FOR COUPLES TRYING TO CONCEIVE
Before you resort to IVF
The step between 'we've been trying' and IVF that most couples never hear about.
THE PROBLEM
Fertility has become a medical problem. It didn't used to be.
One in six Australian couples now struggles to conceive. IVF has become the default next step — at $10,000–$15,000 per cycle, with no guarantee of success. The average couple goes through 2–3 cycles before either conceiving or giving up.
But here's what most fertility specialists won't tell you: the majority of unexplained infertility has nutritional and environmental roots.
Traditional cultures studied by Dr Weston A. Price had virtually zero infertility. Not because of superior genetics — but because they lived in healthy environments and provided specific nutrient-dense foods to couples before conception. They understood something modern medicine has largely forgotten: your nutritional and hormonal status directly determines your fertility.
Sperm counts in Western men have declined by over 50% since the 1970s. Female hormonal disorders are at record levels. And the standard medical response is to bypass the problem with technology rather than address what's causing it.
THE HIDDEN FACTORS
IVF skips the foundations. That's why it fails so often.
IVF success rates in Australia hover around 30% per cycle for women under 35 — and drop sharply after that. Most clinics focus on hormonal stimulation and egg retrieval without addressing the underlying nutritional, metabolic and hormonal environment that healthy eggs and sperm develop in.
Consider what's rarely discussed:
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Egg & Sperm Quality
Eggs take approximately 90 days to mature. Sperm take approximately 72 days. The nutritional environment during that window directly determines their quality. IVF doesn't improve egg or sperm quality — it just works with what you've got.
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Hormonal Foundation
Progesterone — the master pro-gestational hormone — requires adequate cholesterol, vitamin A, and thyroid function to be produced. Low-fat diets, seed oil consumption, and nutrient deficiencies directly suppress the hormonal cascade needed for conception and healthy pregnancy.
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Nutrient Depletion
Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K2 are essential for hormone synthesis, foetal development, and implantation. Most couples trying to conceive are deficient in one or more of these — and standard prenatal vitamins use poorly absorbed synthetic forms.
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Environmental Interference
Endocrine disruptors in plastics, personal care products, and household chemicals directly impair reproductive hormone balance. Most couples are unknowingly exposed to dozens of these compounds daily, and no IVF clinic screens for them.
What The Research Shows
Nutritional deficiencies don't just reduce fertility — they compound across generations. Dr Weston A. Price documented this in the 1930s, observing that each successive generation raised on nutrient-poor diets showed increasing rates of structural and developmental problems.
Modern research confirms the same patterns:
Decline in sperm count, motility & morphology: A 2023 meta-analysis (Levine et al.) confirmed a global decline in sperm concentration accelerating into the 21st century. Separate studies show significant declines in progressive motility and normal morphology over the past two decades — meaning sperm are fewer, slower, and more likely to be structurally abnormal. The primary drivers are dietary and environmental.
Progesterone is essential for conception: Adequate progesterone is non-negotiable for implantation and early pregnancy. Ray Peat's research demonstrated that progesterone production depends on thyroid function, adequate cholesterol intake, and vitamin A — all commonly deficient in modern diets. Low progesterone is one of the most under-diagnosed causes of recurrent miscarriage and implantation failure.
Excess estrogen disrupts fertility: Estrogen dominance — driven by environmental xenoestrogens (plastics, pesticides, personal care products), oral contraceptives, and poor liver clearance — directly impairs fertility in both sexes. In women, excess estrogen disrupts ovulation, contributes to conditions like PCOS and endometriosis, and opposes the progesterone needed for implantation. In men, xenoestrogens suppress testosterone and impair sperm production.
Fat-soluble vitamins are non-negotiable: Vitamins A (retinol, not beta-carotene), D3, K2, and E are essential for hormone synthesis, egg quality, and foetal development. Traditional preconception diets were extremely rich in these nutrients. A 2023 meta-analysis found that vitamin D supplementation alone significantly improved sperm motility, progressive motility, and normal morphology in infertile men.
PUFA impairs reproductive health: Polyunsaturated fatty acids (seed oils) cause inflammation, suppress thyroid function and impair progesterone production. Removing PUFA and replacing with saturated fats is one of the highest-impact changes for fertility.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Fix the foundation. Then conceive naturally.
Our approach targets both partners — because fertility isn't a women's issue, it's a couples' issue. Sperm quality matters as much as egg quality, and the same nutritional and environmental factors affect both.
We focus on:
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Nutrient Density
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Hormonal Support
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Metabolic Foundation
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Environmental Clean-Up
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Rest & Recovery
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Stress Management
Two approaches. One goal.
Skip Straight to IVF
$10,000–$15,000 per cycle (less with insurance, rarely no-gap)
🟠 ~30% success rate per cycle (under 35)
🟠 Hormonal stimulation with significant side effects
🟠 Makes do with your current egg and sperm quality
🟠 Underlying infertility causes left unaddressed
🟠 Multiple cycles may be required
🟠 Emotional + physical toll compounds each attempt
Build Foundations First
$497 consultation | $4,997 full program (6 months, both partners included)
🟢 Conceive naturally, or enter IVF with better odds
🟢 Both partners' fertility optimised
🟢 Egg + sperm quality nurtured over 3-6 months
🟢. Root causes identified + addressed — not bypassed
🟢. Skills and knowledge for life
🟢 Consultation fee credited toward program
Initial Consultation
Price: $497 AUD per couple
Two sessions. One personalised protocol. A comprehensive assessment of both partners' nutritional and hormonal status — led by a qualified nutritionist with a background in health and exercise science.
Fee credited towards fertility program.
Includes:
90-minute consultation
Personalised fertility protocol (PDF)
30-minute follow up
For Couples Ready to Go All In
Fertility Nutrition & Lifestyle Reset — a 6-month program designed to optimise both partners' reproductive health from the ground up. Whether you conceive naturally or go on to IVF with a stronger foundation, this program gives your body the best possible conditions for conception.
Includes: initial consultation, personalised protocols for both partners, monthly follow-ups, ongoing WhatsApp/email support, environmental audit, and targeted supplementation guidance.
$4,997 AUD per couple ($2,499 per person over 6 months). Initial consultation fee credited toward the program.
We don't offer this program to everyone. The initial consultation determines whether your situation is one we can genuinely help with. If it's not the right fit, we'll tell you — and point you in the right direction. We only take on couples where we believe this approach can make a real difference.
A deeper look at the research behind our claims.
SPERM COUNT, MOTILITY & MORPHOLOGY
Sperm counts among Western men have declined by more than half in under 50 years, and the decline is accelerating globally. Beyond count, progressive motility and normal morphology have also significantly worsened — meaning sperm are fewer, slower, and more structurally abnormal. The primary drivers are dietary, environmental, and lifestyle-related.
Levine H et al. Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Human Reproduction Update. 2023;29(2):157–176.
ESTROGEN DOMINANCE & REPRODUCTIVE ISSUES
Xenoestrogens from plastics, pesticides, and personal care products mimic endogenous estrogen and disrupt reproductive hormone balance in both sexes. In women, excess estrogenic activity is associated with PCOS, endometriosis, disrupted ovulation, and implantation failure. In men, xenoestrogens suppress testosterone and impair spermatogenesis.
Pivonello C et al. Bisphenol A: an emerging threat to female fertility. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology. 2020;18:22.
ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES & NUTRIENT DEPLETION
Hormonal birth control is well-documented to deplete critical fertility nutrients including zinc, magnesium, folate, B6, vitamin C, and selenium — often over many years of use. Women coming off long-term oral contraceptives frequently have significant nutritional deficits that directly impair ovulation, implantation, and early pregnancy, yet this is rarely assessed before fertility treatment begins.
Palmery M et al. Oral contraceptives and changes in nutritional requirements. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2013;17(13):1804–1813.
PUFA & REPRODUCTIVE HORMONES
Polyunsaturated fatty acids suppress thyroid function and impair steroid hormone production, directly reducing both male and female fertility markers. Removing industrial seed oils and replacing with saturated fats is one of the highest-impact dietary changes for reproductive health.
Peat R. Unsaturated fatty acids: Nutritionally essential, or toxic? Ray Peat's Newsletter; 2014.
VITAMIN D & SPERM QUALITY
A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found that vitamin D supplementation significantly improved sperm motility, progressive motility, and normal morphology in infertile men — confirming the direct link between nutritional status and male reproductive function.
Melo et al. Vitamin D supplementation for improving sperm parameters in infertile men: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Andrologia. 2023.
PROGESTERONE & CONCEPTION
Progesterone production depends on adequate thyroid function, cholesterol, and vitamin A. Deficiency in any of these directly impairs conception and early pregnancy maintenance. Low progesterone is one of the most under-diagnosed contributors to recurrent miscarriage.
Peat R. Natural Estrogens. Ray Peat's Newsletter; 1997.
PRECONCEPTION NUTRITION
Traditional cultures studied across the globe provided specific nutrient-dense foods to couples before conception — including organ meats, fish eggs, and raw dairy — resulting in virtually zero infertility and robust offspring.
Price WA. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Price-Pottenger Foundation; 1939.
GENERATIONAL NUTRITION
Nutritional deficiencies compound across generations. Successive generations raised on nutrient-poor diets show increasing rates of structural, developmental, and reproductive problems — a pattern documented worldwide by Price and now being confirmed by modern epigenetic research.
Price WA. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Ch. 19. Price-Pottenger Foundation; 1939.
What our clients say.
Who You’ll Be Working With
I'm Ben — the person behind Eat Ancestral.
I hold a Bachelor's degree in Health Science (Nutrition and Exercise) and I've spent over a decade in this field — first as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, now as a nutrition and health strategist.
I study what actually makes humans healthy — including what traditional cultures understood about fertility that modern medicine has largely abandoned. My approach draws on the research of Weston A. Price, Ray Peat, and the emerging evidence connecting nutritional status to reproductive outcomes.
I don't prescribe or diagnose — I educate and strategise. My job is to help you and your partner understand what your bodies actually need to conceive, and give you a proven framework to provide it.
Ready to build the foundation?
Book a consultation today. No pressure to go further — just an honest assessment of what might be standing between you and conception, and a clear plan to address it.