Things that Worsen Infertility in Women

untitled-1 Are you having problems in getting pregnant? There are certain things that influence menstrual cycle and overall fertility, which are within our control. Infertility in women can be caused by problems in the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, or presence of infection. However, resolving seemingly ‘small’ issues can prove beneficial. In resolving infertility, even small improvement might prove helpful in increasing odds of success. If you are trying to get pregnant, avoiding the following can prove helpful.

Excess physical or emotional stress

Facing fertility problems can often make couples ‘try too hard’. You should know that intense stress, whether emotional or physical, contributes to infertility . Note that stress has a negative effect on pregnancy and success of fertility treatments too. Some will say that this is far etched, as stress happens only in the mind and has nothing to do with the workings of the reproductive system. However, most people do not understand that stress cause the production of certain hormones that can alter normal activity of the ovaries and cause adverse changes to menstrual cycles . We knew and we completely understand that infertility itself is a very stressful situation. Couples with infertility have to face and handle incredible amounts of stress every day. Therefore, alleviating stress in your own ways is helpful. If you enjoy doing sports, exercise, or travelling, make time for it daily. If you cannot enjoy the things you do before, you may have depression so have that that treated right away.

Being too fat, or too thin

You may not know it, but drastic changes in body weight can affect your fertility. Being overweight, or being too thin, can make it harder for you to get pregnant . Obese women tend to have PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome . PCOS cause accumulation of infertile eggs in the ovaries, which makes ovulation harder and thus affecting fertility . On the other hand, being too thin can also hurt your chances of becoming pregnant. Fit athletes or women who diet excessively often have irregular or absent menstrual cycles, which is itself a significant cause of infertility . Therefore, sticking to healthy lifestyle might be helpful in improving your chances. Try to lose weight if you are too fat, or add some if you are underweight. Since you are probably receiving medical care for infertility anyway, you should also ask your doctor for advice on losing or achieving healthy body weight.

Having a nutrition-poor diet

If you are struggling with infertility, it could be worth your while if you watch what you eat. Diet deficient in nutrients can make it harder for your body to support a pregnancy. According to studies, some of the nutrients associated with better fertility include iron, vitamin B12, folic acid and omega-3 . We are all guilty of unhealthy eating habits. Hardly a week passes by without eating fast food and canned food. If you want to improve your fertility, try replacing everyday food items with healthier ones. Eat more items such as dark green leafy veggies, shellfish, oily fish and organ meats like liver. These food items are rich in nutrients that help support fertility.

Other methods you can do for better chances

At this point, you must know that you can do something about infertility. Aside from treatments, another simple way to tackle infertility is to have more sex. Work with your doctor to know the days you are likely ‘fertile,' and try to have more sex around those days. It is a reality that couples with infertility problems experience reduced sex due to stress. That is why we emphasized resolving stress in the first place. Another very important thing in improving fertility is mentioned already, which is to work with your doctor. Most likely, you are already seeing a doctor. During visits, make sure to ask questions or ask more details so you understand the situation or a particular treatment. It does not hurt to ask, and more probably, your doctor is more than happy to answer your questions. If you are trying to overcome infertility, try our specialist doctors at HealthTree-associated clinics. We have specialists that will look for solutions for you and your partner in treating infertility. Give us a call now. - Preconception stress increases the risk of infertility: results from a couple-based prospective cohort study--the LIFE study. Hum Reprod. 2014 May;29(5):1067-75. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deu032. Epub 2014 Mar 23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24664130 Psychosocial stress as a cause of infertility. Fertil Steril. 1993 Mar;59(3):685-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8458480 . Harefuah. 2008 Mar;147(3):256-60, 276. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18488870 Abnormal Body Weight: A Preventable Cause Of Infertility. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. https://www.asrm.org/Abnormal_Body_Weight/ Obesity and the polycystic ovary syndrome. International Journal of Obesity (2002) 26, 883-896. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0801994 http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v26/n7/full/0801994a.html Treatments for Infertility Resulting from PCOS. NICHD. https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/PCOS/conditioninfo/Pages/infertility.aspx Body fat, menarche, fitness and fertility. Hum. Reprod. (1987) 2 (6): 521-533. http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/2/6/521 Folate Metabolism and Human Reproduction. Geburtshilfe Frauenheilkd. 2014 Sep; 74(9): 845–851. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1383058. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4175124/ Nutritional status, fertility and factors associated with anaemia: a cross sectional study among a rural population of Muslim women in Assam, India. Anthropol Anz. 2013;70(2):193-201. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23980392 Vitamin B12 deficiency, infertility and recurrent fetal loss. J Reprod Med. 2001 Mar;46(3):209-12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11304860