What Can Women Do for Their Fertility?

29.01.2011 | By: Z.J.

More and more women can’t get pregnant. What can they do themselves not to endanger their pregnancy?

The chances of having a positive pregnancy test are higher if you decide to have a child before the age of 30. (Photoxpress)

When is a woman infertile?

A woman who is under 35 is infertile if she has unprotected sexual intercourse for a year and doesn’t get pregnant. If she is above 35 let, infertility is considered after six moths. There are numerous factors that affect (in)fertility. Women can’t have influence on all of the factors, but they can have influence on many of them.

Seeing your doctor

It is important that you regularly see your gynecologist, who can’t predict what your pregnancy will be like in five or ten years, but he can assess the current state of your fertility. It’s good to consult your gynecologist about your general health which can have a considerable influence on the chances of getting pregnancy. Some diseases (e.g. polycystic ovary syndrome) change the level of hormones that affect fertility.

Being overweight or underweight

The right weight is important for your general health as well as for the health of your reproductive organs and regular periods. If you are overweight, you produce more estrogen, which is influenced by your body’s fat cells (and fatty food because a certain enzyme present in fat transforms adrenal steroids into estrogen), and too much estrogen signals your body that you use contraception. In addition, obesity causes elevated levels of insulin in women because of which the ovaries can stop releasing eggs.

It is also problematic if you are underweight because a lack of estrogen, primary female sex hormone, slows the reproductive cycle down or even (temporarily) interrupts it.

Excessive physical exercise

Excessive physical exercise usually means a sharp decrease in fat cells that release estrogen, important for regular periods. Excessive physical exercise therefore causes irregular periods or even amenorrhea, which definitely has a negative influence on the possibility of conception.

Smoking

Smoking is also harmful for the ovaries and uterus. It disturbs the production of estrogen and can damage eggs. They become more sensitive to genetic anomalies.

Sexually transmitted diseases

Some sexually transmitted diseases don’t cause clearly visible symptoms, but they can have a very negative influence on fertility. If the upper genital tract is infected, this can leave scars on the tissue and the scars obstruct the path of sperm cells. Therefore, make a decision to have safe sex and regular examinations by your doctor