:36 - Anne identifies GI issues and potential endometriosis11:52 - Endometriosis diagnosis at Sugo13:59 - Second miscarriage and next steps15:24 - Immune panel results: LAD at 7%, cytokines, MTHFR18:10 - LIT therapy and intralipids treatment22:40 - Why reproductive immunology isn't mainstream26:11 - Advice: Listen to your gut and ask questions28:18 - When anxiety lifted: 20 weeks, not 1231:04 - The rage week story

Anne is back with Anna, one of her first patients dealing with immune-related infertility. Anna shares her four-year journey through five miscarriages, multiple failed IVF transfers, and the medical dismissals that made her stop trusting anyone in the system. She walks through what happened when her husband's varicocele and high DNA fragmentation were finally addressed mid-IVF cycle, why her clinic created embryos before testing sperm quality, how she navigated immune treatments including LIT therapy and IVIG trips to Chicago, and why doing everything at once meant she'll never know what actually worked. Now facing secondary infertility, Anna talks about the psychological difference between trying again with proof her body can carry versus the hopelessness of repeated loss. This episode is for anyone who's been told everything looks normal but keeps losing pregnancies, anyone wondering whether to try again after finally having success, or anyone realizing that unexplained infertility just means no one has looked hard enough yet. 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - First two losses with heartbeats, no answers 04:29 - Third loss: Abnormal embryo becomes the IVF sales pitch 06:10 - Meeting Anne and starting IVF 09:15 - First retrieval results and DNA fragmentation discovery 14:37 - Why ICSI doesn't fix high fragmentation 16:16 - Varicocele repair through interventional surgery 20:32 - First transfer: Blighted ovum and retained tissue 23:04 - Fourth loss and hitting rock bottom 27:05 - Immune treatments: Intralipids and LIT therapy 32:40 - Success after immune protocol (or was it?) 36:39 - Flying to Chicago for IVIG during pregnancy 38:10 - Preterm birth at 34 weeks and lingering questions 41:06 - Secondary infertility: Going back in with a different mindset 43:38 - What Anne would do differently now 46:01 - The PCOS "miracle baby" myth explained 50:22 - What's actually accessible and what matters most 55:10 - The importance of having someone hold hope for you

Anne is back tackling the most frustrating diagnosis in fertility medicine: unexplained infertility. She breaks down why this label almost always means the right questions haven't been asked yet, not that there's actually nothing wrong. She explains how varicoceles affect DNA fragmentation even when sperm count looks perfect, why DOR is overdiagnosed and often not the real problem, how failed IUIs and euploid transfer failures point to lining and immune issues that standard testing misses, and what tests actually matter—CD-138 staining for chronic endometritis, hysteroscopy for microadhesions, endomapping for endometriosis, and immune panels that most clinics won't offer. This episode is for anyone told everything looks normal but nothing is working, anyone about to start IVF without knowing what they're solving for, or anyone realizing that unexplained infertility is just fertility care that hasn't been explained yet. 00:00 - Intro03:13 - Question 1: How do you define unexplained infertility?05:10 - Seed, soil, environment: The gardening framework for fertility09:15 - Varicoceles and DNA fragmentation testing13:45 - Why ICSI doesn't fix DNA damage17:36 - Varicocele repair: Finding qualified surgeons22:36 - Question 2: DOR—How can I improve my egg quality?23:15 - Do you actually have DOR or just low AMH?25:08 - Immune dysfunction vs. diminished ovarian reserve28:20 - Maternal immune tolerance and implantation31:45 - Fertilysis testing for immune issues34:20 - Question 3: Spontaneous pregnancy once, many failed IUIs—why?36:02 - Chronic endometritis and CD-138 staining40:15 - EMMA/ALICE testing vs. CD-138: Which comes first43:50 - Hysteroscopy for microadhesions and tissue inflammation46:20 - Why letrozole can thin your lining48:45 - Endometriosis as immune dysregulation, not just pain51:45 - Endo mapping and finding qualified endo surgeons55:36 - Closing: Unexplained means unexplored

Today, Anne tackles the influx of questions from patients feeling let down, gaslit, and stuck in the fertility clinic system. We are diving deep into the diagnostics your clinic should be running—and exactly what to do if they refuse. From the necessity of immune testing to the critical role of blood thinners in preventing recurrent loss, this is your ultimate guide to self-advocacy. 00:00 Intro01:53 How Clinics Have Changed: From Innovative to Cookie-Cutter04:03 Why You Must Advocate for Your Future Child11:04 Clinic Red Flags: "Science Experiments" & Ovarian PRP16:59 The Blood Thinner Issue: Microcirculation & Implantation19:20 The Clotting Tests You Need to Ask For (Beyond the RPL)23:15 Why Clinics Refuse Blood Thinners: Liability vs. Physiology27:15 If They Don't Do Immune Testing, Leave31:10 Immunology Explained: Uterine NK Cells, LADs & Cytokines39:19 Final Red Flags & The Truth About Fast OHIP Waitlists

Anne is back answering the fertility questions she hears most often from patients—not the ones from Instagram AMAs, but the real concerns that come up after people have already made lifestyle changes. She covers why DNA fragmentation testing matters despite what some clinics say, how much exercise actually helps (or hurts) fertility, whether coffee is sabotaging your chances, why your friend's protocol won't work for you, what recent research reveals about age and egg quality, and how acupuncture actually influences reproductive hormones. This episode is for anyone who's already doing the basics and wants to know if they're focusing on the right things, or for anyone realizing that consistency matters more than fertility hacks. 00:00 - Intro05:24 - Question 1: Is there anything else I should be doing?09:15 - Question 2: Why does DNA fragmentation matter?16:16 - Question 3: Should I exercise more or less for fertility?22:20 - Question 4: Is coffee bad for my fertility?25:06 - Question 5: Why did my friend's protocol work but not for me?29:25 - Question 6: The real science on age-related decline36:28 - Question 7: How does acupuncture actually work?43:33 - Closing thoughts and rate & review request

When Anne first met Fran, she thought to herself, "She’s a youth... this is going to be a slam dunk." Fran was 26, incredibly healthy, and fit. But after a year of negative tests and chemical pregnancies, she was slapped with the frustrating diagnosis of "Unexplained Infertility" and told that IVF was her only real option. In this episode, we share Fran’s Story, a powerful journey of refusing to settle for a non-diagnosis. Fran opens up about why she said no to IVF and instead dug deeper to find the true root cause: her immune system. 00:00 Intro06:17 The First Chemical Pregnancy & False Optimism09:49 The Clinic Reality: "Unexplained Infertility" & The IVF Hard Sell15:45 Leaving the System: Seeking "Root Cause" Answers22:06 The Breakthrough: Finding Fertilysis & Reproductive Immunology28:29 The Diagnosis: High Natural Killer Cells (33%) & Low LAD Levels31:40 When Treatment Fails: Failed LIT & Pivoting to Donor Blood37:42 Hitting Rock Bottom: Grief, Burnout & Starting at "Ground Zero"45:40 The Natural BFP & Managing Pregnancy After Infertility Trauma

In this Ask Me Anything episode, Anne tackles listener questions about some of the most misunderstood aspects of fertility. From why your doctor might not be testing your ferritin levels (even though they should) to the real story behind luteal phase defects and what stress actually does to your fertility journey. We dive into practical topics like optimal iron ranges for conception, why adding progesterone isn't always the answer, and what truly matters most for patients over 35. Anne breaks down complex concepts into actionable insights, challenging some common fertility myths along the way. 00:00 - Welcome & Episode Overview01:11 - Iron & Ferritin: The Hidden Fertility Factor06:20 - Luteal Phase Defects: Myths vs Reality18:14 - Stress, Cortisol & Egg Quality25:00 - Mature Patients: Focus on Sperm Quality

Anne is back with an open and honest fertility Q&A, tackling the questions she gets most often from patients and listeners. From embryo grading and PGT-A testing to sperm DNA fragmentation, egg versus embryo freezing, and how often to have sex when trying to conceive, Anne breaks down the science!

Laura’s story is one of quiet strength and persistence. She opens up about navigating MS, endometriosis, and the realities of using donor sperm while trying to grow her family. After failed IUIs, unexpected surgery, and just one remaining embryo, she learned to trust her body and advocate for herself in a system that didn’t always listen.What followed was a mix of setbacks, small shifts, and self-belief that changed everything, a reminder that sometimes the biggest transformations come from the smallest, most consistent changes.

In this episode of Trying to Be Positive, Anne answers your questions: what Ontario’s new IVF funding actually covers, why sperm DNA fragmentation can tank “normal” semen analyses, how frequent release + antioxidants may help, why high cholesterol affects sperm, what to know about supplements (CoQ10, omega-3, folate) without overdoing it - plus practical ways to stay hopeful when you feel like you’re doing everything right. 00:00 Intro01:38 Ontario IVF funding 2025 — what’s covered, what isn’t12:55 Does DNA fragmentation matter? (and why)17:00 How to lower DNA frag — release cadence, antioxidants20:45 High cholesterol & sperm — why it hurts fertility25:09 Supplements — safe starts (folate, CoQ10, omega-3) & cautions31:57 Endometriosis diagnosis — SUGO expert ultrasound (not just surgery)34:55 Staying hopeful — mindset, cycles, boundaries, stories that help