The Hormone Puzzle Podcast - Learn How to Solve Your Infertility Puzzle to Get and Stay Pregnant · Dr. Kela Smith - Fertility and Hormone Doctor

Hormones, Fertility and Your Mouth with Dr. Sharon Dickerson

·47 min·10 clips

Dr. Kayla Smith frames season six as a focused stretch on fertility and hormone health. She speaks directly to listeners who are just starting their journey or have been struggling for years, and she says the goal is to help them piece their hormone puzzle back together. The episode welcomes Dr. Sharon Dickerson, a trauma-informed biological dentist. The conversation centers on how oral function can matter in a broader fertility and hormone-health story. Dr. Dickerson explains that the temporomandibular joint sits in front of the ears and is a complex joint with three-dimensional movement. She describes how the jaw depends on balanced contact across the teeth and both sides of the joint. When the bite or occlusion is off, muscles may compensate, creating chronic muscle stress. Grinding and clenching can follow, and airway issues or trouble sleeping can add to the strain. The episode names tooth wear, jaw pain, headaches, ringing in the ears, and vertigo as symptoms that can be related to TMJ disorder. From there, the discussion moves into why this matters for fertility-age women. Chronic jaw pain is presented as a stressor, not a small annoyance. The conversation ties that stress to chronic inflammation, disrupted sleep, adrenal function, and pain itself. It also notes that a lot of treatments are out there, though many are palliative. The listener is encouraged to look for hidden sources of strain rather than isolated symptoms. The result is a fertility conversation that reaches into the mouth, the jaw, and the nervous system without losing its supportive feel.

As heard by us

A focused look at how jaw stress and sleep disruption can ripple into fertility health.

Season six opens with a practical look at the jaw and its place in the fertility conversation. Dr. Sharon Dickerson, a trauma informed biological dentist, walks through TMJ, occlusion, muscle imbalance, grinding, and clenching, then ties those mechanics to familiar symptoms like…

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Want a fertility conversation that starts at your jaw, not your ovaries?

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