Boost Your Fertility

Most of us take this issue of our life for granted. The usual thought is, have sex, get pregnant. But this is not always the case. Very minor and insignificant issues and stress can throw our normal healthy reproductive rhythm off tracks. There are very simple health moves, which can help protect your fertility; and this increases your chances of getting pregnant, as well as lowering the risk of complications during pregnancy.

• Your weight matters! Watch your weight. Being overweight or underweight can disturb your menstrual cycle. Excess body fat can pose serious health risks, and also overproduction of certain hormones that disrupt ovulation. This may result in: * Irregular periods * Irregular ovulation * And lower your chances of getting pregnant. In the contrary, too little body fat could mean that your body will produce too little hormone to ovulate monthly, or to sustain a pregnancy if conception does occur. Exercise can help maintain a healthy weight, without over flogging it. Excessive and intense exercise, like long distance running, competitive athletics amongst others, can stop ovulation or make it to become irregular. It can also cause risk of miscarriage.

• Eat well: a balanced diet will help ensure that a woman’s body is healthy enough to conceive and nourish a developing baby. A good and healthy diet will also keep sperm production at optimum levels. There is no doubt that staying well nourished boosts your chances of getting pregnant. It is important to have a daily recommended dose of protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin C; as deficiencies in these can lengthen menstrual cycles, therefore leading to less frequent ovulation, and invariably a higher risk of early or first trimester miscarriage. This is very common in women athletes who are usually deficient in zinc. Oysters, mussels are very good sources of zinc, and all other essential vitamins and minerals can be obtained from daily multivitamin supplements.

Feed regularly on protein rich diets like meat, fish, low fat dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt) eggs, and beans. Vegetarians can get their complete amino acids by including flavorful combinations of protein – containing foods, such as rice and beans, stir- fry with tofu.

For men, taking enough nutrients everyday like vitamin E and C and mineral selenium will help produce healthy sperm. Daily healthy diet is advised, as it takes a man three months to produce new sperms, so think ahead.

• Stop smoking: smoking has been linked to infertility for a long time; early menopause in women and sperm problems in men, as well as being a factor in a premature and low birth weight in baby. The toxins (harmful substances) found in cigarettes does not only * damage a woman’s eggs, but also * interfere with fertilization process * interfere with implantation process * cause the ovaries to age This would result in the ovaries of a young woman of say 29 years, to function like ovaries of an older woman of 40years. The crucial point is that, smoking does permanent damage to your fertility; which can be partially restored when you quit smoking.

• Know your body rhythm: it is important that you know your normal menstrual cycle, which is 25 to 36days. This helps you to calculate your ovulation days accurately. Knowing your fertility would enable you to meet normally with your spouse, to try and conceive. This can be estimated by using ovulation kits, estimation of certain hormones in the urine; and changes in basal body temperature and cervical mucus. It is recommended that a woman trying for a baby should take 400mcg of folic acid daily to help protect against conditions like spinal bifida.

• Go easy on alcohol: it is important that you drink wisely while trying to get pregnant. This affects both men and women. Alcohol may affect fertility and increase the risk of miscarriage as well as affect sperm quality. Drinking sensibly, and maintain levels as low as two units for women and three for men, can help maintain your fertility.

• Keep off drugs: it is advised that couples taking prescriptions should ask their Physicians, on the effects of such medications on fertility; as some of these drugs lessen your chances of conceiving. Addictive and hard drugs like marijuana, cocaine, LSD, glue, etc, must be avoided.

• Keep cool: To create an optimum condition for sperm production, the testes should be a few degrees cooler than the other parts of your body. And this is aided by wearing loose under wear or boxers, trousers and to avoid activities that raise the temperature of the testes, such as hot baths, saunas, and hot showers.

• Keep active: regular and moderate exercise of around 30minutes daily helps maximise your fitness to keep your weight in check. This also encourages the body to produce more endormophins which are ‘happy’ hormones that takes the body through stressful time.

• Keep calm: seek serenity, and avoid stress and depression, which hampers fertility. Psychological distress, stress like heavy exercise, may throw off your body’s hormone production, makes menstrual cycle less reliable. Learning to manage stress through relaxation techniques, like mindfulness meditations, support from a counselor can help you regularise your hormones.

• Healthy sex life: you will need to get very busy in the bedroom. Therefore if the demand of your hectic work affects or dampens your sex drive, you will need to have sex more often. Regular intercourse, leads to regular menstrual and ovulation in a woman. Frequent sex helps to conceive. Making love is ultimate pleasure, and there must be a conscious effort to do so more often in a relaxed atmosphere.

• Stay away from douching: douching while trying to conceive is counterproductive; as this wipe out the normal vaginal bacteria, and causes infections. Some of these resulting infections can lead to preterm labour, miscarriage and infertility.

A sensible and well planned lifestyle is good to boost your infertility.

At all times, there must be a conscious effort to protect your prized assets, your reproductive system in full cooperation and rhythm with your body, to reproduce.

• Avoid harmful life styles. : it is important that you keep away form hazardous activities, like crawling on rope, sitting with your legs crossed.

• Wearing tight under wear, like clinching pants. Loose boxers are more desirable. Tight under wear exerts pressure on your testicles, and this is harmful.

• Xenoestrogens : are essentially environmental estrogens, coming from pesticides and the plastic industry. When you are trying to conceive, one of the most important things you need to do is to balance your hormones. It is extremely important to avoid anything that might cause an imbalance, and one of the main culprits is the xenoestrogens. One of the best ways to eliminate an excess intake of xenoestrogens is to eat as much organic produce as possible for the pre-conceptual period.. [ merilyn glenville]

• Environments with harmful substances: stay away from areas where there is constant emission of harmful gases, from equipments and generators. And also avoid consuming food contaminated with heavy metals. The residual effects of these non degradable metals are extremely harmful. E.g., eating fruits and vegetables harvested form areas contaminated with very high levels of Lead, Mercury, rhodium etc.

Many school of thoughts, advise that the natural way to boost fertility, remains the best and safest. This goes without saying along side with living a sensible, healthy life style. There is a very huge following and belief in the use of Natural Supplements.

• Supplements: There is now a great deal of scientific knowledge about the use of nutritional supplements and their beneficial effects on both male and female fertility, These supplements can be very effective in re-balancing your hormones, as well as improving you and your partner’s overall health, which are so vital for successful conception. These include Folic acid, Folic Acid

It is now known that folic acid can prevent spina bifida in your baby, and it is essential that you get plenty both before and during pregnancy.

Zinc : this is very important nutrient in fertility for both men and women. It is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency can cause chromosome changes in either you or our partner, leading to reduced fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage. Zinc is necessary for your body to use the reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone effectively.

Selenium: this is an antioxidant that helps prevent breaking down of chromosomes.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids – this helps with hormones production, and reduces inflammation, which can affect pregnancy in females, and also helps with the synthesis of prostaglandins , which is present in semen, and important for sperm quality.

Vitamin E and Vitamin C : These are antioxidants , which are important in fertility boost.

L- Arginine, and L Cartinine : are both important in protecting the egg and sperm. They are important for normal functioning and good sperm production.

LArginine, should be used with caution, as it increases the Herpes virus, in diseased persons. It must be used upon doctor’s supervision.

HERBS : These are known to work quite well, but they must be used with extreme caution, under an experts advise only.

Finally, even with all the suggestions above, you are you, and know your body better than anyone else. Therefore, choose and decide on what is best for you, and you are certain to get a desirable outcome