Research shows certain habits help in getting pregnant
Want to boost your chances of having a baby without drugs or surgery? Men: wear boxers, not briefs. Women: eat healthy and think happy. Recent scientific research on fertility indicates couples can influence the chances of getting pregnant through lifestyle choices.
Researchers at The University of Buffalo’s Department of Social and Preventive Medicine of the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, reviewing an archive of studies on life-style factors and their effects on female fertility, found several behaviors add risk to primary tubal infertility.
Risk factors corroborated in two or more studies include use of intrauterine devices (especially the Dalkon Shield) and cigarette smoking.
Extreme body size–both thin and fat–was identified as a risk factor in at least one study.
Cocaine, marijuana, alcohol use, exercise, caffeine consumption, and over-use of thyroid medications were also found in relevant papers to be possible risk factors.
Supporters of groups like the American Medical Marijuana Association dispute some scientific findings investigating health risks and marijuana.
They can point to research. A study at the University at Buffalo found that a man’s cellular signaling system responds to THC, the active substance in marijuana, as well as to anandamide, a cannabinoid-like molecule normally produced in the body. The bio-chemicals may regulate sperm functions required for fertilization in humans. The findings also suggest that users who abuse marijuana could jeopardize fertility by overloading this natural cannabinoid signaling system that regulates sperm structure, vigor, and fertility.
Like a lot of couples these days, Lauri and Darin Loesch waited a while to start having children. But when they were ready, they ended up having to spend 2 years and thousands of dollars on countless tests and procedures to successfully conceive.
“It really got to be a very, very stressful process and we were kind of on an emotional roller coaster,†says Lauri. “It’s a challenge, full of frustration.â€
Fertility experts say that most people aren’t born with fertility problems; trouble brews along the way with the choices people make.
“In the majority of patients, infertility is basically lifestyle related problems, conditions, and issues,†says Steven A. Brody, MD, of San Diego’s Advanced Fertility Institute. “Therefore, interventions that people do in their own lives may enhance fertility.â€
Stress is a leading factor that can disrupt the fine-tuning of ovary secretions controlled by the central nervous system.
“Stressful environmental factors can directly disrupt the biological rhythms that control ovulation and fertility,†says Dr. Brody.
The SUNY Buffalo review of studies also indicates that pregnant women who feel high levels of stress are one and a half times more likely to deliver a low birth weight baby.
A balanced diet and proper weight is important to maximize fercundity. “A high body weight will lead to failure of ovulation and increased production of androgens, or male hormones, from the ovary,†Brody says. “An extremely low body weight will have the same effect of extreme long distance running and ballet, disrupting ovulation and putting ovaries in resting state.â€
While findings on the effects of caffeine on reproductive health are controversial, there are studies suggesting that caffeine intake from just three coffees or sodas a day may reduce a woman’s chances of getting pregnant by up to 28 percent.
Dr. Brody says caffeine affects ovulation and secretions in the cervix and womb, “interfering with spontaneous fertility and spontaneous conception.â€
Smoking and second-hand smoke can also add complications to fertility, says the doctor.
Sexually transmitted diseases are disastrous for women’s reproductive systems. One in six is left sterile with tubal blockage or tubal infertility, after a first infection. “The body’s response to the infection is to scar the fallopian tube, Mother Nature’s way to protect the woman,†Brody says. “In the US, the majority of infections are only recognized by woman if an exam is performed with tests. That’s why it’s so critical to be careful.â€
GUY THING
Among couples, up to 40 percent of the time it’s the man who has the fertility problem. Vitamin E can help, as can the supplement L-Carnitine.
Because elevated body temperature is less ideal for maximum sperm virility, boxers and looser pants are favored over briefs and pants. Avoid hot tubs and baths, says Brody.
If a couple is trying to conceive, all statistics point to being younger as the top fertility advantage. “The longer a woman goes without having a baby, the greater is her likelihood of having structural problems, like endometriosis, or blocked tubes, which is associated with infertility,†says the doctor.
Upwards of 1 in 5 couples deals with infertility, seen as the inability to conceive within 12 months. “By the time a woman reaches her mid to late thirties, that rate can be doubled,†says Brody.
Age as a major fertility factor is backed up by research in a separate study at University at Buffalo. Researchers found that a woman’s biology–specifically age at first menstruation and at first live birth–were the major predictors of resolved fertility (successful conception), not lifestyle habits she or her partner may have adopted.
The San Diego fertility specialist says a couple over age 35 having unprotected intercourse and not getting pregnant within 6 months should seek out a fertility specialist, and 3 to 4 months if over age 38. “You don’t want to waste any time because those are the critical months and years to have a baby,†he says.
Not every couple can make lifestyle changes to fix their fertility. Many require fertility drugs and, sometimes, surgery and in vitro fertilization, options that are now available for women who consider themselves sterile. “The fertility treatments we have today, using assisted reproductive technologies, can overcome virtually all causes of infertility,†says Brody.
Go for a balanced approach, advises Brody: “In some cases just the lifestyle changes will be sufficient and in some cases you really need to proceed with more complicated fertility treatments.â€
A proud mom, Lauri doesn’t regret the efforts made to become pregnant. “What I would say to people is to just not to give up because it’s so worth it,†she says.
http://www.littleabout.com/2009/01/17/research-shows-certain-habits-help-in-getting-pregnant/