LOWER YOUR INFERTILITY COSTS ( Part II ) Baby Making 101: Take Charge – Lifestyle Issues Do Matter

LOWER YOUR INFERTILITY COSTS       Part II

(Baby Making 101:   Take Charge – Lifestyle Issues Do Matter)

            Preserving Your Future Fertility

$          Proper choices and things you do or don’t do when younger, can impact your ability to have a baby in later years. Eating disorders, illicit drugs, or STDs can cause lasting damage.

            Don’t Delay- Your Biological Clock Is Ticking

$          Be aware that age is the most crucial factor affecting a woman’s fertility. 

Ovarian reserve (egg supply) should be evaluated.

Cycle day 2-4: Estradiol & FSH and US (Antral follicle count); 

Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH)

$          Fertility decreases with age for men and women but women are born with a limited number of eggs. Fertility starts to decline in your 20's and more dramatically after age 35. Success rates for IVF decrease dramatically for women in their late 30's and 40's.

Just Say No  & Try Clean Living

$          You should focus on the simple things:

Don’t smoke- you must quit if you do smoke!

If you drink alcohol, take it easy

Don’t do illicit drugs - anabolic steroids/ cocaine/ marijuana

Prescription, as well as over-the-counter drugs, such as painkillers, anti-inflammatory medications, hormones and antidepressants can adversely affect your fertility. 

$          You should eat right so you can maintain a healthy weight  

$          Avoid foods with excessive caffeine or additives. 

$          Choose healthy foods with folic acid and calcium.

$          Women should also take a prenatal vitamin supplement that contains at least 1000 mg daily of folic acid to help prevent birth defects.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

$          Weight is another important concern… being obese or too thin adversely affects fertility.

$          Body weight significantly affects blood estrogen levels. If a woman has too much body fat, she will produce too much estrogen in her adipose tissue, which can often interfere with proper ovulation. Increased estrogen levels also significantly increase her risks for breast and uterine cancer. Insulin resistance and obesity play a major role in conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). A weight loss of just 5-10% of body weight has a very beneficial impact on infertility treatment pregnancy success rates.

$          In contrast, if a woman has too little body fat, she can’t produce enough estrogen and her reproductive system often fails, resulting in a lack of ovulation and menstrual periods. Anorexia can lead to serious and occasionally permanent damage to the brain’s hypothalamic and pituitary function, which results in secondary ovarian failure.

$          Regular exercise is important in trying to have a baby, but don’t overdo it. Moderation is the key to good fertility. Excessive exercise results in hypothalamic and pituitary dysfunction, which worsens pregnancy success rates, for spontaneous pregnancies and even with IVF treatments.

$          However, you should put lifestyle changes in proper perspective…

Don’t waste too much time focusing just on lifestyle changes. They are certainly important, but too often infertility is due to the woman’s age or an underlying disease in the male or female. Get in to see a doctor for an evaluation, sooner rather than later.

Know Your Body & Your Own Fertility

Charting or Tracking Suspected Ovulation

$          You can download free easy to use basal body temperature (BBT) charts by simply typing: “free BBT chart” into Google or your favorite search engine. BBT charting is inexpensive, but has very limited value in predicting when you may ovulate.

$          Many women experience Mittelschmerz, the mid cycle pain associated with ovulation so be aware of your body’s symptoms. The ‘ovulation pain’ may occur one day before, during, or after ovulation, but it can still be somewhat useful to look for.

$          Ovulation predictor tests. You should purchase an ovulation predictor kit (OPK). These kits measure the amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) in your urine. LH levels surge in your blood and urine 24-36 hrs before ovulation takes place. The less expensive ‘store brands’ at CVS, Osco and Walgreens are adequate.

$          The OPK lets you know many hours before you ovulate, giving you time to have well-timed baby making sex during your body’s optimal fertility time.

$          Another ovulation predictor tool is the daily fertility monitor.   This instrument is pricy at about $200 for the initial monitor and $50 a month for refills. 

$          However, remember the fertility monitor is effective really only for women with fairly normal and predictable cycles.