Episode 152: Why Healing Stalls: The Hidden Biology of Toxins and Energy
- Dr. Aimie Apigian
- 10 hours ago
- 12 min read
"Our bodies are listening to our thoughts. If we're thinking, 'I'm not gonna get pregnant'—it's hearing you say that."
— Dr. Ann Shippy
For decades, age has been blamed as the primary driver of infertility—but what if that narrative is incomplete? Dr. Ann Shippy, a functional medicine physician and former chemical engineer, reveals how environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, and stored stress create biological barriers to conception. We explore why eggs and sperm function as "time capsules" and how this connects to how our nervous system decides whether it's safe to create new life.
In this episode you'll learn:
[00:01:20] Why the fertility narrative around age may be missing the bigger picture—and what's actually driving infertility rates
[00:02:28] How one patient at 41 conceived easily after addressing heavy metals, microbiome imbalances, and hormonal dysfunction
[00:04:16] The identity wound that infertility triggers—and why "am I enough?" surfaces when conception feels impossible
[00:09:37] Why hope itself shifts biology and creates an environment welcoming to new life
[00:10:45] How environmental toxins—even from healthy activities like golf—create hidden fertility barriers
[00:11:48] The "time capsule" concept: How eggs and sperm collect information about stress, trauma, toxins, and nutrient status
[00:13:55] The parallel between neuroception and fertility—both systems asking the same question about safety and capacity
[00:16:41] Why infertility is fundamentally an energy problem—and how mitochondrial function determines whether the body says yes to new life
[00:18:12] How pregnancy can deplete an already exhausted body and create chronic patterns of depletion
[00:20:06] The first step Dr. Ann recommends for anyone wanting to conceive—even in their mid-forties
Main Takeaways
Age isn't the whole story. Environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, and stored stress create biological barriers that can be addressed—even into the mid-forties.
Eggs and sperm are "time capsules." They collect information about stress, trauma, toxin exposure, and nutrient status—encoding survival data that shapes the future child's biology.
Infertility is often an energy problem. When the body lacks mitochondrial capacity for daily demands, it won't allocate resources toward creating new life.
Our bodies are listening to our thoughts. Hopelessness and beliefs like "it won't happen for me" register in our biology. Hope creates physiological shifts that support conception.
Neuroception and fertility share the same logic. Both systems collect information to answer: Is there enough safety and capacity to move forward?
Preconception work benefits longevity too. Everything that supports fertility—reducing toxins, optimizing nutrients, supporting mitochondria—also supports the healing journey.
Notable Quotes
"Our bodies are listening to our thoughts. If we're thinking, 'It's not happening for me'—our body hears that."
"Eggs and sperm are time capsules—collecting our stress, our trauma, our toxins, our nutrients."
"If the body doesn't have enough energy to get through the day, it's not going to say, 'Let's also create a life.'"
"We're built to create life—when our nutrients are there, our stress is managed, and our mitochondria are charged."
"Get in touch with your why. These precious souls find their way in when we're aligned."
Episode Takeaway
A parallel struck me during this conversation. Ann described eggs and sperm as "time capsules"—collecting information about our stress, our toxins, our trauma to help decide who this baby needs to be. That's exactly what our neuroception does. It's constantly collecting information to make a decision: Are we safe? Do we have enough capacity?
Both systems are trying to protect us. Both are making the same calculation: Is there enough energy and safety to move forward—whether that's the healing journey or creating new life?
This is why infertility is often an energy problem—the same energy problem I see in those stuck in chronic trauma responses. When the body doesn't have enough energy to get through the day, it's not going to say, "Let's also create a life." The body isn't broken. It's asking for what it needs.
Resources/Guides:
Biology of Trauma book — Available now everywhere books are sold. Get your copy
Foundational Journey — If you are ready to create inner safety and shift your nervous system, join me and my team for this 6-week journey of practical somatic and mind-body inner child practices. Lay your foundation to do the deeper work safely and is the pre-requisite for becoming a Biology of Trauma® professional.
Connect with Dr. Ann Shippy at shippymd.com and on Instagram @annshippymd. Her book The Preconception Revolution is available on Amazon and everywhere books are sold.
Related Podcast Episodes:
About the Guest: Dr. Ann Shippy is a board-certified internal medicine physician and former chemical engineer who has led in functional medicine for over two decades. Her new book, The Preconception Revolution, synthesizes 20 years of clinical experience helping couples conceive naturally—even after being told it was impossible.
Your host: Dr. Aimie Apigian, double board-certified physician (Preventive/Addiction Medicine) with master's degrees in biochemistry and public health, and author of the national bestselling book "The Biology of Trauma" (foreword by Gabor Maté) that transforms our understanding of how the body experiences and holds trauma. After foster-adopting a child during medical school sparked her journey, she desperately sought for answers that would only continue as she developed chronic health issues. Through her practitioner training, podcast, YouTube channel, and international speaking, she bridges functional medicine, attachment and trauma therapy, facilitating accelerated repair of trauma's impact on the mind, body and biology.
Can't Get Pregnant?
The Biology of Infertility & How to Heal
"What if the biggest thing you've been told about fertility is wrong?"
For decades, women have been told that age is the primary driver of infertility. The message is clear and unrelenting: the older we get, the harder it becomes. But what if that narrative is incomplete? What if age is only part of the story—and the bigger factors are hiding in plain sight?
In my recent conversation with Dr. Ann Shippy, a functional medicine physician and former chemical engineer, I discovered a perspective that changes everything. Her patients have conceived naturally into their mid-forties—even after being told it was impossible. The difference? They addressed hidden biological barriers that conventional medicine often overlooks: environmental toxins, nutrient deficiencies, and stored stress.
In this post, I'll share the insights that struck me most deeply from our conversation. We'll explore why eggs and sperm function as "time capsules," why infertility is fundamentally an energy problem, and how this connects directly to the nervous system work I teach in the Biology of Trauma® methodology. Whether you're navigating fertility challenges personally or supporting clients through this journey as a practitioner, understanding the biology changes everything about how we approach conception.
Why Age May Not Be the Real Fertility Story
The fertility industry has built its narrative around age. Women in their thirties hear the clock ticking louder with every passing year. Panic sets in. Expensive interventions begin. But Dr. Ann's clinical experience tells a different story. Her oldest patient to conceive naturally was 47 years old.
What made the difference? Root cause investigation. When Dr. Ann works with patients, she doesn't start with age—she starts with biology. She tests for heavy metal toxicity, microbiome imbalances, hormonal dysfunction, and nutrient deficiencies. Time and again, she finds that addressing these factors restores fertility that conventional medicine had written off as impossible.
One patient came to Dr. Ann at 41 after trying IVF multiple times. Top reproductive specialists on both coasts had told her to adopt. Within nine months of addressing her underlying imbalances—heavy metals, microbiome dysfunction, hormonal patterns—she conceived naturally. She now has four children after being told she would have none. This isn't an isolated miracle story. It's a pattern Dr. Ann sees repeatedly when root causes are addressed.
Eggs and Sperm as Biological Time Capsules
One of the most powerful concepts Dr. Ann shared is the idea of eggs and sperm as "time capsules." These reproductive cells are constantly collecting information about our internal and external environment. They're keeping track of our stress levels, our toxin exposure, our nutrient status, our inflammation markers—everything that signals whether conditions support new life.
This makes profound sense from a survival perspective. The body is trying to predict what kind of world this future child will need to navigate. If the parent's environment signals scarcity, stress, or threat, the child's biology adapts accordingly. The time capsule encodes survival data that shapes development from the earliest moments.
This is exactly how generational patterns get passed down through our biology. It's not just genetics—it's epigenetics. The lived experience of the parent becomes biological instruction for the child. Understanding this helps explain why preconception health matters so deeply, and why addressing stored stress before conception can shift generational trajectories.
The Parallel Between Neuroception and Fertility
As Dr. Ann described the time capsule concept, I recognized something familiar. This is exactly what our neuroception does. In my book, The Biology of Trauma, I explain how the nervous system constantly collects information on a dashboard of cues. It's asking one fundamental question: Is it safe to move forward?
Both systems—neuroception and fertility—are making the same calculation. Is there enough safety and capacity to move forward? When the answer is no, both systems protect us. The nervous system keeps us in survival mode. The reproductive system declines to create new life. Neither response is dysfunction. Both are intelligence.
This parallel helps explain why stress impacts fertility so profoundly. It's not psychological weakness—it's biological wisdom. The body is making a calculated decision based on the data it's receiving. When we understand this, we can stop blaming ourselves and start addressing the actual inputs our system is responding to.
Why Infertility Is Fundamentally an Energy Problem
Here's the insight that connected most deeply to my work: infertility is often an energy problem. Creating and sustaining new life requires enormous biological resources. Pregnancy is one of the most metabolically demanding experiences the human body can undertake. If the body doesn't have enough energy to get through the day, it won't allocate resources toward reproduction.
This is the same energy problem I see in those stuck in chronic trauma responses. When our mitochondria are depleted, when our cellular energy is compromised, healing stalls. The body can't move from survival to expansion without adequate fuel. It's not a motivation problem. It's a capacity problem.
Dr. Ann emphasized the role of mitochondrial function in fertility. When mitochondria are charged, when nutrients are optimized, when stress is regulated—the body has capacity for creation. When these foundations are compromised, protection takes priority over reproduction. The body isn't being difficult. It's being intelligent.
How Environmental Toxins Create Hidden Barriers
Environmental toxins are one of the most overlooked factors in fertility. Dr. Ann shared that even people with healthy lifestyles often show high toxin levels. Living near a golf course, for example, can expose us to pesticides that disrupt hormones and compromise reproductive function. The chemicals are invisible, but their effects are measurable.
These toxins don't just affect our fertility—they affect the health of our future children. The time capsule is collecting this data. High toxin exposure increases the risk for autoimmunity, metabolic disorders, and developmental challenges in the next generation. What we carry in our bodies becomes part of what we pass on.
The good news? Toxin burden can be measured and addressed. Detoxification pathways can be supported. This isn't about perfect avoidance—that's impossible in our modern world. It's about reducing the load so the body has capacity for what matters most. Small changes compound over time.
The Body Is Listening to Our Thoughts
The body registers every message we send it. This is foundational to the Biology of Trauma® methodology—our internal dialogue shapes our nervous system state in real time.
If we believe healing is impossible, our biology registers that belief. If we tell ourselves "nothing ever works for me," the nervous system responds as if that's true. Internal dialogue functions like data input.
This isn't magical thinking—it's neuroscience. Hopelessness triggers stress responses. Chronic stress suppresses the very functions we need for recovery. The mind-body connection is physiological and well-documented.
Hope and intentionality create different conditions. When we align mind, body, and spirit around possibility, our internal environment shifts. The nervous system registers different cues about safety and capacity. Our emotional state is one input among many that the body weighs when determining what's possible.
When Pregnancy Depletes an Already Exhausted Body
I've seen this pattern many times in my practice: a mother enters pregnancy already depleted. The pregnancy takes more from her body than she has to give. She crosses a line she can't come back from easily. The second or third pregnancy pushes her into chronic depletion that persists for years.
This chronic depletion is one of the trauma patterns I work with regularly. The body becomes stuck in a state of insufficient resources. Everything feels harder than it should. Recovery requires rebuilding from the cellular level up—restoring mitochondrial function, replenishing nutrients, regulating the nervous system back to baseline.
This is why preconception work matters so much. Building reserves before pregnancy protects both mother and child. It's not about perfection or waiting until everything is ideal—it's about giving the body enough capacity to share without complete depletion.
The Identity Wound That Infertility Triggers
For many people, infertility surfaces deep identity wounds. The message "there's something wrong with my body" echoes an ancient fear: "Am I enough?" When parenthood has been central to identity and life planning, the inability to conceive feels like fundamental failure rather than a biological circumstance.
I've seen this pain in the families I've worked with. The heartache of being told "you are infertile" stays with people for years, sometimes decades. Even after adoption, even after alternative paths to parenthood, the wound remains. The grief is real and deserves acknowledgment.
Dr. Ann acknowledged that the current fertility narrative itself creates trauma. The fear, the pressure, the expensive interventions with uncertain outcomes—these add stress to an already stressed system. The monthly cycle of hope and disappointment becomes its own form of chronic stress. A different approach starts with hope and understanding. It starts with recognizing that the body isn't broken; it's responding to real conditions that can often be changed with the right support.
Why the Foundations of Healing Are Universal
What I want to emphasize: the same factors that support fertility also support recovery from chronic illness and healthy aging. Reducing toxins, optimizing nutrients, charging mitochondria, balancing the microbiome—these are the foundations of biological capacity that I teach in the Biology of Trauma® methodology.
When capacity is high, the body can create, heal, and thrive. When capacity is low, the body focuses on survival and protection. The principles are universal regardless of the specific goal.
Whether someone is preparing for pregnancy or supporting their own healing journey, the approach is the same. Build the foundations first. Restore capacity before demanding more from the system. Give the body what it needs to move from protection to creation. Capacity determines what's possible.
Start Today: First Steps Toward Fertility and Capacity
If this resonates with you, here are practical steps you can take right now. These apply whether you're navigating fertility personally or supporting others on the journey. Start where you are, with what you have.
Get in touch with your why. Dr. Ann's first recommendation is alignment. What does parenthood mean to you? Why do you want this? Getting clear on intention shifts the internal environment and gives the nervous system a signal of purposeful direction.
Assess your toxin exposure. Consider testing for heavy metals, pesticides, and other environmental toxins. Functional medicine practitioners can guide this process. Knowing what you're dealing with allows targeted intervention.
Support mitochondrial function. Prioritize sleep, blood sugar stability, and nutrients that fuel cellular energy. These foundations matter more than any supplement protocol. Energy is the currency of creation.
Regulate the nervous system. The body won't create new life from a survival state. Building felt safety is foundational—both for fertility and for the healing journey. Small, consistent practices matter more than intensive interventions.
Start before you think you're ready. Preconception work ideally begins 3-12 months before trying to conceive. The investment compounds over time. There's no perfect moment—only the choice to begin.
Remember: the body isn't broken. It's making calculated decisions based on the information it receives. When we change the inputs, we change what becomes possible. The time capsule can be rewritten. And whether or not pregnancy is the outcome, the work itself builds the capacity that supports all of life.
Helpful Research
1. Environmental Toxins and Reproductive Health Rattan, S., et al. (2017). "Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors during Adulthood: Consequences for Female Fertility." Journal of Endocrinology, 233(3), R109-R129. This research demonstrates how environmental chemicals interfere with hormone signaling and reproductive function. Endocrine disruptors found in everyday products can affect ovarian function, egg quality, and implantation success. The findings validate Dr. Ann's clinical observation that toxin reduction improves fertility outcomes even when age is advanced.
2. Mitochondrial Function and Fertility May-Panloup, P., et al. (2016). "Ovarian Ageing: The Role of Mitochondria in Oocytes and Follicles." Human Reproduction Update, 22(6), 725-743. Researchers found that mitochondrial function declines with age and significantly impacts egg quality. However, the study also showed that lifestyle factors—nutrition, exercise, stress reduction—can support mitochondrial health. This supports the view that biological age is more modifiable than chronological age when it comes to fertility.
3. Psychological Stress and Fertility Outcomes Lynch, C.D., et al. (2014). "Preconception Stress Increases the Risk of Infertility." Human Reproduction, 29(5), 1067-1075. This prospective study followed women attempting to conceive and measured stress biomarkers. Women with higher stress markers took significantly longer to conceive and had higher rates of infertility. The research validates the nervous system connection: chronic stress states directly impact reproductive capacity through measurable biological pathways.
Disclaimer
This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information shared reflects my clinical expertise and research, but every person's biology and healing journey is unique. Always consult with qualified healthcare providers before making changes to your treatment plan or starting new interventions. If you're experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact emergency services or a crisis helpline immediately.
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