Lifestyle Choices That Affect Women’s Fertility

As many women already know of conditions that affect their fertility today we are looking at habits and lifestyle behaviours that have the same effect on conception, or should I say that hinders the growth and the perpetual nature of human race. After all it is the basis of our existence.

If you have been trying so long to have a baby but your efforts are futile, if you are planning to have a baby in the near future or now, it is mandatory that you know about what affects or is likely to affect your fertility in order to make informed decisions. However, a visit to the doctor is highly recommended for full details. Mark you though, it is not only women that are affected by infertility. Men are also responsible for 40% of infertility cases worldwide. Now, to our culprits:

Body Weight, 

Being over-weight and under-weight negatively affect a woman’s conception ability, research shows. Obese women have their normal hormone production disrupted. This tends to affect their ovulation. As if that is not enough, these kinds of women have high chance of developing polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at their tender age. This can cause infertility. Similarly, women with very low BMIs can also have trouble conceiving, as being underweight can interfere with menstruation and ovulation.

Smoking

Parents who smoke will have kids who smoke, so I’ve heard. Well, how about ‘parents that smoke will hardly conceive?’ Yes that’s true. A study conducted showed that women who smoke, 60% to be precise, are more likely have problems with fertility than those who don’t smoke. Apparently, these women also take about 40% more to conceive than their counterparts. Unfortunately, their response to fertility treatments is lower. Smoking has adverse effects. Were it not, it wouldn’t be ill advised to pregnant women. It may lead to miscarriages, still birth, low birth weight and infant deaths.

Artificial Light

Now this one is a shocker. You didn’t see it coming huh? One cannot have a peaceful sleep in an artificially lighted place. Nevertheless, this light causes infertility. It has to do with the secretion of melatonin, which makes us sleep during the dark. In presence of artificial light, the pineal gland secreting melatonin gets confused and stops the process, as a result, we wake up. This is so because the gland stops producing melatonin in presence of light. With that explanation, restless sleep and even insomnia abounds if cell phones, TVs, tablets and many more sources keeps interrupting us.

Wondering how fertility comes in play? Here is why. Melatonin not only makes us sleep. It turns out that it also has a sturdy antioxidant traits that safely keeps the female egg from getting damaged. In short, the woman’s eggs are left less protected if melatonin secretion stops. This is according to an interview with Live Science,  where Russel J. Reiter, a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, who also advised that if women are trying to get pregnant, they should maintain at least eight hours of a dark period at night. “The light-dark cycle should be regular from one day to the next; otherwise, a woman’s biological clock is confused,” he says.

Read: The Health Sector is the Key Social Pillar of Vision 2030

Sunshine

In 2015, a Belgian study released findings that good old sunshine can have a major positive effect on women’s fertility. This was arrived at studying the weather women experienced on their late stages of pregnancy. The results were astounding in that chances of conception elevated from 14 to 19 percent when they had had sunny weather. In theory, the improvement is as a result of the sunshine increasing the levels of melatonin. This is good for reproduction as we mentioned earlier. In relation vitamin D also leads to the development of healthier eggs.

Periodontal Disease (Gum Disease)

I know how surprising that sounds but medically, this disease has been known to contribute to respiratory, kidney, diabetes and heart disease, as well as serious pregnancy problems. It was once stated through a press release that “The inflammation sets off a cascade of tissue-destructive events that can pass into the circulation.” That’s terrifying. As if that is not enough, a study in  2011, came to a realization that women with gum disease take about two months longer to conceive that women with healthy gums. Luckily you do brush and floss daily, don’t you?

Alcohol

People who drink alcohol develop a very serious set of conditions known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Excessive drinking makes it harder for women to conceive. The BBC reports that heavy drinking can also affect “sperm quality” in men.

Lubricants

Well, this is unfortunate for the lovers of lubricants. It is now a known fact that lubricants can reduce sperm motility. What this means is that although lube makes sex more enjoyable, it renders the sperms hard to move thereby decreasing the chances of you getting pregnant. However not a suggestion lube is, it is comforting though, to know that there are brands designed for couples who want to conceive.

Some of these habits and factors might come to you as a surprise but they should not be totally ignored. Other factors also include sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia among others, and too much exercise.