Lifestyle Choices and Fertility
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Fertility is often times something people do not think about until they are unable to conceive. Many do not think about their lifestyle and how it may be affecting their ability to conceive a child. The following will provide you some information regarding lifestyle choices that may be impacting your fertility.
Tobacco Use:
Smoking has been proven to have an impact on fertility and pregnancy outcomes. The British Medical Association published a report stating that smokers have a 10% to 40% lower monthly rate of conceiving. Smoking as few as 5 cigarettes a day has been associated with decreased fertility rates. 13% of infertility cases are linked to tobacco use.
Smoking has been linked to birth defects such as cleft lip/palate. Smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage, preterm labor, and low birth weight.
Women who smoke and are undergoing invitro fertilization have a 50% less chance of pregnancy. With lower number of eggs retrieved. These women also experience menopause earlier.
Men who use tobacco have decreased ejaculatory volume, decreased motility, decreased morphology, and average a decrease of 22% in sperm count. Decreased fertilization has been noted due to increased sperm DNA fragmentation. Smoking may lead to erectile dysfunction and impotence. Success of invitro fertilization is decreased by one third even when Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (a sperm is directly injected into the egg) is performed.
Children of male smokers have an increased risk of birth defects, childhood cancers, and infertility in their sons. Children of smokers have a higher incidence of asthma, upper repiratory infections, ear infections, and SIDS.
Second hand smoke has also proven to have similar effects when studies in Donor Egg cycles were done.
Weight:
It is recommended when trying to conceive to be at an ideal weight. Our facility recommends a BMI between 18.5 and 30. The Body Mass Index is calculated by height and weight.
Exercise is recommended in moderation. This is defined as 30 minutes 3-5 times per week. Greater than 3 hours of cardiovascular exercise per week has been associated with decreased pregnancy rates in invitro fertilization.
Diet:
A diet with increased antioxidants is recommended. These are found in foods such as blueberries, citrus fruits, etc. Vitamins E, C, and Folic Acid daily is recommended for men with low sperm motility and /or morphology withle Folic Acid 400mcg daily is recommended for all women trying to conceive. Some women may need higher amounts of Folic Acid.
Caffeine intake should be limited to 250mg per day. This is equivalent to two servings a day. (one 12 oz. soft drink is equal to one serving.)
Alcohol:
Increased alcohol consumption has been shown to reduce fertility in both males and females.
Males should limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 glasses of wine per day. Higher alcohol intake has negative effects on sperm count, motility, and morpholgy.
Female patients drinking more than 10 glasses of wine per week are more likely to have fertility problems. Women drinking 4-9 glasses of wine per week have shown an increase in fertility in general. However, any intake of alcohol during invitro fertilization diminishes the chances of a successful cycle. In general it has been recommended to limit alcohol consumption to 1 glass of wine per day.
Stress:
Increased levels of stress have been associated with lower pregnancy rates. Drug absorption is decreased with higher levels of stress. Any person attempting pregnancy should practice some form of stress reduction. Massage therapy, yoga, moderate exercise, or acupuncture are all excellant therapies to reduce stress levels. Taking on fewer tasks at work may decrease stress. When trying to time fertility treatments it is advised to avoid busier times of the year for your occupation in order to avoid increased stress. (CPA=Tax time) Night shifts may also affect females.