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In this groundbreaking episode, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon sits down with Dr. Heidi, a leading reproductive physiologist who has pioneered research on the ovarian cycle and the transition to menopause. Dr. Heidi breaks down complex reproductive science into actionable insights for every woman and parent.

You'll get an inside look at the never-before-seen dynamics of the ovarian cycle and learn how factors like obesity, nutrition, and even your gut microbiome directly impact fertility and reproductive aging. This is a must-watch to stop stressing about diet myths and start understanding the profound biology that governs your hormones.

Chapter Markers

0:00 - Can You Get Pregnant While on Your Period?

1:21 - Intro to Dr. Heidi & Ovarian Cycle Research

3:39 - The Uterine Cycle vs. The Ovarian Cycle

6:19 - Follicle Waves: The Hidden Drama in Your Ovaries

10:38 - Novel Discovery: Follicle Waves in the Luteal Phase

12:00 - Why One Follicle is Selected for Ovulation

13:17 - Does Nutrition Affect Ovarian Function?

14:48 - The Variation in Menstrual Cycles (It's Not Always 28 Days)

17:23 - The Impact of Obesity on the Ovarian Cycle

18:11 - The Problem of Luteal Phase Defects & Fertility

24:52 - Ovarian Morphology as a Bio-Marker of Health

26:54 - How Undernutrition Affects Ovarian Health

31:56 - The Metabolic Tipping Point of PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

33:26 - The Myth of the "String of Pearls" Ovary

35:25 - The Menopause Transition & Rogue Follicles

39:04 - Can We Predict Menopause by Scanning Ovaries?

45:59 - Early Menarche (First Period) and Long-Term Disease Risk

48:33 - The Surprising Link Between Puberty Timing and Environment

52:28 - The Role of Leptin in Reproductive Health

55:50 - Debunking the Myth: Can Nutrition Cure PCOS?

59:07 - PCOS Diet Myths (Fruit, Timing, and Supplements)

1:04:40 - Fish Oil for Menstrual Cramps (Dysmenorrhea)

1:08:37 - Breakthrough: Bile Acid, The Gut Microbiome, and Ovulation

1:11:50 - Closing Remarks

Who is Heidi Vanden Brink:

Dr. Vanden Brink holds over a decade of clinical research experience in nutrition, metabolic health, and female human reproductive physiology and endocrinology.

Education

Undergraduate Education2009 B.Sc., Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, CanadaGraduate Education2019-2022 Visiting Researcher, Department of Endocrinology, Children’s Mercy Hospitals, Kansas City, MO2019-2022 Postdoctoral Associate, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York2019 Ph.D., Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York2012 M.Sc., Health Sciences (Reproductive Physiology), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada

Professional Summary

Professional Certifications

2012-present American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS) Board Certification in Obstetrical and Gynecological Ultrasound.

About the Investigator

Dr. Vanden Brink holds over a decade of clinical research experience in nutrition, metabolic health, and female human reproductive physiology and endocrinology. Her research expertise spans the women’s reproductive lifespan from menarche to menopause. Outside of the office, Dr. Vanden Brink enjoys spending time with her goldendoodle and husband, and cycling.

Research Interests and Focus

I am building an interdisciplinary, translational research program that intersects nutrition, metabolism, and reproductive physiology and is guided by the overarching aim: to detect, understand, and prevent the integrative mechanisms responsible for aberrant reproductive development during the adolescent reproductive transition. The transition through puberty and the early post-menarcheal years, (termed the adolescent reproductive transition) represents a critical window of development which, when perturbed, can result in lifelong reproductive and metabolic dysfunction and reduced quality of life. My research program focuses on the critical window of development during the peri-menarcheal years. We are particularly interested in understanding how dietary intake as well as metabolic conditions associated with obesity influence reproductive development in adolescence leading to conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Find Heidi Vanden at:

• Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZzOJRY0AAAAJ&hl=en
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