What’s true and false about infertility? We asked a fertility specialist.

There’s so much noise and blame around infertility — an issue that affects one in six couples. So we called on Dr. Temeka Zore to help separate fact from fiction.

Zore, a double board-certified OB-GYN and fertility specialist, joined “Healthful” for a deep dive on all things fertility, from endometriosis to PMOS (formerly known as PCOS) to egg freezing.  

Zore encourages people who are not ready to have kids but think you may one day want them to go in for a fertility consultation. Everyone is different, and “having that information for yourself gives you knowledge, and knowledge is power,” she explained. 

Here’s what we debunked about fertility during our conversation — watch it on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts:

True: As your number of eggs decreases, so does their quality

This is “correct in a sense,” Zore said. 

“So in a young woman who happens to have a lower ovarian reserve, quality may not be any different. … But as we get older, your count does go down and in return, your quality also is changing,” she explained. 

Zore reiterated that, for example, if a 30-year-old is told her ovarian reserve is lower, it “does not mean that it’s gonna affect your fertility and it does not mean it’s a quality issue.”

“So that one has a nuance,” she said.

False: If you freeze your eggs, you’ll be able to have a baby later

Freezing your eggs is “not a guarantee,” regardless of your age, Zore said.

“Just because you freeze eggs, even if you’re 27, freeze 100 eggs, it’s not a guarantee,” she said. “You give yourself great options, but it’s not a guarantee.”

False: Working out will make you infertile

“No, please work out. Work out. It’s good for you,” Zore said, adding that it’s good for your endorphins and mental health.

False: Supplements can improve your egg quality

When it comes to fertility, “there is no magic pill,” Zore said, and no supplement has been shown to “magically get someone pregnant or increase live birth rates.” Prenatal vitamins benefit the baby, not necessarily fertility. 

Some supplements might have benefits, Zore said, giving vitamin D and CoQ10 as examples. “And I think for some of them, if you take them at the right concentrations, they’re probably fine. And some of them may actually have a benefit,” she added. 

But supplements aren’t approved by the FDA, “so a supplement can state something on the bottle and it doesn’t have to prove at all that it worked.”

“Be careful because you don’t know what’s in them,” she said.