Female Fertility: Day-To-Day Activities That May Be Impacting Your Reproductive Health

The fate of fertility depends upon the choices we make in order to lead a certain lifestyle. Also, with the rising incidences of non-communicable diseases, it signifies how important our lifestyle is to keep such disorders at bay. Gone are the days when infertility used to be considered a female problem. In fact, now infertility issues are not restricted to women only, as men are also equally responsible. However, it doesn’t mean, women across the globe are not facing problems with their reproductive health. To understand the aspects that may lead to infertility better, Hz spoke to Dr Aswati Nair, Fertility Consultant at Nova IVF Fertility, New Delhi.

“There are multiple factors that can lead to infertility - health issues, medical issues, and psychological issues, just to name a few. Everyday things that you consider to be harmless, and even useful or necessary, can gravely affect your chances of being fertile. It would be best to watch out for such things that can hinder your fertility in future,” said Dr Aswati and gave a list of things we do on a daily basis that might be affecting your fertility:

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Watch Out Your Plate

Many of us enjoy our chicken burgers, french fries, and coke, especially throughout our younger years. Though we know that consuming junk food isn’t good for us, many don’t know to what extent. “Regular intake of saturated and trans fats, salt, and sugar not only increases the risk of non-communicable diseases but also slows down the process of conceiving. Binging on junk food increases the body’s weight. Obesity and problems with your weight can lead to fertility problems. Also, eating lots of junk food at once can lead to your blood sugar spiking. Since there is a theory that insulin and fertility are connected, this is probably not good for your reproductive health,” she explained.

Smoking And Alcohol Consumption

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, smoking negatively impacts your fertility. It is responsible for up to 13 per cent of all infertility cases. Besides, an unborn baby gets hurt due to a mother’s smoking during pregnancy or experiencing second- or third-hand smoke during pregnancy. Smoking has also been shown to decrease the number and quality of sperm in male smokers and hurt the antioxidant levels in the semen.

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Steroids, The Powerful Enemy

Anabolic steroids, which are prepared by humans in the labs as a replacement of the male sex hormone aka testosterone, have significant side-effects in males that include impotency, erectile dysfunction, and low sperm count. Medical experts suggest these steroids to the patients, who are undergoing hormonal imbalance, muscle wasting syndrome, and serious life-threatening conditions like hepatitis, AIDS, and cancer that are not treated by any other compounds. When it comes to females, other than fertility, these can have long‐term effects on the female voice, weight gain, acne, and increased libido (sexual desire), which are usually reversible.

Taking Stress

Research has shown that psychological stress has damaging implications for sperm and semen quality, impacting its concentration and ability to fertilise an egg. “Not only does the volume and concentration of your sperm get affected, but the motility (movement of sperm) and morphology (shape and form) too. Worse still, your stress can be transferred to your future child impacting the fetal brain development in the womb – through changes in the extracellular vesicles (produced in the reproductive tract) that play a major role in sperm maturation,” told Dr Aswati Nair.

Not Working Out

Having a healthy lifestyle also includes exercising well on a regular basis. Not only it helps in reducing obesity, but also makes you confident and more active. However, one should be mindful of the type of exercise they’re doing, as intense exercise could negatively impact fertility and the chances of IVF working too. Also, females, who stay active during their pregnancy are likely to have a successful pregnancy than those who did no exercise.

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