Every person is different, but learning about the different phases of your cycle can help you tune into your body and shift your fitness routine as needed. Dr. Li-Shei Lin from Reproductive Partners Fertility Center – San Diego shares her expertise and adivce.

Expanding Access to Fertility Care in California: How RPSD Is Preparing for SB 729. California is entering a new era of fertility care access. With the passage of SB 729, thousands of individuals and families across the state will soon have expanded insurance coverage for infertility treatment—including IVF. At Reproductive Partners Fertility Center – San Diego (RPSD), this moment represents both an opportunity and a responsibility: to adapt thoughtfully, expand access, and continue delivering exceptional, patient-centered care.

Nutrition plays a meaningful role in hormone balance, reproductive function, and overall fertility—and few understand this connection better than Dr. Li-Shei Lin, MD, PhD, reproductive endocrinologist at Reproductive Partners Fertility Center–San Diego. As an OB-GYN and fertility expert regularly featured in national media, Dr. Lin emphasizes that small, sustainable eating habits can support ovulation, stabilize blood sugar, improve menstrual regularity, and nourish your body throughout pregnancy and menopause. Below are the top evidence-backed nutrition habits recommended by OB-GYNs and fertility specialists to help support reproductive health at every stage of life.

In her expert-driven guidance, Dr. Lin breaks down when individuals should begin thinking proactively about fertility preservation—whether due to medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation that may compromise reproductive health, or personal considerations such as delaying childbearing for career or lifestyle reasons. Dr. Lin emphasizes the importance of early assessment with a reproductive endocrinologist, noting that egg or embryo freezing is most effective when performed before the mid-30s, and that options like ovarian tissue preservation or sperm banking should be explored promptly when facing urgent medical interventions.

It’s hard to know exactly how to balance hormones—it’s different for everyone. One thing is for sure, though: Hormone disruptors threaten your body’s equilibrium. “Your hormones are like an orchestra. When every instrument is tuned, you feel balanced, energized and healthy, but what you put into your body can totally throw that harmony off,” says Dr. Li-Shei Lin, a board-certified OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist.

World IVF Day celebrates breakthroughs in IVF, as Reproductive Partners Fertility Center- San Diego’s Shannon Taylor reflects on her journey from infertility to a family of five. “This is our first frozen egg that was born in San Diego County,” she said. “She had already been thawed as an egg, then fertilized, and fortunately, it was successful.”

How do you know if you have one, and when, exactly, is it a cause for concern? First, know this: The hormone craze on social media isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I think it’s fantastic that hormone health is finally getting the attention it deserves,” says Li-Shei Lin, MD, PhD, an ob-gyn and reproductive endocrinologist at Reproductive Partners Fertility Center in San Diego. “The fact that so many people are now talking about it—especially on social media—means we’re becoming more empowered to tune into our bodies and advocate for our well-being.”

We tend to associate testosterone with male libido, muscle mass, hair growth, and basically everything that makes a biological male present as male. But until the recent explosion of conversation around menopause and hormonal health, precious little consideration had been given to the fact that testosterone is a vital female hormone, too. “It just circulates in the bloodstream at a much lower level than in men,” says Somi Javaid, MD, a board-certified ob-gyn and founder of HerMD, a women-focused healthcare center.

From headaches and backaches to tender breasts and sore feet, pregnancy pain is an all-too-common experience. Between 20 and 80 percent of women report experiencing some form of pain while they’re pregnant. Fluctuating hormones, weight gain, and changes to posture and sleeping positions can all contribute to the ache.