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What You Should Know About Fertility

The last couple of decades saw a major change in the lifestyle of people. With more and more women pursuing successful careers, there is an increasing pressure on them to strike a chord between their personal and professional lives. It is because of this reason that a growing population of people are choosing to get married late. The increasing prices of commodities have put a lot of pressure on both men and women to earn more money in order to maintain their lifestyle. This has prompting them to take up jobs that are more stressful in nature.

The combined effect of such stressful lifestyles (with little or no exercise and improper dietary habits) has resulted in more and more women finding it difficult to conceive. It will not be extreme to say that infertility is one of the biggest banes of the modern world. In such a situation, this article aims to talk about this and tell you some of the things that, as adults, you need to know about it.

What you should know about fertility
  1. Fertility Is Not A Women's Issue
  2. Lifestyle Factors For Women
  3. Lifestyle Factors For Men
  4. Health Conditions That Make It Harder To Conceive
  5. The Role Of STI
  6. Age Is A Factor That You Cannot Neglect
  7. If You Want To Freeze Your Eggs, Do So Early
  8. Do Not Lose Hope

• Fertility Is Not A Women's Issue

In the Indian context, fertility is looked upon as something that is a woman's problem when in reality it is actually a couple's problem. Leading gynaecologists have confirmed that only about one-third of the fertility issues that they encounter are related to female factor infertility. The other one-third is due to male factor infertility and the remaining one-third is actually a combination of the two.

Thus, it is important for us, as a society, to realise this and start tackling this in a more logical way. The first step to doing this would be by accepting infertility as a 'couple problem' in our homes.

• Lifestyle Factors For Women

The lifestyle of a woman speaks volumes about her fertility. Chronic stress and an improper diet lower your chances of conceiving. To make matters worse, consumption of alcohol and not getting adequate exercise or sleep are also important factors. It is seen that the infertility rate is twice amongst smokers when compared to their counterpart who do not smoke.

Smoking is so bad for the fertility that the woman concerned does not really need to smoke herself to be affected by its ill effects. Passive smoking or excessive exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke is enough to bring down your fertility.

• Lifestyle Factors For Men

Men who are into bodybuilding are often seen taking testosterone supplements to build muscles; this affects the fertility of an individual. Cigarette smoking is equally injurious to one's sperm health.

However, what is worse is the smoking of marijuana. It is seen that men who smoke marijuana for a prolonged period of time often find it difficult to produce kids. Just like their female counterparts, the lack of exercise and unbalanced diet also have a role to play here.

• Health Conditions That Make It Harder To Conceive

There are certain health conditions in both men and women that make it difficult for the couple to have a child. If either (or both) of the partners are overweight, conceiving a baby may be a challenge for the couple. In women, things like infrequent or inconsistent periods, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), uterine fibroids and endocrine disorders make matters difficult.

In case of men, hormonal disorders, thyroid problem and diabetes are the prime culprits. If a man has suffered previous trauma around the area of the varicoceles or varicose vein around the testicles, it might have a role to play in his infertility.

• The Role Of STI

STIs are things that may have an adverse effect on your fertility. Chlamydia and gonorrhoea are known to damage a woman's fallopian tubes. Naturally, this will make it harder for women to conceive a child. If you have had any history of STIs, make sure that you mention the same to your gynaecologist to avoid facing difficulties later on.

• Age Is A Factor That You Cannot Neglect

As much as you would try to hold time, the fact remains that the fertility of a woman dwindles five to ten years before your menopause. Thus, even if you are in perfect health, if your age is high, it is natural that you will have difficulty in conceiving a child. Research has shown that the odds of a 40-year-old healthy female getting pregnant are 5% as opposed to the 20% that is seen in a healthy 24-25-year-old.

• If You Want To Freeze Your Eggs, Do So Early

As stated earlier, your reproductive health is at its prime during your 20s. Thus, if you are planning to freeze your eggs, this is when you must do it. The latest that you can go for is your early 30s. Beyond that, the eggs tend to lose their viability and high quality. Using those eggs will make it difficult for you to get pregnant.

Thus, the easiest way out would be to store the eggs in abundant quantities while they are still fresh and healthy.

• Do Not Lose Hope

Statistics has it that 1 in every 8 couples battle infertility. The positive side of the story is that most people who seek treatment for fertility ultimately end up having a child. The only trick here is to understand that this may take time and you have to be patient for the same.

Do not make the mistake of comparing your journey of having a child to that of others. Remember that every child is different and every journey of having a child is unique. If you want to win your fight against infertility, you must make conscious efforts to ensure that you do not lose hope.

Story first published: Wednesday, July 4, 2018, 15:47 [IST]
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