Lifestyle factors for fertility health
Healthy behaviours form one part of our overall health and wellbeing. These types of behaviours can help to nurture our health at all times, but especially so during the conception period. But what behaviours should you be focusing on for fertility health? It can all get a bit confusing - especially if you rely on Dr Google for your info!
Fertility nurse Kate Davies shared some fertility lifestyle advice in her Fertility Masterclass for us over on YouTube. Here are some of the highlights:
Eat a wide range of foods
Nutrition forms one part of our overall health and wellbeing and it can be an important one when we think about fertility. Despite what you might have heard, there’s no evidence to show there’s one single diet that is best for promoting fertility. Having a diet that’s full in fruit and vegetables, protein (with not too much red meat), omegas and wholegrains will help to nourish your body and give it the sustenance it needs as you try for a baby.
Don’t stop eating different food groups
Unless you want to stop eating particular food groups for specific health reasons (such as an intolerance, allergy or health condition), ethical or religious reasons, then there is no reason to switch to a vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free or gluten-free diet for fertility. Dairy can form an important part of your overall diet and be a vital source of protein, and wholegrains and wheat can provide you with important nutrition and energy too.
Movement is good!
Lots of people worry that exercise can be bad for fertility, or could lead to early miscarriage, but this isn’t the case. While now is not the time to start training to run a marathon if this isn’t something you’d normally do (this type of grueling schedule could deplete the body of important nutrients and could lead to increased stress) it’s totally fine to continue to enjoy your normal exercise routine. Building movement into your regular routine is good for all phases of life, not just fertility!
Don’t underestimate the need to rest
It’s really important to listen to your body and follow its cues. So if you’re tired then perhaps that’s a sign to moderate your routine or have a rest. This doesn’t mean cutting out all movement though - a gentle walk or stretch isn’t something to overlook! We can often think healthy behaviours mean going hard at the gym or upping our exercise to a really intense pace, but even professional athletes often have to scale back their routine when trying to conceive - this applies to both egg and sperm health.
Cycling can impact sperm health
In fact, when it comes to sperm health it’s important to be aware of the potential impact of cycling. There are two reasons for this - 1) temperature. The testes are kept outside of the body for a reason - because it’s cooler! Outside of the body they are 2 degrees cooler which is optimal for sperm health. Wearing lycra and being out on a long cycle ride can make things really hot down there which isn’t great for sperm health. And 2) the seat. Cycle seats can put pressure on the blood supply to the testes, which can also damage sperm health.
Smoking is very damaging for egg and sperm health
There’s some evidence to suggest that smoking can age your ovaries by ten years, and there’s robust evidence to show that smoking can destroy sperm for three months. It takes three months to produce sperm and smoking can impact sperm for this whole duration. If you take one thing away from this post it’s that stopping smoking is an incredibly powerful thing you can do to nurture your fertility health. The evidence around vaping isn’t as plentiful, but there is some indication that it can damage sperm health, so this is something to be aware of too. And passive smoke can also be damaging for fertility health - just like it can for health in general.
Be mindful of alcohol
The Department of Health recommends that women and those trying for a baby abstain from alcohol. That is in part due to the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome occurring in those who may not realise they are pregnant. There is also some research to show that drinking alcohol at particular times of the cycle may impact on fertility as well. For this reason, we generally recommend that when you’re trying to conceive you don’t drink alcohol. However, if you’re on a protracted fertility journey it’s also important to consider your overall happiness - is a glass of wine definitely going to stop you getting pregnant? Probably not. So it’s important to think about the wider picture too, think about moderation and being mindful of alcohol use. Binge drinking can have the same effect on sperm health as smoking and can knock the sperm off for that three month period, so advice about alcohol moderation isn’t just for women and those with ovaries.
Reduce exposure to toxins where you can
Many of us are more mindful of the impact of toxins and plastics on our body these days, and this is the same for fertility health just as is th case for general health too. BPA is a type of plastic which we know is an endocrine disruptor, which disrupts the hormones in the body. Those hormones are really important for fertility, so ingesting endocrine disruptors can impact on your hormonal health. Other toxins to be aware of are parabens which exist in a lot of beauty products - shampoos, conditioners, deodorant, skincare, makeup, perfume etc. It can be useful to do a little audit of what you’re using and then next time you purchase a product see if you can purchase a paraben free version. This isn’t to say that you need to throw out all your products, but that it might be something to think about when you stock up or replace a product. With household cleaning fluids, you can consider wearing gloves when you use them to reduce your exposure, and to make sure you use them in a ventilated area. You can also choose to buy organic, chemical free versions of these too.
You can get more advice from Kate in our Fertility Pack, an online course to empower you with fertility knowledge and support you on your journey to conception. Or head over to our YouTube channel where you can watch Kate’s FREE Fertility Masterclass!