Iman Hasan: The Surprising Link Between Menopause and Life Span! | TUH #167

Iman discovered this protocol through Dr. Amy Aad (the Egg Whisperer) and other longevity‑oriented fertility doctors. Rapamycin, typically used for immune suppression and studied for longevity, works by inhibiting mTOR, which slows cellular senescence and inflammation in the ovaries. A Columbia University study gave 2.5 mg weekly to a cohort of women, and results showed a 20% decrease in ovarian aging. In practice, Iman’s doctors used it in combination with other mitochondrial and detox strategies. She emphasizes that simply taking rapamycin without addressing systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and cell‑membrane health yields suboptimal results. For her, rapamycin was part of a layered sequence: she first did the PK protocol to clean her cellular terrain, then added rapamycin, then PRP/stem cells, which collectively restored her ovulation and normalized her AMH and FSH.

Research from Greece first demonstrated that injecting PRP or stem cells into ovaries could pull women out of menopause. Iman describes the procedure: under light sedation, a doctor passes a needle transvaginally with ultrasound guidance and injects both ovaries. Within 90 days, women often see improved hormone profiles, more follicles, and higher embryo quality if they later pursue IVF. She met with a doctor based in the US who operates a clinic in the Bahamas because umbilical cord stem cells are not permitted for ovarian use domestically. This doctor has taken menopausal women back to fertility, with the oldest patient conceiving naturally at 47 and delivering at 48. Iman herself did these injections; her AMH moved from menopausal range into normal range, her FSH dropped to 3.2, and she began ovulating naturally. She frames this as a regenerative alternative to repeatedly harvesting poor‑quality eggs through IVF, emphasizing that the goal is to improve egg quality at the source.

Body Bio developed the PK protocol based on the concept that cell membrane health is foundational. Iman explains that when the phospholipid bilayer is damaged, nutrients can’t enter and toxins can’t be removed, making other interventions ineffective. The protocol uses high‑dose phosphatidylcholine IVs, which directly integrate into cell membranes, while sodium butyrate supports the gut barrier. She saw dramatic objective improvements: pre‑ and post‑testing with Vibrant Labs showed near‑total clearance of toxin markers. Subjectively, she lost water weight, her face and body leaned out, her brain fog lifted, and her gut healed. She notes that even non‑verbal children with autism have regained speech after receiving PC transdermally or orally, which speaks to the protocol’s neurological impact. For fertility, lipid replacement therapy is important because conception and embryo development demand robust cellular communication and sufficient healthy lipids.

Iman’s fertility doctor impressed upon her that egg cells are extraordinarily mitochondrial‑rich, far beyond other tissues. Age‑related decline in mitochondrial efficiency directly harms embryo development. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) saturates tissues with oxygen, which triggers mitochondrial biogenesis. She was told to get in the chamber every other day for 90 minutes around the time of conception. She was skeptical but embraced it, and she credits the combination of HBOT, rapamycin, and membrane repair for her improved hormone numbers. She also connects this to Gary’s point that mitochondrial number is not static; it can be increased with the right stimuli.

Iman highlights that many apparently fit women have silent insulin resistance, which erodes egg viability. She points out that GLP‑1 agonists are inadvertently boosting fertility because they lower insulin, which proves the metabolic link. She recommends women start weight training because contracting muscles remove excess glucose/insulin from the bloodstream. Dietarily, she eliminates seed oils, processed foods, and added sugars, and includes healthy fats (omega‑3, avocado, red meat) and raw dairy. She also stresses the need to test a full thyroid panel and antibodies (to catch Hashimoto’s) and fasting insulin, not just glucose.

Drawing from Eastern cultures that prepare a year in advance, Iman argues that Americans rush into IVF without cleaning up their lifestyle first. She suggests swapping storage containers to glass, auditing beauty products, filtering water, and eating pasture‑raised red meat and raw dairy. She mentions that chemtrails, depleted soil, and pervasive plastics make detox non‑optional. She also ties in nervous system regulation: chronic fight‑or‑flight mode impairs waste elimination from cells, making the ovarian environment toxic. Regular sauna, lymphatic massage, and mindfulness are tools to shift into parasympathetic mode. Her husband also followed the protocol, and his sperm count improved dramatically.

Iman and her husband both take Wonderfeel’s NMN because it delivers 900 mg of NMN, the highest on the market, combined with vitamin D and antioxidants, so fewer pills are needed. She explains that NAD is too large to enter cells directly; its precursors NMN and NR are much better, a finding from the Buck Institute. She cautions that if the body is full of oxidative stress, NMN will break down before it works, so the foundation of detox and membrane repair must come first. For men, vitamin D is specifically highlighted for sperm health, and selenium for motility. She replaces folic acid with methylfolate because many women have MTHFR polymorphisms that prevent proper conversion.

Iman does a medically supervised pharmaceutical parasite cleanse using a combination of drugs tailored to her test results. She combines it with colonics and coffee enemas to help the body eliminate the dead organisms and toxins. She warns that eating sugar during the cleanse can worsen symptoms. She also advocates for sauna and lymphatic drainage to support natural detox pathways. She notes that many women with chronic infertility have underlying parasitic or fungal burdens that are never investigated.

The research she references was done in Colombia and is part of a growing trend to repurpose mTOR inhibitors for ovarian reserve preservation. Iman positions this as a foundational piece of a broader longevity-to-fertility pipeline: improve insulin sensitivity, detoxify the body, repair cell membranes, support mitochondrial health, and only then consider assisted reproduction. She stresses that rapamycin is not a standalone miracle but works best when everything else is cleaned up, because systemic inflammation otherwise cancels out gains.

Iman herself had low AMH and elevated FSH, and she was perimenopausal. After undergoing these injections, her AMH rose from menopausal range to normal, her FSH dropped to 3.2, and she began ovulating naturally. She decided against IVF and is now trying naturally. She frames this as part of a multi-modal protocol that includes mitochondrial support, membrane repair, and hormone optimization, arguing that merely retrieving poor-quality eggs through IVF is futile when the underlying ovarian machinery can be restored.

Importantly, she extends the protocol’s relevance beyond fertility. She mentions case studies where children with autism and ADHD, especially non‑verbal kids, regained speech after receiving lipid replacement therapy (even transdermal PC). She ties this to methylation defects and mitochondrial dysfunction, which the protocol addresses. For fertility specifically, she underscores that lipid replacement therapy pre‑conception is excellent for embryo brain development because growing a baby requires ample healthy lipids. She positions the PK protocol as the foundational detox step before any fertility-specific interventions – ‘if your cells can’t hold it in and stay healthy, then that’s it.’

Iman explains that her fertility doctor, who practices through a longevity lens, emphasized that each egg houses between 100,000 and 500,000 mitochondria, compared to only 5,000 in muscle cells. Because age reduces mitochondrial efficiency and ATP output, poor egg quality often reflects mitochondrial decline. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) works by saturating tissues with oxygen, which mitochondrial biogenesis pathways interpret as a signal to replicate. Her doctor instructed her to do 90‑minute sessions every other day during the conception window, whether she was trying naturally or through IVF. She connects this to Gary’s earlier point that mitochondrial density can indeed be increased through specific interventions, a fact that surprised her. Combining HBOT with rapamycin, lipid replacement, and hormonal optimization created a comprehensive mitochondrial rescue for her eggs. She reports that this integrated approach restored her ovulation and normalized her fertility markers.

Iman explains that ovarian follicles express insulin receptors; when a woman has chronically elevated insulin, the hormone binds to these receptors and triggers oxidative stress that degrades egg quality. She points out that this process also disrupts sex hormone-binding globulin, causing a cascade of hormonal imbalance. She connects this to the high success of GLP‑1 agonists (e.g., Ozempic) during fertility journeys – they work by lowering insulin, not just weight. She stresses that PCOS and endometriosis are fundamentally metabolic disorders rooted in insulin resistance, yet most fertility clinics never mention this. Her recommendation: every woman should get a full metabolic panel (fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c) and work with a functional medicine doctor to improve insulin sensitivity through weight training (which pulls excess insulin out of circulation), an anti-inflammatory whole‑food diet, and toxin removal. She herself had mild insulin resistance that improved dramatically after her detox and lifestyle changes, which she believes contributed to her turnaround.

Iman’s longevity‑minded fertility doctor put her on transdermal estradiol patches and cyclical bioidentical progesterone while trying to conceive, explaining that appropriate hormone support improves egg quality and uterine receptivity. She states bluntly that the WHI study showing increased risks was a lie, and that the OB‑GYN community today is reversing its position. A 2019 JAMA study she cites found that later natural menopause correlates with longer life expectancy – if we can slow ovarian decline, women live longer. Therefore, using bioidentical hormones to support ovarian function isn’t just about fertility; it’s a longevity play. She contrasts this with men, who should not take exogenous testosterone if trying to conceive, because it suppresses native sperm production. For women, however, bioidentical replacement is a tool to lengthen the fertile window and improve healthspan. She also notes that many functional providers have tighter lab ranges than general practitioners, so women need to partner with the right practitioner who understands optimal hormone levels, not just disease ranges.