If you’re struggling to conceive, you’re not alone — and it’s not “all in your head.”
One in six couples face infertility, yet many are told their diagnosis is “unexplained.” According to functional medicine expert Dr. Stephanie Gray, unexplained infertility is often uninvestigated infertility. There are real, testable reasons your body may not be getting pregnant — they’re just not being looked for.
In this episode of the Core Connections Podcast, I sat down with Dr. Gray, who shares both her 10-year infertility journey and the functional medicine approach that ultimately helped her welcome two healthy babies.
Why Infertility Rates Are Rising
Infertility is increasing for both women and men:
1 in 6 couples struggles to conceive
Male fertility has dropped nearly 50% in 40 years
Female infertility has increased by 25%
Miscarriage affects 15–20% of pregnancies
IVF success rates remain around 25–30% per cycle (under age 35)
If these trends were happening in any other health category, they’d be headline news.
The “Perfect Storm” Blocking Pregnancy
Dr. Gray explains that fertility is often compromised by a combination of factors:
Environmental Toxins
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals from plastics, beauty products, pesticides, and household items interfere with hormone signaling, egg quality, and implantation.
Chronic Stress
When your nervous system is stuck in survival mode, your body deprioritizes reproduction. High cortisol lowers progesterone — a key hormone for conception and pregnancy.
Nutrient Deficiencies
Processed foods, gut disruption, and depleted soil leave many women without the nutrients needed for ovulation, implantation, and early pregnancy.
Undiagnosed Conditions
Thyroid disorders, PCOS, endometriosis, autoimmune issues, and infections often go unnoticed for years — until fertility is affected.
6 Hidden Factors Doctors Often Miss
1. Inflammation in the Gut & Uterus
Gut inflammation often means uterine inflammation. For Dr. Gray, removing gluten and dairy was a turning point.
2. Low-Grade Uterine Infections
Chronic infections like endometritis can prevent implantation — even with IVF — and are frequently overlooked.
3. Toxic Load (for BOTH partners)
Environmental toxins damage egg and sperm quality. Male fertility matters just as much in this equation.
4. EMF Radiation
Chronic exposure to phones, WiFi, and laptops can negatively affect DNA quality in eggs and sperm.
5. Unresolved Birth Trauma
Especially in secondary infertility, the nervous system may still be holding onto trauma from a previous birth — even if it was labeled “normal.”
6. Blood Flow & Clotting Issues
Autoimmune clotting disorders and genetic variants can impair uterine blood flow and implantation — but often aren’t tested for.
The Pelvic Floor–Fertility Connection
As a pelvic floor specialist, I see this constantly: restriction in the pelvis can limit blood flow to reproductive organs and affect implantation.
Gentle breathwork, pelvic floor release, and manual therapies (especially after C-sections) can help restore circulation and support a healthier uterine environment.
A Surprising Fertility Disruptor: Seed Oils
Seed oils are highly inflammatory and can damage cellular health in eggs and sperm.
Avoid:
Soybean, canola, corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, and rice bran oils
Choose instead:
Grass-fed butter or ghee, olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and animal-based fats
Why Birth Control Can Delay Answers
Many women are placed on birth control for years to “manage” symptoms like painful or irregular periods — without ever addressing the root cause.
When they stop birth control to try to conceive, the underlying issue is still there — often worse.
Testing That Actually Matters
Dr. Gray encourages deeper investigation, including:
Full thyroid and hormone panels
Cortisol testing
Gut and food sensitivity testing
Autoimmune and clotting markers
Vaginal and uterine microbiome testing
Toxic burden and heavy metal testing
She outlines all recommended labs in her book Your Fertility Blueprint.
The IVF Reality Check
IVF can be helpful — but success rates haven’t improved in decades.
Dr. Gray went through six failed IVF transfers before discovering infections, inflammation, clotting issues, and trauma that had never been addressed.
The takeaway: even if IVF is part of your journey, addressing root causes first can dramatically improve outcomes.
Where to Start If You’re Trying to Conceive
Regulate your nervous system (sleep, breath work, stress support)
Reduce toxic exposure (food, beauty products, plastics, EMFs)
Eat anti-inflammatory (whole foods, healthy fats, gut support)
A Message of Hope
After 10 years of infertility, stage 4 endometriosis, failed IVF, and birth trauma, Dr. Gray now has two children.
Her message is simple and powerful: “Unexplained infertility isn’t unexplained — it’s uninvestigated. Don’t stop asking why.”
Listen to the Full Episode
In this episode, Dr. Gray shares:
The tests that changed everything
How she advocated for herself
Why faith and science can work together
What she wishes she had known sooner
You’re Not Alone
If infertility is part of your story, please know:
It’s okay to grieve
It’s okay to advocate for yourself
It’s okay to seek deeper answers
There is hope — and sometimes it starts with asking better questions.
Knowledge alone isn’t enough. Faith alone isn’t enough. But knowledge + action + faith? That’s where miracles happen.
After 10 years, Dr. Gray has her two babies. And she’s sharing everything she learned so your journey doesn’t have to take as long as hers did.
Your family is waiting. Don’t give up.
Have you struggled with infertility? What’s been your biggest challenge in getting pregnant? Share your story in the comments below—your experience might be exactly what another woman needs to hear today.
Check out Dr. Gray’s new book, Your Fertility Blueprint, and you can check out her free bonus resources >>HERE<<
You can also listen to a previous Core Connections Podcast with Erica and Dr. Gray on Fighting Fires With Functional Medicine.
Preparing for pregnancy starts with how you move.
The Knocked-Up Fitness® Program and Core Rehab® support your pelvic floor, deep core, breath, and nervous system with safe, intentional movement designed for preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum.
Click here to start moving in a way that truly supports your body.
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