Increasing number of women are facing a conundrum whether to pursue their careers or start a family. Raising children is a mammoth task and is likely to slow down career progress. Which is why an increasing number of women are postponing their decision to start a family. In this article, our endeavor is to provide you with tips to maintain your fertility for long.
Woman’s fertility with age
Women are born with eggs which age with her, diminishing both in quantity and quality as time passes. This implies that with age the chances of women getting pregnant easily drop significantly. Here are some facts to consider:
- Starting at about age 32, a woman’s chances of conceiving decrease gradually but significantly. After 35 the decline in fertility becomes steep.
- By age 40, fertility has fallen by half.
- At 30, the chance of conceiving each month is about 20%. At 40 it’s around 5%.
- Pregnancy-related risks like birth defects, genetic abnormalities, stillbirth, and miscarriages increase with age.
Why does fertility decline with age?
Everything that you consume, inhale or apply on our skin has an impact, negative or positive, on your body cells, including eggs.
Environmental pollution, bad lifestyle, nutritional deficiency, hormonal imbalances, and accumulated toxins in the body affect the quality of your eggs and fertility. To retain your fertility, it is imperative that you take timely steps to balance your hormones, remove toxins and address the nutritional needs of your body.
Steps to maintain your fertility for long
As lifestyle priorities change, notions about the correct age of conception have considerably transformed. This is especially true if you want to put off motherhood till later in life when you feel more prepared for it, both mentally and financially. With age not on your side, there are certain steps that you can take now to maintain your future fertility.
Step 1 – Alter your diet
Numerous studies have shown a healthy diet can help improve fertility, prevent miscarriages and support a healthy pregnancy.
- Avoid trans fats: Trans fats found in processed and fried food have a negative effect on your fertility. Instead opt for natural and organic foods that are rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and folic acid. Food items like citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, omega 3 fatty acids are good for your fertility. Also, avoid refined oils and vegetable oils as they increase inflammation in the body.
- Plant proteins and slow carbs: Including plant proteins like beans, peas, and nuts, and slow carbs like brown rice and whole grains in the diet, helps retain fertility and improves your chances of conceiving at an older age.
- Avoid Sugar Surge: Eliminate sugar and white flour from your diet and switch to eating a fiber-rich diet. Incorporate plain yogurt or other probiotic food items in your diet to encourage the growth of healthy gastrointestinal bacteria,
- Include full-fat dairy: Low-fat dairy foods heighten the risk of infertility. A fertility study by Harvard University found that women who eat lots of low-fat dairy products face an 85 percent higher risk of ovulatory infertility. You can also look at going for A2 milk which is richer in omega 3 fatty acids and easier to digest.
- Water intake: Drink plenty of water as it stimulates circulation and improves egg health. Water also helps to prevent hormonal imbalance which has been linked to infertility.
Step 2 – Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes related to exercise and healthy weight help in flushing out toxins, regulating ovulation and improving egg health.
- Exercise: Exercise regularly as it helps flush out excess toxins from the body, improves blood circulation and helps to balance hormones. Also, take care, not to over exercise. Too much physical exercising causes an endorphin rush which in turn can suppress ovarian hormone production.
- Maintain healthy BMI: Strive for a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) as both overweight and underweight women have problems with ovulation.
- Reduce Stress: Chronic stress can suppress reproductive hormones and ovulation. Practice yoga, meditation or even acupressure for stress reduction.
- Substances to avoid: Refrain from consuming drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and cigarettes. This would help you to improve your overall liver and kidney health by reducing the accumulation of toxins in your body.
- Minimize exposure to chemicals: Your body absorbs harmful chemicals from different sources like shampoo, lotions, plastic water bottles, and car exhaust. Switch to greener and organic alternative and avoid chemical products containing endocrine disrupting compounds that block real estrogen from doing its work.
STEP 3 – Ensure these essential nutrients are taken either in diet or as supplements
- Magnesium: Magnesium is an important mineral that keeps the fallopian tubes relaxed thereby facilitating the movement of sperm towards the egg.
- Folic Acid: It is an important vitamin that improves fertility and decreases the risk of birth defects
Step 4 – Maintain Uterine Health
The uterus slowly begins to lose muscle tone with age. To maintain fertility and uterine health, massage castor oil over the lower abdomen. This helps strengthen the uterus, prevent hormonal imbalances, and detoxifies reproductive organs while increasing blood flow to them.
Step 5 – Maintain Cervical Mucus
With a decrease in cervical mucus with age, it becomes harder for the sperms to travel and reach the egg. Cervical mucus production can be supported by keeping yourself hydrated, having omega fatty acids and using herbs that support mucous production.
Step 6 – Practice Safe Sex
Always practice safe sex as certain sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can adversely impact your fertility by affecting your uterus and the fallopian tube. Persistent urinary tract infections can also adversely affect your fertility. Therefore, take timely actions with UTIs.
Step 7- Balance your hormones
A hormonal imbalance particularly of sex hormones reduces fertility. Take an annual diagnostic test to track the levels of your sex hormones. Conditions like PCOD and hypothyroidism should be immediately addressed as these hamper your fertility.
Conclusion
Infertility amongst women is at an all-time high and coupled with late age conception, getting pregnant is not easy. Incidents of women conceiving through IVF or freezing their eggs for a future pregnancy are common enough. However, both the procedures are extremely expensive and can burn a big hole in the pocket. By taking care from an early age, you can ensure that you can support a pregnancy at a later time.
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