Top Fertility Doctor Dr. Robert Kiltz On Daily Habits That Heal Hormones & Boost Pregnancy

In this podcast episode, Dr. Robert Kiltz shares his unconventional journey from a challenging childhood in Los Angeles to becoming a leading fertility specialist who has helped over 40,000 women conceive. The conversation covers a wide range of topics including the role of mindset in healing and fertility, the impact of diet—specifically the carnivore lifestyle—on health and reproduction, the limitations of modern medicine, and holistic approaches to wellness encompassing fasting, movement, and spiritual practices. Dr. Kiltz also provides deep insights into brain health, inflammation, and the socio-environmental factors shaping modern health challenges.

Early Life and Background

Dr. Kiltz opens up about growing up in a difficult environment with a father in jail and involvement with gangs in Los Angeles. Despite suffering from dyslexia, anxiety, depression, and gastrointestinal issues as a child, along with witnessing his sister's early-onset diabetes, he developed a strong work ethic, encouraged by family hardships and early jobs. His academic journey was unconventional yet marked by perseverance, especially overcoming reading difficulties and leveraging his strengths in math and science. A broken leg in his late teens introduced him to a "hippie" doctor, sparking his initial interest in medicine and healing beyond conventional boundaries.

Critique of Modern Medicine and Medical Training

Dr. Kiltz critically addresses how contemporary medical education primarily trains doctors to diagnose disease and manage symptoms with drugs or surgery rather than focusing on underlying causes or prevention. He traces this paradigm back 100 years to the Flexner Report, which centralized and restricted medical teachings, excluding holistic or nutritional approaches. In his own medical and fertility practice, he saw firsthand that conventional treatments often failed to answer why patients struggled to conceive or remain healthy, prompting him to explore integrative therapies and lifestyle changes.

Mindset, Spirituality, and Healing

A central theme throughout the discussion is the transformative power of mindset. Dr. Kiltz emphasizes the importance of cultivating positive thought patterns, faith, and spiritual connection to foster healing and overcome mental and physical challenges. Drawing on ancient philosophies and figures like Jesus Christ as a philosopher, he explains how mindset affects brain chemistry by modulating inflammation and stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine. Daily practices of gratitude, affirmations ("I am a mom," "I am a parent"), meditation, and prayer are tools he uses personally and recommends for patients to activate the body's self-healing capacities and improve fertility outcomes.

The Carnivore Diet and Role of Fat in Health

One of the more radical and detailed discussions focuses on Dr. Kiltz's adoption of a carnivore diet and his conviction that dietary fat is essential for health and hormone balance. Contrary to mainstream low-fat dietary recommendations, he argues that fat is anti-inflammatory, vital for brain health, and necessary for reproductive function. He connects many modern ailments—including depression, infertility, and autoimmune conditions—to damage caused by plant-based diets rich in sugars, fiber, and anti-nutrients. Dr. Kiltz underscores that animals, including humans historically, thrived on animal fats and proteins, often fasting for extended periods and not eating multiple carbohydrate-heavy meals daily.

Fertility Insights: Diet, Mindset, and Environment

Through his fertility practice, Dr. Kiltz noticed paradoxes such as unexpected pregnancies and failures that did not align with standard biomedical assessments. He highlights how mindset, diet, gut health, and inflammation all play roles in fertility beyond sperm and egg quality. The gut microbiome's influence is paramount, where plant-based fibers can feed microbes producing toxins that stimulate inflammation and impair reproductive organs. He advocates for dietary shifts toward more fat, reduced plant antigens, and longer fasting windows to allow autophagy and gut healing, thereby enhancing fertility in both men and women.

The Role of Mindfulness and Stress Reduction

Building on the mind-body connection, Dr. Kiltz integrates mindfulness, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, and prayer into his treatment of patients struggling with infertility. Stress and chronic worry activate the reptilian brain and the fight-or-flight response, causing hormone imbalances and immune dysfunction. By calming the mind and fostering positive emotions such as love and gratitude, patients can reduce inflammation and improve hormonal environment critical for conception. He encourages the practice of daily intention setting and reframing negative thoughts as a form of "prayer" or energy directed toward healing.

Perspectives on Birth Control and Reproductive Timing

Dr. Kiltz challenges the widespread normalization of hormonal birth control, pointing out its adverse effects on natural hormone regulation and health. He views the postponement of childbearing into later adulthood as unnatural and contributing to fertility decline, arguing fertility is at its peak in teens and early twenties. He also highlights cultural shifts in sexual behavior and stresses that reproductive timing and family-building are being undermined by societal norms, with consequences for fertility rates and overall well-being.

Fasting as a Therapeutic Tool

Fasting features prominently as a natural and historically consistent practice beneficial for gut health, hormonal regulation, and reducing systemic inflammation. Dr. Kiltz explains that constant feeding keeps insulin elevated and microbes in the gut overly active, resulting in increased toxin production and inflammation. His personal routine includes periodic five-day fasts, quarterly three-day fasts, and sometimes one meal per day, all designed to "empty" the gut and trigger autophagy, the body's self-cleaning mechanism, to support healing and improve metabolic health.

Views on Exercise and Physical Movement

Contrary to popular advice advocating structured exercise regimens, Dr. Kiltz distinguishes between being physically active and exercising. He suggests humans are meant for natural movement related to survival behaviors rather than repetitive workouts. His own routine involves light walking, standing desks at work, and avoiding high-impact or joint-straining exercises that can lead to injuries and long-term disability. Motion throughout the day and engaging in work or meaningful activities is emphasized as a sustainable, practical approach to maintaining health and functionality.

Addressing Brain Health and Inflammation

Highlighting why mental health challenges like depression and anxiety are on the rise, Dr. Kiltz links brain inflammation and damage to modern diets low in fat and high in processed plant foods, sugars, and harmful substances. He connects gut health directly to brain function through microbial metabolites, asserting that a damaged gut biome can influence mood disorders and cognitive decline. This underscores the necessity of addressing diet and inflammation to restore neurologic health as part of fertility and overall wellness.

Use of IVF and Integrative Fertility Care

Although Dr. Kiltz runs one of the largest and most affordable IVF centers in America, he views IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies as one option among many. He promotes a holistic, patient-centered approach balancing modern reproductive medicine with lifestyle, mindset shifts, and nutrition interventions. For many couples, especially those with significant damage or advanced age, IVF may be necessary. Still, improvements in diet and mental health can enhance success rates and patients' well-being throughout the process.

Insights on Male Fertility and Sperm Health

The conversation also addresses male fertility, noting equally rising fertility issues attributed largely to poor diet, inflammation, and lifestyle factors. Dr. Kiltz humorously and sincerely advocates for men to embrace fat consumption and mindset work similar to women to improve sperm quality and sexual health. He shares that reproductive challenges are never "one partner's fault" and calls for shared responsibility and approach to healing within couples.

Cholesterol, Salt, and Traditional Dietary Wisdom

Challenging current nutritional dogmas, Dr. Kiltz supports dietary cholesterol, salt, and animal fats as important for longevity and brain health, citing personal family examples and historical dietary patterns. He disputes the demonization of these nutrients, connecting them instead to hormonal balance and disease prevention. Fruits and sugars, while necessary in moderation, are more problematic when excessive, promoting fat storage and metabolic dysfunction.

Harmful Effects of Plant-Based Toxins and Environmental Factors

Dr. Kiltz discusses plant "antinutrients" such as goitrogens that can impair thyroid function and other systemic effects contributing to illness. He also comments on the ubiquity of environmental chemicals, synthetic fragrances, processed foods, and addictive substances like alcohol and coffee as stressors on human health. These external factors, combined with dietary choices, create a "comfort crisis" undermining resilience and contributing to chronic disease.

Approach to Patient Care and Medical Philosophy

Throughout, Dr. Kiltz stresses his role is not to dictate but to inform patients about all available options—standard medical interventions, dietary changes, mindset practices, and integrative therapies—empowering them to make individualized choices. He shares free online educational resources, embraces open scientific inquiry, and highlights the importance of hope, faith, and persistence, especially for those struggling with infertility or chronic illness. The integration of spirituality, faith in self-healing, and practical lifestyle adjustments comprise his unique approach.

Daily Habits for Healing and Growth

Dr. Kiltz outlines his personal daily routine, which includes early waking, gratitude practice, affirmations, physical movement including push-ups, and multiple short naps for restoration. These rituals maintain his physical health, mental clarity, and emotional balance. He views life's hardships as opportunities for growth and healing and encourages embracing discomfort as a necessary aspect of resilience and transformation.