What to Do When You Get Diagnosed with Low Ovarian Reserve?

As a Woman

Natalie Crawford

Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 November 2025

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dr. Natalie Crawford, board-certified OBGYN and REI, tackles the overwhelming and often misunderstood diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). If you've been told your egg count is low or your AMH levels aren’t ideal, you’re not alone. This episode provides clarity on what these numbers really mean, how to interpret your fertility options, and empowering next steps for anyone facing this diagnosis. Key Topics: 1. Ovarian Reserve - What diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is and what it is not - The difference between egg quantity (reserve) and egg quality - How tests like AMH, FSH, and AFC reflect ovarian health 2. Understanding Your Test Results - Interpreting fluctuating hormone and follicle counts - Why a low ovarian reserve diagnosis does not mean pregnancy is impossible - The importance of considering age and individual medical history 3. Influencing Factors & Taking Control - Lifestyle and health factors that impact your reserve - The crucial role of diet, exercise, sleep, and avoiding toxins - When and why to seek a second medical opinion 4. Charting Your Fertility Path - Today’s treatment options - Tailoring plans to your life stage and goals - Making informed, empowered decisions for your unique fertility journey Pre-order Dr. Crawford's debut book, The Fertility Formula, now! ⁠https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/book⁠ Want to receive my weekly newsletter? Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠nataliecrawfordmd.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive updates, Q&A, special content, and freebies If you haven’t already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every Tuesday. Plus, be sure to follow along on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@nataliecrawfordmd,⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Natalie’s YouTube channel Natalie Crawford MD⁠⁠⁠⁠, and if you're interested in becoming a patient, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fora Fertility. Join the Learn at Pinnacle app ⁠to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode! This episode is brought to you by The Pinnacle Podcast Network! Learn more about Pinnacle at http://learnatpinnacle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you've ever been told that your egg count is lower than expected or that your AMH or FSAH isn't where they should be,
0:05.4	you know how overwhelming that news can feel. There's so much misinformation and honestly,
0:09.8	we don't always understand our bodies the best because we were never taught. Your body's not perfect.
0:14.3	You're not going to release the same amount of eggs every single month. The Minished ovarian
0:18.5	reserve is about quantity. It's not really telling us about the quality of the eggs.
0:22.6	And if you are young and somebody tells you you can't go through IVF or use your own eggs, please, please, please get a second opinion that one person's opinion may not be everything and let there be a red flag, especially if you've never been given the opportunity to try.
0:36.0	The big question that I always ask,
0:37.8	why? Why are you having low ovarian reserve? Welcome back to the As a Woman podcast. I'm your
0:46.0	host, Dr. Natalie Crawford, and today we're tackling one of the most stressful and emotional
0:50.3	diagnoses that exist in fertility, diminished ovarian reserve. If you've ever been told
0:55.2	that your egg count is lower than expected or that your AMH or FSAH isn't where they should be,
1:00.6	you know how overwhelming that news can feel. In this episode, I'm going to walk you through
1:05.3	exactly what diminished ovarian reserve means, what it doesn't mean, and most importantly,
1:12.2	what steps you can take next. In this episode, we're covering the science of ovarian reserve and what your numbers actually
1:17.0	represent, why this diagnosis does not mean that pregnancy is impossible, and what you can do to
1:22.8	optimize your fertility and move forward with clarity and confidence. If you've recently gotten this
1:27.9	DOR diagnosis or somebody you love has, this is the conversation for you. We're going to
1:33.6	dive in and talk about ovarian reserve. Before we do, I want to say really quickly, thank you all
1:37.7	for being here. And I want to promote the fertility formula, which is available for pre-order
1:42.2	right now. And if you pre-order it,
1:49.5	you will get some bonuses, including an IVF course and a hormone lifestyle guide. You can get more information at Natalie CrawfordmD.com slash book because everything we're covering today goes into
1:56.0	even more detail if you get to the book. What is diminished ovarian reserve? This is probably
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