Know your healthy weight<\/b><\/p>\n
An unhealthy weight \u2013 in either partner \u2013 can have a significant impact on the ability to conceive. Obesity can cause problems from conception right through to delivery and beyond. Being overweight or obese not only reduces the chance of a couple conceiving naturally, but also means fertility treatment, such as IVF, is less likely to be successful.<\/p>\n
Research shows that obesity can lower sperm counts in men by up to 50%, with overweight men also more likely to suffer erectile dysfunction and have a higher rate of DNA fragmentation in sperm. The main effect of weight on fertility in women is failure to ovulate. However, fertility is improved with a relatively modest degree of weight loss or gain. Around 90% of obese women will resume ovulation if they lose less than 5% of their body weight.<\/p>\n
Don’t smoke <\/strong><\/p>\n Smoking is toxic to human eggs and has long lasting negative effects even after a woman stops. Smoking can also impact sperm health.<\/p>\n Reduce alcohol and coffee consumption <\/strong><\/p>\n While the exact number of alcoholic drinks needed to affect fertility is unclear, the best advice remains to reduce alcohol consumption to one or two glasses a day or cut it out altogether. There is no hard or fast rule with caffeine but it\u2019s recommended to consume no more than two cups of coffee a day.<\/p>\n Boost those vitamins<\/strong><\/p>\n Folate is recommended for all women as it reduces the risk of neural tube defects (eg spina bifida). Many woman are also deficient in vitamin D and iodine – both are also considered an essential part of a woman\u2019s preconception care. It\u2019s recommended those wanting to conceive add prenatal vitamins to their diet three months before starting to try.<\/p>\n\n For more information on world leading fertility specialists Genea, visit genea.com.au<\/a><\/p>\n To listen to Season 2 of the Modern Babies podcast by Genea visit genea.com.au\/podcast<\/a><\/p>\n\n