Some people are lucky enough to not have any fertility problems – they try a few times and there comes the baby! But what happens when you try over and over again, and have no results? Is there anything you can do about it? Something you can change about your lifestyle that will improve your odds?
There are indeed some factors that affect fertility in women and, while some are beyond your control, many of them can be influenced. To find out what you can change in your behaviour and what it is that’s keeping you from getting pregnant, read on…
1. Avoid Junk Foods
Yes, of course, you love pizzas, burger, and other junk foods that you began to carve every now and then to boost up your mood. Junk food which equals to cholesterol, only cholesterol, nothing else than cholesterol! Cholesterol disrupts the body’s production of pregnancy and sex hormones, progesterone and testosterone, all of which are essential for you to get pregnant. It is the right time to quit junk food and consume healthy food which are in rich in vitamins and minerals.
2. You are always stressed
When you are stressed, the stress hormone alpha-amylase is released which reduces your pregnancy chances by 29 per cent, and the risk of infertility is high in such case. Now this is going to be hard time if you have planned for getting conceived anytime soon. You may face problems at various place, stress being a common factor that bothers lot of working women that directly affect their health. Practice yoga regularly, do meditation on a regular basis and have a track of it, you will really feel the difference and notice some internal changes in you, including feeling relieved and calm. You are the woman who wish to escape for peace, go pack your bag, make a trip and stay away for few days. Dr. Arredondo says, “Perceived stress can certainly alter hormone levels and ovulation. Stress itself is not bad, but when it is in excess—and when we react to it in a negative way—it can have all kinds of impact on our health and our bodies.” So, don’t be stressed all the time!
3. Age
Like we said, there are some things you can’t change. This is one of them, so maybe thinking ahead is a good way to go. When you reach menopause, in your 40s or 50s, your ovaries stop working and you can’t get pregnant anymore, but it usually gets more difficult earlier than that. There is no official age limit, but most experience some fertility issues after 35. Still, this is different for every woman, so some may experience problems much sooner while others can conceive and give birth to a normal, healthy baby in their 40s. If you are over 35 and having problems, it is recommended to see a specialist and check whether the problem is your age or something else.
4. Weight
Being overweight can influence your ability to conceive, as well as being too thin. Extra pounds can affect hormone production, which can lead to infertility. When body fat levels are over 10-15% above normal, the body can become overloaded with estrogen, decrease ovarian functions and throw off the reproductive cycle.
But being underweight is no better. When you have less fat than your body needs (10-15% below normal) you also lack the hormone controlling hunger and setting the pace of your metabolism, called leptin. This can lead to absence of menstrual periods. So, try staying within the normal BMI and avoid complications.
5. Smoking
This goes without saying, but let’s say it anyway.
Smoking is dangerous for your health in so many ways, and one of them is this. First of all, it can drastically lower your chances of getting pregnant – it is the cause of up to 13% of all infertility cases, according to studies by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Smoking disrupts hormones and damages DNA in both men and women, so if your partner is a smoker, make him quit as well. Also, if you do get pregnant and continue smoking, it can damage the developing fetus. Moreover, research has shown that even women who are exposed to secondhand smoking experience serious fertility issues. So, smokers, if you have decided to start a family, it is time to let this bad habit go.
6. Alcohol
Another one that is pretty obvious.
There is no reason you can’t have a few glasses of wine a week, but doctors strongly advise against heavy drinking (which is more than one drink a day) while trying to conceive. A Swedish study in 2004 tracked 7,000 women for 18 years and found that those who drank the most also had the biggest fertility issues.Alcohol can also be very dangerous in the early stages of pregnancy – it can cause premature births and other problems.
So, if you suspect you might be carrying a baby, our advice is to stop drinking (heavily) immediately. There is no proof that alcohol harms the baby in the later months of pregnancy, but there is also no proof that it doesn’t… so why risk it?
7.Caffeine
Some studies suggest that coffee can interfere with your chances of conceiving.
Apparently, caffeine interferes with the muscle contractions that help eggs travel from the ovaries and through the fallopian tubes to the womb, and it could cut your chances by half. On the other hand, there are other studies saying that drinking coffee has no role whatsoever in getting pregnant. But, if you are having trouble conceiving, think about cutting your caffeine intake to 1 or 2 cups a day – you never know what could be the one thing to change the odds in your favor.
8. Sexual health history
In the modern world, safe sex is a must. If you don’t use protection, not only can you endanger your own health, but you can diminish your chances of having a baby one day. Sexually transmitted infections like Chlamydia and Gonorrhea can cause fertility problems for years after you contracted them. It is important to say, though, that vaginal infections (such as yeast infection) have no effect on fertility.
But knowing all the dangerous of unprotected sexual relations, this is not something you should play with, so once again, use protection.
9. You check your phone before going to sleep
Before you hit the bed, you randomly go through the text messages you received, or the notifications you have received on Facebook, and reply to them. You have only that time to engage with your friends, and no ignorance. But the light from the tablet or mobile phone radiates straight into your eyes that affects the sleep cycle, termed as “circadian rhythms”, and also the quality of the sleep. This one is more important but highly ignored factor that affects fertility of the eggs in women. The nighttime radiating light exposure not only affects the chances of conceiving but also affects directly the development of the fetus if you are already pregnant. The production of sleep hormone will be diminished by the light exposure and disrupts the development of the fetus.
10. Check The Quality Of Your Cervical Mucus
Cervical mucus is secreted from the cervix which is thick, white-colored discharge that protects the sperm to travel to the fallopian tube for the fertilization process. Any changes or abnormalities in the cervical mucus is the major factor that affects the fertility in many women. This is caused by regular smoking habit, the quality of the mucus is drastically reduced and the sperms find it difficult to travel through the fallopian tube, when the eggs get dis-integrated without getting fertilized later. Be health conscious and hygienic!
Cervical mucus is secreted from the cervix which is thick, white-colored discharge that protects the sperm to travel to the fallopian tube for the fertilization process. Any changes or abnormalities in the cervical mucus is the major factor that affects the fertility in many women. This is caused by regular smoking habit, the quality of the mucus is drastically reduced and the sperms find it difficult to travel through the fallopian tube, when the eggs get dis-integrated without getting fertilized later. Be health conscious and hygienic!
