Disclaimer: This is a list based on research. I do not have a medical degree and before taking any of the below as hard facts, please check in with your doctor (especially if fertility is a major concern of yours.)
Fertility is an important consideration, whether you’re trying to get pregnant now or you simply know that you want the option to have children in the future.
Your actions today could impact your options years from now, so it’s important for women to think about their fertility no matter what their current plans are.
Exposure to Artificial Light
If you’re like most Americans, you face a lot of exposure to artificial light.
You look at your phone, tablet, or computer throughout the day, then go home to consume more back-lit entertainment. The average American household has the television on for over eight hours every day.
The problem with all this artificial light is that it disrupts your body’s natural sense of daylight.
Darkness plays a major role in supporting your body’s natural circadian rhythms, which help you sleep.
An excess of artificial light doesn’t just disrupt your sleep schedule; it also decreases your melatonin, which is responsible for protecting women’s eggs from free-radical damage.
Those extra hours you spend looking at a tablet in the evening or checking your phone from bed could ultimately contribute to lowered fertility.
Excessive Exercise
You’ve probably heard about the link between obesity and decreased fertility, so perhaps you’ve engaged in a rigorous exercise regimen to help protect your future ability to conceive.
Unfortunately, there’s a very fine line that you need to toe here. Extreme exercise will actually make it more difficult to get pregnant.
Exercise boosts your endorphin levels, which will lower your FSH and LH hormones, ultimately making it more difficult to get pregnant and potentially even increasing your chances of miscarriage.
If you’re actively trying to get pregnant, it is widely believed that you should limit yourself to about an hour of high intensity exercise each day.
Different Types of Birth Control
Birth control is an important consideration if you’re not ready to get pregnant.
Most women who choose a birth control method think only of its current effectiveness, but if you want to have children in the future, we need to think about the long-term implications as well.
Progesterone injections can have a lasting effect that makes it difficult to get pregnant for up to six months after you’ve stopped.
Birth control pills, however, cycle out of your system much sooner, and can even give you an unexpected surge in fertility right after you quit taking them.
It’s a myth that the pill takes months to get out of your system, so don’t hesitate to speak to a fertility specialist if you’re having trouble getting pregnant after you stop the pill.
Exposure to Household Chemicals
Everyday products like paint, cleaning solvents, pesticides, office products, and building materials contain thousands of chemicals, many of which are potentially harmful to your reproductive health.
Female infertility is linked to the glycol ethers found in consumer products and household solvents. Switch to organic and all-natural solutions to stay safe.
Taking smart steps now to protect your fertility can help you conceive more quickly and easily in the future.
As always, if you have additional concerns about your individual health, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor as soon as possible.
