Lifestyle Changes That Help Improve Fertility

Not all couples experience conceiving easily. These couples face difficulties before they have their own babies. Statistics (2004 US Census) shows that more than 40% of women ages 15 to 44 are childless. They also note that childless couples have tendencies of divorce and annulment early in the marriage. As compared to couples who have children, childless ones are more depressed and face more difficult problems. Due to this, they seek help in order to overcome the problems - strengthen their marriage and conceive a baby.

Fertility doctors or gynecologists provide assistance to childless couples. They suggest treatments that may be the way to the success of conceiving a baby. However, not all couples are required to undergo treatments. There are times that doctors first suggest lifestyle changes before trying artificial treatments. Below is a list of suggested lifestyle changes with their explanations after.

1. Stop smoking now. Smoking is bad for the health of both the man and woman because it affects their fertility. Smokers are less fertile by 30% as compared to non-smokers. Smoking repackages the DNA of the sperm making it unable to fertilize an egg. Women on the other hand, experience higher occurrence of miscarriage if they are heavy smokers. Moreover, continuous smoking during pregnancy is not advisable for the baby because it increases the risk for premature delivery.

1. Avoid caffeinated drinks and drugs. Both of these reduce the fertility of men and women. In women, caffeine makes the activity in the fallopian tube muscles weak and makes it impossible for the egg to move from the ovary to the womb. If the egg is not transferred properly, fertilization will never occur. As for men, there is a slight debate. Some researches say that caffeine helps men’s fertility. However, it has been proven that large intake of caffeine is not helpful if fertilization is part of the plan. Caffeinated drinks include coffee, soda, tea, and chocolate drinks. Avoid these drinks for increased chance of fertilization.

1. Alcohol consumption should also be decreased for ensured pregnancy. Like caffeine, alcohol reduces chances of pregnancy and decreases more if intake of alcohol is continued. During pregnancy, drinking alcohol will be fatal for the baby as it can cause fetal alcohol syndrome that may lead to conceiving children with mental retardation, heart disease, growth deficiency and brain problems.

1. Stop over exercising. Exercise is helpful especially for women who need to lose weight to encourage ovulation. However, this becomes bad if strenuous exercise is done everyday. This ruins the menstruation cycle and fertility. Doing so will not increase chances of fertilization. Instead of exercising hard everyday, it is suggested to take yoga, swimming and meditation classes. These classes are said to improve fertility in both men and women.