Infertility & Autoimmune Disease: The Hidden Hormone Connection

Dr. Belinda Adams — a UK physician who traded the doctor's coat for the patient gown, going through six rounds of IVF before becoming a mother, and later founding Fertility Hero, an evidence-based supplement company built from everything she wished someone had told her.

From discovering that egg quality isn't actually fixed, to using a gluten-free diet to normalize thyroid antibodies instead of steroids, this episode is packed with real clinical insight, hard-won personal experience, and practical fertility tools you won't hear anywhere else. We go deep into why infertility carries psychological symptom scores comparable to cancer patients, the shame and self-blame so many women silently carry, and the science behind sleep, melatonin, CoQ10, and five element acupuncture — plus what Belinda wishes she'd known before her very first IVF cycle.

Chapter and Time Stamps:

00:58 Meet Dr Belinda Adams

01:43 Her Infertility Journey

04:15 Mental Health Toll

07:18 Dropping Shame and Blame

08:43 Getting Unstuck Tools

11:37 Visualization and Testing

15:12 Five Element Acupuncture

17:28 Egg Quality Lifestyle

20:46 When to Seek Help

22:09 Talking to Loved Ones

23:55 Self Care and Sleep

25:11 IVF Lessons Learned

26:43 Choosing Clinics Wisely

30:21 Autoimmunity and IVF

32:33 Why Fertility Hero Exists

35:11 Reading Supplement Labels

38:35 How to Take Supplements

40:56 Where to Find Belinda

41:53 Final Thanks and Goodbye

Key Takeaways

🥚 Egg Quality Isn't Fixed — The Months Before Ovulation Matter

💔 Infertility Grief Rivals a Cancer Diagnosis Psychologically

🙅 Shame Isn't the Cause of Your Infertility — Let It Go

🧵 Some Emotions Are Healthy — Anger Can Spur You to Dig Deeper

🪡 Acupuncture May Help — But Nobody's Fully Sure Why Yet

😴 Sleep Isn't Just Rest — It Protects Egg Quality Through Melatonin

🔬 One Round of IVF Is an Experiment, Not a Verdict

🗣️ You Don't Owe Anyone Real-Time Updates on Your Journey

Guest Details & Links

Guest: Dr. Belinda Adams

Specialty: UK Physician | Fertility, Hormones & Reproductive Psychology | Founder of Fertility Hero

Background: After three years of unexplained infertility, Belinda took what she thought was a temporary break from clinical medicine to pursue IVF — a break that became permanent. She and her husband went through six rounds of IVF and four different clinics over several years before welcoming their two daughters. Being on the receiving end of care, having to ask to see her own blood results, completely reshaped how she understood the fertility system from the inside.

Education: Trained and practiced as a physician in the UK before stepping away from clinical medicine in 2018

Certifications: N/A (medical training; not formally stated in episode)

Past Work: Practiced clinical medicine in the UK; worked in medical education, which shaped her ability to critically evaluate fertility research and supplement evidence

Turning Point: After her own struggles with raised thyroid antibodies, a chemical pregnancy, and repeated failed IVF cycles, Belinda used a gluten-free diet to normalize her thyroid antibodies as an alternative to steroids — an experience that deepened her belief in accessible, low-risk lifestyle interventions alongside conventional care

Known For: Founder of Fertility Hero, a UK-based evidence-based fertility supplement company; vocal advocate for addressing the mental health toll of infertility, egg quality myths, and the overlap between autoimmune conditions and fertility struggles

Offers: Third-party tested, evidence-based fertility supplements (CoQ10, magnesium bisglycinate, prenatal, omega-3) currently available in the UK, with plans to expand to Europe and the US

Links:

• 🌐 Website: fertilityhero.co.uk
• 📷 Instagram: @fertilityhero

About Your Hosts

Micah Yu, MD, MHA, MS, ABOIM, DipABLM, IFMCP

Dr. Micah Yu is a triple board-certified integrative rheumatologist who blends conventional medicine with holistic, nutrition-based healing to treat autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions. A patient himself, Dr. Yu brings a deeply personal perspective to his work, having reversed his own autoimmune arthritis through lifestyle and integrative medicine. He is certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, integrative medicine, lifestyle medicine, and functional medicine. As the founder of MyAutoimmuneMD and co-founder of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic, Dr. Yu empowers patients to address the root causes of illness and reclaim their health from the inside out.

Melissa Mondala, MD, MHA, MS, DipABLM

Dr. Melissa Mondala is a dual board-certified physician in Family and Lifestyle Medicine, with advanced training in Integrative Psychiatry and Integrative Medicine. As President of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic in Newport Beach—recognized by UC Irvine as a Public Health Site of Excellence—she pioneers a holistic, patient-centered approach to chronic disease. Dr. Mondala is a nationally recognized Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist, core faculty at Loma Linda University's Preventive Medicine Department, and a passionate advocate for plant-based nutrition, mental health, and women's wellness. A sought-after speaker and educator, she combines cutting-edge science with deep compassion to empower lasting healing, especially for those silently suffering from autoimmune, mental health, and long COVID conditions. She shares practical inspiration for healthy living and cooking at @drmelissaskitchen.

About AutoImmune Alchemy Podcast

Mission: Blending science with soul to transform autoimmune struggles into healing alchemy

AutoImmune Alchemy is a podcast dedicated to the autoimmune community, offering hope, validation, and evidence-based solutions for those struggling with complex autoimmune conditions. Hosted by the dynamic duo Dr. Melissa Mondala and Dr. Micah Yu, the show features expert interviews exploring root causes like hormonal imbalances, leaky gut, and inflammation that traditional medicine often overlooks. Each episode empowers listeners to take proactive control of their health through lifestyle medicine, nutrition, and integrative approaches.

Connect with AutoImmune Alchemy

• Website:MyAutoimmuneMD.com
• Dr. Lifestyle Clinic:www.drlifestyle.org
• Instagram: @myautoimmunemd
• Facebook: @MYAutoimmuneMD
• YouTube: @myautoimmunemd
• Email: contact@myautoimmunemd.com

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