Weird Factors That Could Affect Your Fertility | Dr N Layyous

Weird Factors That Could Affect Your Fertility

Deciding to bring a new member into your little family marks a huge leap in the relationship between you and your partner. You are both mentally, emotionally, financially and physically ready to embrace the responsibility of raising a child. You’re doing everything it takes to hear your doctor confirm the good news soon, right from keeping a tab on your fertile window to eating the “right foods” and popping nutritional supplements religiously as prescribed. Alas, despite all your attempts to conceive successfully, you fail each time. What you don’t realize, however, is that there could be a host of other lifestyle factors beyond your diet and consistent sexual intercourse that could also be impacting your fertility. Here are five weird factors that could affect your ability to get pregnant:

1. Using Smartphones/Tablets At Nighttime –A lot of us have the bad habit of scrolling through our phones and tablets late at night before sleeping. Apart from hindering your good night’s sleep the artificial light from these gadgets can also greatly impact your fertility! A research published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility reports that excess exposure to artificial nighttime light causes a blockage in melatonin production. Melatonin, known as the "sleep hormone," is also produced by the reproductive tract to protect the eggs from free radical damage during ovulation. Less melatonin thus equals greater chances of infertility.

2. Poor Oral Health –Strange as it may sound, poor oral hygiene and health can also result in reduced fertility! An Australian professor at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, Stockholm announced that the impact of gum diseases on fertility could be as bad as obesity. The mouth is the breeding ground for many bacteria. Regular flossing and brushing help get rid of the plaque that can turn into tartar without proper oral hygiene. Tartar and plaque cause the inflammation of gums that can even impact the tissue and bones and subsequently undermine immunity by causing the inflammatory agents to move into the bloodstream. This could be the cause of chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and infertility.

3. Use Of Some Cosmetic – How could something used to make you look and feel beautiful, possibly affect your fertility, right? Wrong! A lot of cosmetics (perfumes, shampoos, hairspray, nail polishes, etc.) these days contain synthetic chemicals called phthalates that apart from hampering male fertility can also lower female conception. A 2013 study by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology found the evidence to prove so. The increased concentration of phthalates in women can double the chances of implantation failure after IVF as compared to those with low phthalates levels in their system, the study reported. In males, phthalates are known as endocrine disruptors, one of the many possible causes of fertility decline.

4. Childhood Diet – Ever thought the food you ate as a child could impact your ability to conceive today? Probably not, but turns out it’s true! A 2010 study by the University of Sheffield reported that men and women born in poor families had low rates of reproduction. Half the poor population born during years with low rye, and barley yields had no children during their entire lives. Those born during good harvest years reproduced at least once in their life. This study proves that food provided during prenatal or early postnatal phase can curb the reproductive system’s development.

5. The Use Of Lubes – Lubricants, often used by couples to enhance their sexual experience can also reduce their chances of conception. Studies report that many lubricant brands contain spermicidal agents that can reduce sperm motility by over half. To enjoy the lube experience but to prevent its negative impact, opt for natural lubricating agents like mustard oil that help sperms thrive.

Apart from taking these factors into consideration, ensure that you don’t disregard the essentials. Make a preconception visit with your doctor and share your entire medical history with him. Doing this will help mitigate the possible risks that can arise over the course of your preconception and pregnancy journey. Remember, your healthy choices today will go far in improving your fertility as well as ensuring a healthy pregnancy.

6-Food quality and pregnancy

There are a lot of foods that can have a wide impact on the fertility rate and also have an effect on the health of the fetus. Therefore,
eating a healthy diet is one of the best changes that you can make to improve your health and increase the chances of pregnancy.
A diet has been devised that benefits the fertility of men and women that consists of the mainnutrients necessary for the balance of hormonal
activity and the quality of eggs and sperms.
This diet includes eating a lot of fruits and vegetables because they contain antioxidants, full-fat dairy and some types of fish such as

salmon because it contains omega-3, as well as whole grains,Natural and high-fiber foods.

It is also preferable to avoid some types of food that may impair fertility, such as soft drinks, because they contain a high percentage of
sugar and caffeine that harm the process of producing eggs and sperms, as well as unsaturated fats found in fried foods, processed
meats, and raw meat.

7-Men insomnia and fertility?

it affects the quality of sperm, as studies have shown that staying up late after 10:30 pm affects the quality of sperms.

The researchers explained this by:
1. Staying up late leads to an increase in the work of the immune system, which leads to itsfight against sperms

2. The husband & stay awake leads to adecrease in the chances of sexual intercourse between the spouses

8-Age and fertility

Advance age reduces a woman’s chances of having children due to the decrease in the number of eggs and their efficiency with age,

(as there will be a defect in the quality of the DNA and chromosomes of the eggs), so she becomes more vulnerable to infertility problems,
especially after the age of 40.
Also her pregnancy at an advanced age categorize her into high risk pregnancy .The reproductive ability of a woman differs from
that of a man, as it can remain to a later age, unlike the woman.. With the advancing age of a man, the number and quality of sperms
decrease due to anomalies in the sperm cells, and he may have other medical conditions that affect his reproductive ability, especially after
the age of 55 years old.

Consultant Obstetrician, Gynecologist and Infertility Specialist