Is Your Oral Health Causing Fertility Issues?
Rosanne Austin interviews Dr. Katie about the surprising connection between oral health and fertility, revealing how mouth infections can cause infertility and pregnancy complications.
Teachings 3
Oral bacteria can directly cause infertility by inhibiting ovulation, preventing implantation, and affecting pregnancy outcomes
Dr. Katie cites FN bacteria increases infertility by 3x, and oral bacteria has same effect on conception time as obesity. 40% of pregnant people have gum infection leading to 30-50% higher risk of preterm birth
Bad oral bacteria transfers between partners through saliva, making male oral health equally important for fertility
Dr. Katie explains bacteria affects sperm motility and kills sperm, citing male infertility accounts for 50% of all couple infertility. Couple treated together got pregnant within months
Simple saliva testing and 3D X-rays can detect hidden infections that standard fertility workups miss
Dr. Katie describes testing for 11 specific bacteria and cone beam CT scans to find asymptomatic infections. Client Megan's 10-year journey with IVF, surrogacy, donor eggs resolved after treating mouth infection
Perspectives 3
Women must become empowered explorers of their own health rather than relying solely on conventional fertility medicine
Rosanne emphasizes her belief in women being empowered, asking questions, and bucking incomplete narratives. Dr. Katie notes women's health is under-researched and underfunded
Don't let insurance dictate your healthcare decisions - invest in your health and future family
Dr. Katie explains 6-month dental cleaning rule came from insurance, not science. Early intervention is most affordable. Delta Dental lawsuit showed they use less than 40% of premiums for patient care
The compartmentalization of biological systems in medicine is nonsensical - everything is connected
Rosanne notes from her 7-year fertility journey that oral health was never mentioned. Dr. Katie explains how dentistry was siloed from medicine 100+ years ago, creating dangerous gaps
Quotable Moments 4
“We come from the perspective, doctor Katie, that the more information, the better. We believe in women being empowered, asking questions, and bucking narratives that may not be complete”
— Rosanne Austin“don't let your insurance dictate how you take care of your health for frick's sake, man. Like, go out there. If it if it's pay for out of pocket, it is an investment in your future. It's an investment in your family”
— Rosanne Austin“this compartmentalization of biological systems is nonsensical. We're not just a a bag of of organs. It they're all of these things come together and work together”
— Rosanne Austin“don't take all the information that you're giving as the end all be all. Like you said, be an explorer. Go out there and search for look under every possible hood to see if there's something else”
— Dr. Katie
Questions This Video Answers
How does oral bacteria affect fertility and pregnancy?
“if someone has gum infection, they are thirty to fifty percent times more likely to deliver early or have a low birth weight baby”
— Dr. Katie
Oral bacteria can inhibit ovulation, prevent embryo implantation, and increase risks of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm birth. The FN bacteria increases infertility risk by 3 times and can cause stillbirths.
What testing should women trying to conceive get for oral health?
“I do a saliva test because I wanna know what bacteria is in the mouth because we know that bacteria in the mouth don't stay in the mouth”
— Dr. Katie
Women should get saliva testing for specific fertility-affecting bacteria and a 3D cone beam CT scan to detect hidden infections or abscesses that often have no symptoms but can impact conception and pregnancy.
How often should women trying to conceive get dental cleanings?
“The six month rule literally came from dental insurance. It didn't come from science”
— Dr. Katie
Women trying to conceive should get dental cleanings every 3-4 months, not the standard 6 months, because bacteria repopulate within 90 days and the 6-month rule came from insurance companies, not science.
Can poor oral health be passed between partners?
“if she's healthy and he's not, he could be transferring that bacteria to to her, but also that bacteria affects his ability to to be fertile as well”
— Dr. Katie
Yes, oral bacteria transfers between partners through kissing and saliva sharing. Both partners need healthy oral microbiomes since male oral health affects sperm quality and can reinfect the female partner.
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Key Points 6
Oral bacteria can directly cause infertility by inhibiting ovulation, preventing implantation, and affecting pregnancy outcomes
Bad oral bacteria transfers between partners through saliva, making male oral health equally important for fertility
Simple saliva testing and 3D X-rays can detect hidden infections that standard fertility workups miss
Women must become empowered explorers of their own health rather than relying solely on conventional fertility medicine
Don't let insurance dictate your healthcare decisions - invest in your health and future family
The compartmentalization of biological systems in medicine is nonsensical - everything is connected
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