The most important thing you can do for your reproductive health is to take control of it. It’s as simple as that. And it’s something we all need to be doing.
Fertility is a complicated topic, but it doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating. You don’t have to be a doctor or scientist to understand how your lifestyle affects your reproductive health — and the more you know about how your fertility works and what factors affect it, the better equipped you’ll be to make smart choices about your body.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about female and male fertility and how our lifestyle affects our reproductive health.
We’ll also discuss some frequently asked questions about fertility.
Table of Contents
What Is Fertility?
Fertility is the ability to reproduce, or the state of being fertile. A person’s fertility depends on age, health, and reproductive anatomy.
Female Fertility
Female fertility is the ability of a woman to become pregnant. A woman’s reproductive system is designed to make her body a hospitable environment for a developing embryo, which means that it has to be able to detect and respond to the signs that indicate that fertilization has occurred.
Female fertility also includes the ability of a woman to carry a pregnancy to term. This includes not only having enough eggs available for fertilization but also having healthy uterine tissue that can sustain a fetus’s development for 40 weeks or more.
Male Fertility
Male fertility is the process by which a man produces sperm and is capable of fathering a child. Each day, a man’s testicles produce millions of sperm, which come together in semen. The semen is then released from the body through ejaculation during sexual intercourse.
When a man has sex with a woman, it’s his sperm that fertilizes her egg and creates an embryo in her uterus. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the woman will menstruate again about two weeks later.
Lifestyle Factors Affecting Reproductive Fertility
According to reproductive fertility articles, the most common lifestyle factors affecting reproductive fertility are:
Exercise
Regular physical activity helps keep your body healthy and fit. It can also help you lose weight (if you need to), reduce stress, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improve sleep quality, boost mood and self-esteem and even improve your sex life!
Diet
Diet can play a huge role in reproductive fertility. The foods you eat affect your body’s ability to produce healthy eggs, as well as sperm count and quality. Make sure you’re eating the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Additionally, it is important to drink enough water each day.
Alcohol
Alcohol is the most common cause of reduced fertility in women, and it is also a risk factor for erectile dysfunction in men. It has been shown to decrease sperm count and motility, as well as increase the risk of miscarriage.
Illicit Drugs
The use of illicit drugs can harm reproductive fertility. Illicit drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, may affect male and female reproductive organs, respectively.
Marijuana has been shown to decrease testosterone levels in men, which can lead to decreased sperm production and motility. Cocaine has been associated with reduced fertility rates in women.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Infertility?
Reproductive infertility is the inability to conceive a child after a year of unprotected intercourse. Infertility can be caused by problems with either you or your partner. Infertility can also be caused by age, medical conditions, lifestyle choices, and more!
What Are Some Causes of Infertility?
Infertility is a very common problem and one that can be treated in most cases. The most common causes of infertility are:
- Lifestyle choices
- Age (most women over 35 struggle with infertility)
- Being overweight or obese (it can cause hormonal problems and make it harder to get pregnant)
- Genetics (if your parents struggled with infertility, you are more likely to have the same issue)
- Smoking (it can decrease fertility and increase miscarriage risk)
- Excessive exercise (it increases your risk of endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease, both of which can impact fertility)
How Do I Know If I’m Fertile?
There are a few different ways to figure out if you’re fertile. One of the most common methods is tracking your menstrual cycle so that you can predict when you’ll ovulate and when you should have sex with your partner to conceive a child.
Another way is using an ovulation predictor kit from your doctor or local pharmacy. These kits measure changes in your hormones throughout the month, which can indicate that it’s time for conception!
What Does a Healthy Reproductive System Look Like?
A healthy reproductive system should have no pain or discomfort when you have sex or during menstrual cycles. You should also be able to maintain a healthy weight and have regular periods that come around every 28 days (though some women will have shorter or longer cycles).
