"The most empowered patients I meet are not the ones with perfect answers. They're the ones who chose to ask the right questions early."
That's Dr. Deidre Downs, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist who joined REACH Fertility in December 2024. Her advice for anyone with quiet questions about fertility — whether you're trying now or thinking ahead — is shorter than expected: get a baseline. Get it earlier than you think.
Three pieces of context that drive her thinking:
Age matters more than people realize. Fertility is closely connected to time. Every individual journey is different, but for both eggs and sperm, age remains the single biggest factor affecting reproductive potential. Knowing where you are at 28 is a different conversation than learning at 38.
Your body usually tells you something is off, if you listen. Painful periods. Persistent inflammation. Symptoms you've spent years pushing through. Dr. Downs's framing: "These are not things you have to 'just live with.' Your body is designed to communicate with you, and when something feels off, it's worth paying attention."
Fertility is whole-body, not single-system. Sleep. Nutrition. Stress. Both partners. Lifestyle isn't a side variable; it's part of the picture. Small intentional changes can make a meaningful difference.
What a fertility work-up actually is. Misconception worth clearing up: getting tested doesn't commit you to treatment. A fertility work-up is information — not a treatment plan, not a sales funnel. "It gives you a clearer picture of where you are today, so you can make informed, confident decisions about what comes next, if anything at all."
A simple first step. REACH is offering a comprehensive fertility health assessment for new patients at $50, with scheduling available at the Ballantyne location. The price point is intentional — Dr. Downs and her team want the work-up to be the easy entry, not a financial decision people delay for years.
Dr. Deidre Downs is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, fellowship-trained at the University of Alabama. She joined REACH Fertility in December 2024.
This piece is adapted from the May 2026 issue of Stroll Ballantyne Country Club, where Dr. Downs writes the Path to Parenthood column.