Tips To Boost Female Fertility
What can women do to optimise their fertility?
As with most areas of health, the way we live our lives can impact on how well our body functions. There is now an increasing understanding of the impact of lifestyle on the chance of spontaneous conception and success in IVF.
Women are advised to take a proactive approach to optimising pre-conceptual conditions.
Lifestyle factors that affect fertility
These are the common lifestyle factors associated with reduced fertility:
- Diet and BMI
Diet and BMI (body mass index) play an important role in the proper functioning of the male and female reproductive systems. Women who are overweight or underweight are less likely to conceive compared to those who have a BMI between 18 and 25.
- Smoking
Stopping smoking is advised for both partners. The carcinogens in cigarettes are harmful to sperm and eggs and they reduce the overall chances of pregnancy.
- Alcohol
Alcohol intake can affect fertility. Whilst trying to conceive, consumption should be limited to no more than a few drinks a week for each partner.
- Stress
Stress is believed to have a negative impact on the chances of conception. Doing whatever you can to be calm and relaxed during this difficult time is recommended.
Understand your ovarian reserve
For women the chances of achieving a pregnancy fall sharply after the age of 35. By 40, even though a woman may still be menstruating normally, the quality of her remaining eggs is reduced and the chances of conception are low. This is a limiting factor not only for normal conception but also in IVF. A variety of tests may be employed to give a better prediction of ovarian reserve than age alone.
Information to help family planning
Adopting healthy lifestyle practices to promote your fertility and avoiding things that can damage it, can improve your chances of conceiving.
You may also wish to have a better picture of your own fertility health to support your family planning and this can be offered through our Fertility Check.
We can help you optimise your fertility
Complete Fertility’s Preconception Programme aims to optimise conditions for a healthy pregnancy. The programme starts with an individual consultation with our specially trained nurses who work with you to draw up a personal profile indicating what factors you might be able to influence to improve your chances of conceiving either with or without fertility treatments. They will then work with you to look at the options available to help you make those changes.
Female factor infertility
Dysfunction of the female reproductive organs is apparent in around 40% of infertile couples. Ovulation dysfunction, where an egg is not released from the ovary every month, is the single most common cause of female infertility. Other common problems include tubal disease and endometriosis.
If you want to understand more about your fertility, book an appointment with a consultant to develop your personal conception plan or sign up for our preconception programme.
