Fertility Q&A: DHEA, TTC Skincare, Lean PCOS, Semen Analysis and more

Dr. Natalie Crawford, board-certified OB-GYN and REI, answers your fertility questions. What is your current interpretation of the scientific evidence on DHEA supplementation for women with low ovarian reserve and advanced maternal age who are preparing for IVF? Can you use retinol skincare products while trying to conceive, or should they be avoided during TTC? For someone in their early 30s who has been trying to conceive for over two years with no positive pregnancy tests and has completed multiple IUIs without success, what would you recommend as next steps or further evaluation? What does it mean if someone notices type 4 cervical mucus occurring twice in a cycle, including again right before their period? For a male partner taking finasteride for several years, is there evidence that it affects sperm quality or fertility outcomes, and should it be stopped when trying to conceive? In lean PCOS, what additional steps can be taken before trying to conceive to help regulate ovulation and hormone balance, especially when cycles are irregular and progesterone is being used to induce a bleed? How do varicoceles impact fertility outcomes even when a standard semen analysis appears normal, and what should patients understand about “normal” lab results versus actual sperm quality? Is there anything that can be done to prevent varicoceles, and what causes them to develop in the first place? When a semen analysis is reported as normal, how should patients and clinicians interpret that result, and what deeper factors might still need to be considered? Order Dr. Crawford's debut book, The Fertility Formula, out now! Want your questions answered on the next episode? ⁠Ask them here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to Fertility Q&A: DHEA, TTC Skincare, Lean PCOS, Semen Analysis and more online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Fertility Q&A: DHEA, TTC Skincare, Lean PCOS, Semen Analysis and more is an episode from As a Woman by Natalie Crawford.

This episode is 14:41 long.

This episode was published on Apr 20, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from As a Woman when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.