Dr. Aimee Eyvazzadeh, also known as “The Egg Whisperer,” is an internationally recognized physician specializing in reproductive endocrinology and fertility. With her innovative, science-backed, and fun-loving approach, people of all ages have benefited from Dr. Aimee’s education and individualized approach to fertility care.
Following in the footsteps of her family’s history of practicing as midwives and OB-GYNs, Dr. Aimee combines compassionate care with cutting-edge fertility research and technology. Her interest in fertility research led her to explore the benefits of nicotinamide riboside (NR) for reproductive health, which she began recommending to patients and using herself prior to her partnership with Tru Niagen.
In this insightful Q&A, discover how Dr. Aimee got her start in fertility care, how Tru Niagen can support reproductive health and your family planning journey, why the term “advanced maternal age” has got to go, and her top recommendations for supporting healthy aging and fertility.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
What inspired you to become a fertility doctor?
My path to becoming a fertility doctor is a long one, and it started way before me. My grandfather, my father, even my grandmother. OB/GYN. Midwife. OB/GYN. The office I practice in right now is literally the same office that my father practiced in for over 40 years. I now take care of patients that my father delivered. Isn't that wild? My grandfather and my father lived their lives to help others, and I’m fortunate to do the same.
And I think that now more than ever, people who want to start or build a family need a healthcare provider who can advocate for them, care for them, and support them. I knew that I wanted to be an OB/GYN since I was three, and then when I turned 12, I knew I wanted to be a fertility doctor. The reason why I wanted to become a fertility doctor was very personal because of the miscarriages my mother had. Hearing her howling in the middle of the night, I said to myself, “I want to fix that.” I asked my dad if there was a specialty out there and he said, “There’s a subspecialty under OB/GYN called reproductive endocrinology and infertility.”
So that's what I went into. I poured my heart and soul into research on recurrent pregnancy loss and infertility, from high school to my medical school residency. And that's how I got here today. I opened my practice in 2008 and to this day, I am always in search of ways—new ways—to help women have the best chance at pregnancy. It's literally in my genes. In my blood.
Why is NAD+ important for pregnancy?
Pregnancy is one of the most stressful times, not only mentally for a woman and family as they're going through pregnancy, but also physically. I tell my patients: Think of pregnancy like a marathon. When you're preparing for a marathon, what do you do? You get personal trainers, you talk to a nutritionist, and you train for it. Pregnancy needs to be thought of in the same way.
One study published in Science Advances actually likened pregnancy to running a 40-week marathon. This study suggested that the energy expenditure that a woman goes through during pregnancy and lactation is over 2 times that of a non-pregnant woman. So as my patients are thinking about getting pregnant, it’s important they also train and prepare for it during, and post-pregnancy.
I have this ten-minute mile rule I tell my patients: "If you cannot get up right now and run that ten-minute mile, you're not ready for pregnancy. I want your blood sugar to be normal. I want your blood pressure to be normal. I want your cholesterol to be normal.”
In addition to physically and mentally preparing for their family planning journey, I provide my patients with supplement protocols. While these protocols are tailored to each individual, one supplement I recommend all my patients take is nicotinamide riboside, or NR [Tru Niagen features patented NR]. This is because pregnancy is one of the most energetically demanding experiences that the human body can go through. As such, you need to be prepared for it pre-, during and post-.
When did you first learn about the link between NAD+ and fertility?
Tru Niagen was introduced to me by a brilliant patient and PhD scientist who was 40 years old. She had already done several IVF cycles when she came to me again and said, “Aimee, I'm ready for another one.” And I said, “Okay, let's do this.”
When you're over 40, it's hard to get pregnant. So, we didn't really have high expectations going in this next round of IV. But this cycle knocked my socks off. It was mind blowing. If I wasn't the doctor that had done this cycle for her, I would have thought that she was lying, that she had used an egg donor. That's how incredible her cycle was.
I asked her what she did differently because whatever it is, I wanted to put it in a bottle and share it with everyone. She told me she had searched on PubMed for anything that would improve egg quality, especially the mitochondria. She came across a preclinical study looking at mice with repressed NAD+ levels. As part of the treatment protocol, the researchers gave the mice nicotinamide riboside to restore their NAD+ levels and incredibly, they had improved fertility. So, she said, “I decided to take it.”
She did her research on the best company that makes NR and found Tru Niagen. And the rest is history! Ever since then, I have recommended Tru Niagen to all my patients. I take it myself. My husband takes it. I even suggest it to my egg freezing patients.
Can you speak on the term “advanced maternal age” and what you’d change it to?
Women who are 35 and older are so sick of being told that they're old when it is time to get pregnant. In medicine we have this label. It's “advanced maternal age,” and it’s awful. It's so cruel to be called old when you want to have a baby.
I tell my patients, “You're not old. It's your mitochondria.” We should really be calling it “advanced mitochondrial age.” Mitochondrial age and advanced mitochondrial age affect the uterus. It affects our egg quality. It affects sperm too.
Mitochondrial health is important for every single cell in our body, and I think it’s important to reframe “advanced maternal age.” You heard it here first. It should be called “advanced mitochondrial age” so that women aren't shamed into feeling like they’re old because they’re not. At 35, 37, 40, 45, you're not “old.”
That's why I introduce Tru Niagen to all my patients, and I explain why. NAD+ is extremely important to myself and my practice, and I think to every single person who wants to have a baby, especially women over the age of 35.
Why is it more difficult for women to get pregnant as they grow older?
The reason why it's harder to get pregnant as we get older is because by the time we’re 30, our NAD+ levels start to decline. We know that to be true, which I know is really young. As those NAD+ levels decline, the chance that your eggs could be chromosomally abnormal starts going up. This is why women in their early 30s to early 40s have difficulties getting pregnant.
If a woman is trying to get pregnant is over 35 and having difficulties getting pregnant, it’s more often than not, advanced mitochondria age. That’s why it’s important for women to take Tru Niagen for cellular support, especially over the age of 30, because of what happens to NAD+ levels in the body as we age.
What are your top recommendations for supporting egg and sperm quality?
When it comes to my recommendations for egg and sperm quality-enhancing supplements, all my recommendations are individualized. However, everyone gets my talk on healthy living and diet, moving your body, getting at least 8000 steps a day, sweating every day. My new saying is this: Do something that makes you vibrate every day.
I know I have to get people's attention somehow. Vibration. What I mean is to do something that makes you sweat, something that makes your soul vibrate, and brings you joy. Because joy is part of healthy living as well.
So that's something new that I've been telling my patients, because so many people, they're missing out on the joy in life. But aside from joy and vibrating, I recommend my female patients take supplements like CoQ10, a prenatal, vitamin D, and fish oil. I recommend that my male patients take Conception XR, Tru Niagen and coQ10.
What is your protocol for aging well?
My personal tips for aging well are my superpower. Not drinking alcohol. It's a hard thing to do because you might lose friends, literally, but I think it's one of the single best things that you can do for your body and for your mind.
I don't shame people who like a drink here and there, and I am guilty in the past of being a tequila snob, but no longer. Now that I've reached a certain age, all of a sudden, my coffin—actually, my urn—flashes before me.
I think about how long I want to live, and I think about the impact that I want to continue to have as long as possible. So not drinking alcohol, exercising, strength training, stretching, hydrating well, sleeping well are all a must for me. I actually have a whole sleep regimen.
I personally have been taking Tru Niagen for at least six years now. I usually take between 500mg to 1000mg a day. I take 1000mg on the days that I remember to take two of my 500mg pills, and sometimes I feel like 500mg is just fine for me.
It’s become a staple for both me and my husband because we feel really good when we take it. My husband and I have a great time joking about the “blue bottle” when he's running out.
What other populations can benefit from NR supplementation?
Along with a healthy lifestyle, I recommend Tru Niagen to all my patients in their 20s and 30s, both men and women. And the reason is because it can support healthy aging. It's as simple as that. I’ve recommended Tru Niagen’s patented nicotinamide riboside along with a healthy lifestyle to all my patients for at least the last six years. It is the best NAD+ supplement out there – it's clinically proven, well-studied, and it's what my patients tolerate the best.