Fertility Is a Health Marker: The Bigger Picture of Hormones and Women’s Health with Dr. Crawford

About this sermon

This week, Jen and Amy sit down with double board-certified OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist Dr. Natalie Crawford, author of The Fertility Formula, to talk about hormones, stress, inflammation, and the powerful signals our bodies are constantly sending. While her work centers on fertility, this conversation zooms out to something bigger: hormone health as a reflection of overall well-being—especially in midlife, when the body stops whispering and starts speaking clearly. This episode isn’t just for women trying to get pregnant. It’s for anyone navigating perimenopause, menopause, or simply wondering what their body is doing—and why. Because fertility is more than reproduction; it’s a health marker. The same patterns that shape our fertility years also shape how we experience midlife. Together, they explore how to read your body’s signals, why quick fixes fall short, and how deeper awareness leads to better support across every stage of life. In This Episode, We Discuss: ● Why your menstrual cycle (even in its changes) is one of your most important health indicators ● How fertility serves as a broader marker of overall health ● The connection between inflammation, stress, and hormone balance ● What’s actually happening in perimenopause and menopause ● How cycle awareness supports both fertility and midlife transitions ● Dr. Crawford’s personal experience with pregnancy loss—and how it shaped her work ● The impact of societal and political shifts on women’s reproductive choices ● Why quick-fix solutions often miss the bigger picture of women’s health Thought-Provoking Quotes: ● “We’re living in a different era now, luckily, where women are demanding more knowledge about their bodies.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford ● “I think that my own experience reframed how I educate my patients and the public in taking charge and learning how to listen to your body and believe it.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford ● “Anybody who's trying to sell you a quick fix, especially if it comes in a bottle, is most likely not in your best interest.” – Dr. Natalie Crawford Tags: women’s health, hormones, fertility, perimenopause, menopause, midlife, hormone health, reproductive health, cycle tracking, inflammation, stress, metabolic health, OB-GYN, fertility awareness, women’s bodies, health education, wellness, midlife women, body literacy, Jen Hatmaker podcast Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ➢ The Fertility Formula: Take Control of Your Reproductive Future by Dr. Natalie Crawford – https://amzn.to/47HZ1NR ➢ The New Perimenopause: What’s Actually Happening to Your Body with Dr. Mary Claire Haver - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-64/the-new-perimenopause-whats-actually-happening-to-your-body-with-dr-mary-claire-haver/ ➢ Fora Fertility Clinic– https://www.forafertility.com/ Guest’s Links: Website - https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nataliecrawfordmd/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/nataliecrawfordmd/ Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/NatalieCrawfordMD/videos TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nataliecrawfordmd Substack - https://substack.com/@nataliecrawfordmd Podcast - https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/podcast Connect with Jen! Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.