Fertility and the Gut Microbiome

with Head of research & quality Frederikke Lindenberg

Listen to the episodeFertility and The Gut

Frederikke Lindenberg

Frederikke Lindenberg is Head of Research and Quality at Copenhagen Fertility Center (CFC), where she has worked for around 20 years.

Frederikke is originally trained as a veterinarian, but has always focused on the microbiome and immunology and how they are connected.

CFC has existed for over 20 years and the people behind it have helped over 15,000 children come into the world, including the first Danish IVF child.

About the episode

Fertility challenges are usually pinned on hormones, egg quality, and sperm count. But there's a piece of the picture that rarely gets mentioned: the gut microbiome. Frederikke Lindenberg breaks down what the research actually shows about the connection, and why it matters more than most people think.

She also explains why PCOS is one of the clearest examples of this link, what happens to the microbiome during pregnancy, and how the mode of birth and breastfeeding shape a child's gut health from day one.

04:55 - How does fertility treatment works & general fertility issues
11:00 - Connection between PCOS and the microbiome
14:20 - How the gut affects both the vaginal microbiome and sperm
20:40 - The microbiome during pregnancy and how it affects the baby