A good number of reasons can be attributed to a couples’ infertility, but all are not medically linked. Certain lifestyle choices can also lead to infertility just as much, if not more, than medical maladies.
It is important for would-be parents to follow a healthy lifestyle while trying to conceive. Being pregnant and getting a healthy child depends largely on the lifestyle choices that both men and women make.
Most of these lifestyle problems can be put to rest through a willingness to improve. Couples should be well-informed about the lifestyle issues listed below that may erode the fertility.
In the unlikely event, if these issues go beyond the point of being mended, couples are recommended to discuss further options with their healthcare provider or with a fertility specialist.
Let us first go into lifestyle issues that make women infertile
WOMEN’S LIFESTYLE ISSUES
MAINTAIN IDEAL WEIGHT
When it comes to female infertility, hormone production is greatly impacted by body weight. Normal ovulation is impaired by being significantly under or over weight. Obese women find it hard to conceive and can take a longer time period to achieve pregnancy than an ideal-weight woman. It is important for women to keep ideal weight, measured by a body mass index calculator.
EAT HEALTHY
Healthy nutrients keep the body’s optimum performance and pregnancy is no exception. It is important to eat natural and nutrition-filled foods like fruits and vegetables as opposed to foods that have high quantities of fat and artificial flavors. Disease conditions due to intake of food, including celiac disease can also affect a woman’s ability to conceive.
PREVENT SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND INFECTIONS (STDs AND STIs)
Sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and gonorrhea can make women infertile. Practicing safe sex is the best way to keep STDs and STIs at bay.
SMOKING IS INJURIOUS NOT ONLY TO YOUR HEALTH, BUT YOUR BABY’S AS WELL
In addition to a host of health concerns, smoking ages a woman’s ovaries and eggs are depleted prematurely. If a woman is devoid of healthy eggs, getting pregnant is extremely difficult.
LIMIT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
Excessive drinking leads to ovulation disorders. Women who want to conceive are encouraged to be teetotalers.
CURB CAFFEINE
Though caffeine and infertility are not connected directly, a good number of fertility specialists recommend curbing daily caffeine intake. Caffeine intake less than 200 to 300 mg is considered to be within limits.
IT IS NOT THE TIME TO OVEREXERT YOURSELF
While working out and staying fit are important, say goodbye to vigorous physical activity. Physical activity should be done with due care. Excessive physical activity can impair ovulation and reduce production of progesterone, a hormone essential in becoming pregnant. Health specialists recommend that prospective mothers should not exercise more than five hours weekly.
AVOID EXPOSURE TO TOXINS
There are chances of damaging the woman’s eggs if exposed to toxins via a hormonal change. Certain jobs are involved in over exposure of toxins. For example dental assistants are at risk of being exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide, industrial workers can get in contact with drugs and chemicals during the process of manufacturing. Farmers and hairstylists are other set of workers who may have reduced rate of fertility owing to toxic exposure.
MEN’S LIFESTYLE ISSUES
Becoming pregnant is not entirely dependent on women. Men can also contribute to have a healthy baby in more ways than one.
MAINTAIN HEALTHY DIET
It is only a common knowledge that cells in a man’s body could not carry out their normal function if the body lacks nutrients, so men have to ensure that their body has adequate nutrients to function properly which in turn enhances producing healthy sperm.
AVOID ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
Apart from the health deterioration that alcohol and drug abuse normally cause, these bad habits adversely affect the production of healthy sperm. Steroids particularly cause testicles to reduce its strength and vigor lead to decreased sperm production
CHECK YOUR WAISTLINE
Do you know a man’s excess weight can affect his sperm production? Obesity can also lead to low sexual drive. It is important for men to keep ideal weight in relation to his height.
KICK OUT CIGARETTES
It has been proven through clinical trials that tobacco leads to reduced sperm production, in addition to causing a number of other maladies.
IT IS TIME TO BURST STRESS
Prolonged stress adversely affects hormones which in turn result in decreased sperm production. Sometimes infertility itself can lead to stress, so it is important for men to remain cool and composed, especially during the time when they are trying to conceive. Yoga, meditation and exercise are proven stress-busters.
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
Exposure to certain chemicals may lead to increased production of female hormones in men which can lead to reduced production of sperm. Getting exposed to certain pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and other chemicals may impair the ability of the sperm to bind to an egg during fertilization.
ACTIVITIES THAT CAUSE INCREASED SCROTAL PRESSURE
Sperm can mature in a body only if they are a few degrees below normal body temperature, that is why the testicles are stored in the scrotum, an area away from the main body. Immersing yourself in hot tub for a long time, wearing tight under wear, using a laptop directly on the lap and other activities can ratchet up scrotal temperature, leading to reduced sperm production.
