Getting Pregnant
Protect your fertility and your chance to have a little miracle.
Are you having problems getting pregnant? Even if you delay having children, decisions you make now can impact on your ability to conceive when you feel ready. Choices you make today in your lifestyle, such as practicing safe sex, selecting healthy foods, giving up smoking and reducing your intake of alcohol can all contribute positively to your chances of having a healthy baby in the future. Did you know that the age of the female is perhaps the most important issue when it comes to being able to conceive?
Age in women.
A woman is most fertile in her 20′s and early 30′s. The risk of miscarriage increases at age 35 to 18% and at age 40 to 36%. By age 42, 80-90% of a woman’s eggs are abnormal.
Age in men.
Older men take up to 5 times longer to get a woman pregnant than men under 25. Sperm DNA (the genetic make up) begins to decline in a man’s late 30′s.
Smoking.
If you smoke, you are probably already aware of the health risks involved. But perhaps you don’t know that smoking can affect your ability to have children and causes infertility in both women and men.
Body Weight
12% of infertility cases are a result of either weighing too much or too little. Make sure you get advice on following a healthy eating plan.
Alcohol
There is no safe level of alcohol consumption when trying to have a baby. Moderation is the key. For the men, binge drinking is a big no no.
Safe sex
Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) are a leading cause of infertility and often there are no systems. Protect yourself by practising safe sex.
As well as the affect on fertility, the above factors also have an affect on birth complications.