Women are increasingly delaying the time when they want to become mothers and, as time progresses, it has taken up to 10+ years for this search to occur. In fact, current reports indicate that up to 10% of women seek to become mothers at an age above 40, which will mean that the difficulty in achieving the desired pregnancy will require studies and treatments in the short term.
For many years now, the month of June has traditionally been used as the month of fertility. It is a time for couples to reflect on their reproductive health. There are a number of aspects that are important to take into account because of their negative influence on the reproductive future of both men and women.
It is very important, therefore, to take measures to determine the ovarian reserve of each woman. All this starting from the age of 30 because there are many activities that can be done to preserve the eggs.
What are the diseases that most affect women’s fertility?
There are more and more diseases that can affect women’s fertility. In this sense, we could basically name two:
- Endometriosis: it is present in up to 7-8% of women. It causes pain during menstruation and sexual intercourse, in addition to affecting fertility.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome: it is being diagnosed more and more frequently. It has a prevalence of over 10% of women. If these pathologies are diagnosed and treated in time, many future problems can be prevented.
What is the responsibility of men in this reduction of fertility?
In relation to men, it is increasingly common for seminal quality to be worse. This has already been demonstrated in different studies at European level. It has been seen that different alterations caused by oxidative stress cause both a decrease in sperm movement and alterations in sperm morphology, which will decrease fertility.
Therefore, giving antioxidant treatment to barons, either by diet or by supplementation, will greatly help their fertility.
What factors negatively affect fertility?
At Clínica Imar we always say that there are two factors that are very important and worth taking into account:
- Stress: today’s life brings many problems. The search to be in a better economic environment causes us to work more and more and all this works precisely as an oxidant that causes a decrease in fertility, both in oocyte quality and seminal quality.
- Smoking: it seems that the incidence of people who smoke is beginning to decrease, however, it is a factor that must be taken into account.
What would be good practices for both women and men to have fewer fertility problems?
Adequate nutrition will always be recommended. A weight in your ideal body mass index is very necessary. Obesity is becoming more and more frequent in European countries, however, malnutrition problems, for example, due to anorexia, can also cause a woman to stop ovulating, resulting in fertility problems.
In men, it has also been shown that overweight affects sperm motility. Therefore, proper nutrition, maintaining your weight, exercising, taking natural antioxidant foods and having a positive attitude to believe that you will achieve pregnancy are fundamental pillars to keep in mind in this month of fertility.