Improving Fertility

Several factors impact not only your fertility, but your overall well being. 

12% of all infertility cases are a result of a woman either weighing too little or too much. The main ingredient in the body weight and fertility mix: estrogen—a sex hormone produced in fat cells. If a woman has too much body fat, the body produces too much estrogen and begins to react as if it is on birth control, limiting her odds of getting pregnant. A woman with too little body fat can’t produce enough estrogen and her reproductive cycle begins to shut down. Both under and overweight women have irregular cycles in which ovulation does not occur or is inadequate.

Cigarette smoking has a negative impact on the ability to become pregnant and carry a pregnancy to term. The effects of alcohol, marijuana and other recreational drugs are have not been clearly established. Nevertheless, such drug use generally should be discouraged for both men and women, particularly because they have well-documented harmful effects on the developing fetus.