How to change your life to boost your fertility

There is plenty of evidence to show that lifestyle can have an impact on fertility.  Here are some tips to boost fertility based on scientific evidence:

1.Cut the caffine

In one study, women who consumed a cup of coffee or more a day were half as likely to become pregnant, per menstrual cycle, as women who drank less than that.

2. Stop smoking

3. Avoid Alchol.

Even moderate drinking (five or fewer drinks per week) has been linked to infertility.

4. Maintain a healthy weight.

Being either excessively overweight or underweight can contribute to infertility in women.

5. Manage stress

As infertile couples tend to be more stressed than fertile couples, relaxation techniques like meditation and yoga may help.

References

Wilcox A, Weinberg C, Baird D 1988 Caffeinated beverages and decreated fertility. Lancet. Dec 24-31;22(8626-8627):1453-6

Augood C, Duckitt K, Templeton AA, 1998 Smoking and female infertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.  Human Reproduction Jun; 13(6):1532-9

Coelho C, Julio C, Silva G, Neves A 2009 Tabacco and male infertility: a retrospective study in infertile couples Acta Med Portuguese Nov-Dec; 22(6):753-8

Jensen TK, Hjollund NH, Henriksen TB el al 1998 Does moderate alchol consumption affect fertility?  Follow up study amoung couples planning first pregnancy British Medical Journal Aug 22; 317(7157):505-10
Green BB, Weiss NS, Daling JR 1988 Risk of ovulatory infertility in relation to body weight Fertil Steril Nov;50(5):721-6
Harrison RF, O’Moore RR, O’Moore AM 1986 Stress and fertility: some modalities of investigation and treatment in couples with unexplained infertility in Dublin Int J Fertil May-Jun; 31(2):153-9
Khalsa HK 2003 Yoga: an adjunct to infertility treatment Fertil Steril Oct;80 Suppl 4:46-51

Related Posts

  • Can reflexology reduce the severity of nausea?

    Researchers in Iran conducted a randomised control trail to see if reflexology could assist patients undergoing haemodialysis with their nausea.  Haemodialysis is a way of replacing some of the functions of your kidney, if your kidneys have failed, by using a machine to filter and clean your blood. 72 patients were assigned to either an intervention group or control group.  The control group received a foot massage.  The intervention group received 30-minute reflexology treatments once per day for 12 days, one hour after haemodialysis.  The patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the severity of the nausea 15 minutes after the intervention each day. The results showed differences between the groups after treatment, with the severity of the nausea significantly lower in the reflexology group. There are may different causes of nausea including viruses, medication, anxiety, pregnancy & haemodialysis. It is thought the reflexology may reduce the nausea indirectly by decreasing the related symptoms such as anxiety. Reference https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31383439

  • Is there a low magnesium epidemic?

    With the current buzz around magnesium supplements it implies that we are all short of magnesium.  But are we? First it is important that you are aware there is currently no test to determine your magnesium levels that is cost effective or well validated.   Even clinical manifestations of magnesium deficiency are difficult to define due to magnesiums many roles in our body.  Despite this amoung researchers, magnesium defficiency is known as the silent epidemic of our times.  At first glance this seems a paradox how can people be low in magnesium if you can't measure it? The answer appears to be lifestyle and diet.   Less than 30% of U.S adults comsume the recomended daily allowance (RDA) of magnesium.  And nearly 20% get only half of the magnesium they need daily to remain healthy. So what are the symptoms of poor magnesium intake:

    • Muscle cramps
    • Facial ticks
    • Poor sleep
    • Chronic pain
    References Combs GF, Nielsen FH. Health significance of calcium and magnesium: Examples from human studies. In: World Health Organization. Calcium and Magnesium in Drinking Water: Public health significance. Geneva: World Health Organization Press; 2009. Pao EM, Mickle SJ. Problem nutrients in the United States. Food Technology. 1981:35:58-79. King DE, Mainous AG 3rd, Geesey ME, Woolson RF. Dietary magnesium and C-reactive protein levels. Journal Of The American College Of Nutrition. 2005 Jun;24(3):166-71. Available from: MEDLINE with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 6, 2009.

  • What can help period pain? – Part 2

    In part 1, I introduced the topic of period pain.  In this blog post, I want to explore the topic from the perspective of functional medicine practitioners who believe that period pains are caused by certain nutritional deficiencies particularly vitamin B, magnesium and essential fatty acids. There is evidence that magnesium can reduce the sensitivity to pain.  In one study 21 out of 25 women treated with magnesium for six months saw a reduction in the period pain. In one scientific study over 500 women aged between 12 to 21 with moderate to severe period pain took vitamin B1.  87% were completely cured after 3 months.  Just 5% saw no effect at all, while 8% saw their pain reduced.  There is also scientific evidence that vitamin B6 may be useful too. Finally, there is scientific evidence that Acupuncture can be a safe and effective treatment for period pain. References Magnesium reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27978803,  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687013, Vitamin B reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8935744, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459624/ Acupuncture references see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29879061 and https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2017/1791258/abs/