Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

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Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Mark Amols, MD

204 episodes

1 day ago

Send us a text Freezing is one of the most powerful tools in modern fertility—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols unpacks the science behind freezing sperm, eggs, and embryos. Why do eggs and embryos need vitrification while sperm are slow-frozen? Does freezing harm fertility? Why can’t multiple sperm samples just be frozen and combined for IUI? And does the length of time embryos are frozen affect success? From the histo...

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Society & Culture,

Health & Fitness,

All content for Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday is the property of Mark Amols, MD and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Send us a text Freezing is one of the most powerful tools in modern fertility—but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols unpacks the science behind freezing sperm, eggs, and embryos. Why do eggs and embryos need vitrification while sperm are slow-frozen? Does freezing harm fertility? Why can’t multiple sperm samples just be frozen and combined for IUI? And does the length of time embryos are frozen affect success? From the histo...

Show more...

Society & Culture,

Health & Fitness,

Episodes (20/204)

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Are Day-7 Embryos Doomed to Fail? The surprising science of late-blooming embryos — and why they still deserve a chance.

Send us a text Are Day-7 embryos doomed to fail — or are they just late bloomers? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explains why embryos that don’t reach blastocyst until Day 7 have lower implantation and live birth rates compared to Day 5 or 6. Using a marathon analogy, he breaks down how timing reflects embryo quality, metabolism, and chromosomal health. You’ll also hear the surprising history of Day-7 embryos — from being discarded in the early 2000s to becomin...

6 days ago

13 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Inside the ZyMōt Chip: How Microfluidics Picks Better Sperm

Send us a text In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols takes a deep dive into the ZyMōt microfluidic sperm chip — a device designed to mimic nature’s way of selecting the healthiest sperm. We explore: Why sperm DNA fragmentation matters for fertilization, embryo quality, and miscarriage risk.How the ZyMōt chip works compared to traditional methods like swim-up and density gradient centrifugation.What the science really shows — from lab data to clinical trials — includin...

1 week ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

MitoSure or Mito-Not-Sure: Should You Trust the MitoSure Score?

Send us a text Today’s episode comes straight from a listener question: What’s the deal with MitoSure? Is this mitochondria-based score the secret weapon in embryo selection — or just another lab test with a fancy name and fuzzy usefulness? Join Dr. Mark Amols as he takes you on a wild science ride from embryo scoring to evolutionary biology, bacterial roommates, and the ancient origin of mitochondria. You'll learn what MitoSure actually measures, why the same embryo could score a “2” in one ...

2 weeks ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Baby’s First Pictures: Decoding the First Trimester Ultrasound

Send us a text In this week’s episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols takes you on a guided tour of your baby’s very first pictures—the first trimester ultrasound. From the tiny gestational sac to the yolk sac (your baby’s first lunchbox), to the fetal pole and that reassuring flicker of a heartbeat, Dr. Amols explains what each step really means and when you should expect to see it. You’ll also learn: Why we stop checking hCG once we see the sacWhat it means if a yolk sac is m...

3 weeks ago

13 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Pregnant After IVF or IUI: What to Do Next and What to Expect

Send us a text You finally got the positive test after IVF or IUI — now what? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols walks you through the first steps after a positive pregnancy test, from confirming with beta hCG bloodwork to your first ultrasound. Learn why rising numbers matter more than the absolute hCG value, why it’s crucial not to stop progesterone or estrogen too early, and what milestones to expect in the first 6–10 weeks. Dr. Amols also shares common myths, t...

1 month ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

DOR Demystified: Why Diminished Ovarian Reserve Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All

Send us a text Understanding the different types of Diminished Ovarian Reserve and what they mean for your fertility journey Being told you have Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR) can feel overwhelming — but the truth is, it’s not the same diagnosis for everyone. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down the “automobile” analogy to explain why DOR is a broad category that can mean very different things depending on the cause. You’ll learn: The four common “model...

1 month ago

15 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

From Superstar to So-So: Why Your Fertility Results Fluctuate

Send us a text Ever had an amazing IVF cycle followed by one that made you question everything? You’re not alone—and no, your ovaries didn’t suddenly revolt. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down the statistical concept of regression to the mean—why extreme fertility outcomes often return to average over time. From IVF cycles to PGT results, hormone levels to semen analysis, you’ll learn why bouncing numbers aren’t always bad—and why your “worst cycle ever...

1 month ago

11 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

The Scariest Part of IVF—And Why It Terrifies Me as a Doctor

Send us a text There’s a lot to worry about in IVF: Will you get enough eggs? Will your embryos be normal? Will the transfer work? But for Dr. Mark Amols, there’s one part that truly keeps him up at night—fertilization. In this deeply personal episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Amols shares why fertilization is the most unpredictable and emotionally gut-wrenching step in the entire IVF process. You’ll get a crash course in reproductive biology—meiosis, pronuclei, 0PNs, 2PNs, and more...

1 month ago

15 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

The Curious Case of the Missing Semen

Send us a text Where did the semen go? In this week’s episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols unpacks one of the lesser-discussed causes of male infertility—low semen volume and retrograde ejaculation. From the science of what makes up semen (spoiler: sperm is only about 3% of it!) to the coordinated dance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, you’ll learn how the body decides when to open and close the right channels during urination and ejaculation. We ...

2 months ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Balls in Your Court: Male Fertility Red Flags

Send us a text Think infertility is just a female issue? Think again. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols serves up some tough love (and solid science) about male fertility. From hormonal red flags and testicular trauma to lifestyle choices and personal history, this episode breaks down when men should consider that they might be the reason pregnancy isn’t happening. Whether you’ve been “lucky” to avoid pregnancy in every relationship or just assumed things were wor...

2 months ago

14 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Superhero Hormone: What Progesterone Is Really Doing Behind the Scenes

Send us a text You’ve heard of estrogen, maybe even LH—but the real superhero in fertility? It’s progesterone. In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols reveals how progesterone silently supports pregnancy, stabilizes the uterine lining, and prevents early contractions—all without the recognition it deserves. We break down the science: how progesterone is made from cholesterol, how it converts into testosterone and estrogen, and how granulosa and theca cells work together...

2 months ago

14 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Ugly Sperm? Why Morphology Might Not Matter as Much as You Think

Send us a text You've been told your sperm shape is the problem—but is it really? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down what sperm morphology actually means, how it's measured, and whether a low morphology score truly impacts your chances of getting pregnant. We’ll explore: What “teratozoospermia” is—and why it sounds scarier than it isWhy a 1% morphology score might still be totally fineThe truth about IUI and IVF outcomes when morphology is lowWhen ICSI ...

2 months ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

From Nurse to Nerd: Why I Became a Fertility Doctor

Send us a text This week’s episode is deeply personal. Dr. Mark Amols shares the journey that led him to become a fertility doctor—from his early days as a nurse, to witnessing a friend’s struggle with infertility, to navigating his own fertility challenges with his wife. You’ll learn how these experiences shaped his mission to make fertility care more compassionate, more accessible, and more affordable. It’s not just a career—it’s a calling. If you’ve ever wondered who’s behind the mic each ...

3 months ago

15 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Got Milk? Understanding Hyperprolactinemia and Fertility

Send us a text In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down one of the most commonly overlooked causes of infertility: elevated prolactin levels, also known as hyperprolactinemia. If you’ve ever been asked about nipple discharge at a fertility consult and thought, “What does that have to do with getting pregnant?”—this episode is for you. Dr. Amols dives into: What prolactin is and why your body produces itHow elevated prolactin shuts down ovulation by disrupting...

3 months ago

14 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

One Tube Wonder: What’s Next When One Tube’s Blocked?

Send us a text Can you still get pregnant if one fallopian tube is blocked? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down what it really means when one of your fallopian tubes isn’t working. From proximal vs. distal blockages to the surprising truth about which ovary ovulates—and how often—it all matters more than you think. You’ll learn: Whether natural pregnancy is still realisticThe real odds of ovulating on the same side every monthWhen IUI works—and when it...

3 months ago

13 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

What Could Go Wrong? The Not-So-Fun Side of Fertility Treatments

Send us a text In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols pulls back the curtain on the often-unspoken truth: fertility treatments don’t always go as planned. From failed ovulation and sperm no-shows during IUI, to egg retrieval curveballs, fertilization failures, and embryo transfer nightmares in IVF—this episode covers the chaos that can catch patients off guard. But don’t worry, this isn’t about fear—it’s about power through preparation. Dr. Amols shares real-world scen...

3 months ago

18 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

When Your Best Embryo Fails: Is There Still Hope?

Send us a text In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols explores one of the most common emotional pitfalls in IVF: the heartbreak of a failed transfer using your top-graded embryo. Using a relatable medical school analogy, he explains why even “average” embryos can still lead to pregnancy—and why the term “best” isn’t a guarantee of success. Learn how embryo grading works, what research says about implantation rates with AA vs. BB embryos, and how uterine factors,...

3 months ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Egg-spectations: What’s a Normal Egg Count in IVF?

Send us a text How many eggs should you expect during IVF? Is 8 enough? Is 20 too many? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols cracks open the real data behind egg retrieval numbers and answers the question everyone’s asking: “Am I making enough eggs?” We break down what’s normal by age, what counts as mature, and why having more eggs isn’t always better. Learn how AMH, antral follicle count, and stimulation protocols impact your results—and why quality beats quantity ...

4 months ago

13 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Fast Track or Wait? Fertility Treatment Over 40 Explained - The FORT-T Study Illuminated

Send us a text They say life begins at 40—but what about fertility? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down the real numbers, treatment options, and emotional journey of trying to conceive after 40. We take a deep dive into the groundbreaking FORT-T trial and how it flipped the script on fertility treatment for women over 40—proving that for many, IVF isn’t the last resort, it’s the smart first step. You’ll also learn: ✔ The truth about natural pregn...

4 months ago

12 minutes

Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday

Glued from the Inside: The Truth About Asherman's Syndrome

Send us a text What if your uterus looked normal on the outside—but inside, it was glued shut? In this episode of Taco Bout Fertility Tuesday, Dr. Mark Amols breaks down the rarely discussed but deeply impactful condition known as Asherman's Syndrome. From why some women are more likely to develop intrauterine adhesions (think “keloid-level healing”) to how it affects menstruation and fertility, you’ll learn everything you need to know. We cover: What causes Asherman's Syndrome and who's at r...

4 months ago

16 minutes