Trying to conceive is almost a battle for many. No future mother knows when she will “get pregnant” to prepare accordingly. Fortunately, there are several ways we can increase our chances of conceiving, from determine ovulation days to working in ways that helps getting pregnant. But sometimes, what you don’t do is more important than what you try to do. Here are 11 causes of trouble conceiving.
1. Smoking causes trouble conceiving
Surely young women have planned to abandon bad habits to best prepare for the big day. And we certainly should. In particular, quit smoking will bring tremendous benefits. According to studies, women who smoke will have difficulty conceiving. The trouble may be reasoned from tobacco smoke which:
- makes human eggs more susceptible to genetic mutations.
- increases the risk of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
If the situation is so difficult that in vitro fertilization is needed, women who smoke only have 50% more success than those who avoid tobacco.
Smoking is a leading cause of fertility problems.
In addition, husbands should quit smoking too. Studies show that smokers have:
- Much lower sperm number;
- Reduced sperm speed.
- Significantly higher chance of malformed sperm.
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2. Drink too much coffee
Stay calm, because we don’t need to give up on this cool hobby right away. But if you’re taking up to 200 mg of caffeine a day – equivalent to 8 cups per day – then you should reduce it immediately. Consumption of caffeine has been linked to many fertility problems.
Another study found that caffeine also reduced sperm speed and quality for men.
In addition, this substance should not be absorbed during pregnancy, because caffeine causes:
- Reduced absorption of iron micronutrients – important micronutrients in blood formation and folic acid;
- Reducing the amount of water in the body – directly affecting the production of amniotic fluid;
- When present in high amounts, caffeine increases the likelihood of miscarriage;
- At the same time, it also increases the risk of birth defects.
So, are you determined to give up coffee now? It is worth sacrificing 1 “friend” to boost fertility.
3. Drink a lot of alcohol
This is not good news for many modern city girls. However, if you want to get pregnant, you should refuse the invitations to the bar. Or at least, you should drink only mineral water when you go there. Because drinking more than 2 glasses of wine per day is related to:
- Disturbing your menstrual cycle;
- Preventing ovulation;
- Unusual estrogen and progesterone levels;
- The result is a much more trouble conceiving.
In addition, drinking a lot of alcohol also makes it harder to keep track of your body temperature. This means it will be harder to determine the day of ovulation. This drink is both directly and indirectly harmful to pregnancy.
If you still find that the reason is not compelling enough to quit drinking, see other reasons:
- Drinking alcohol while pregnant will lead to a series of mental retardation syndrome;
- Alcohol is also responsible for many postpartum risks;
- Usually it is only at the 2nd or 3rd week of pregnancy that a woman knows she’s pregnant. At this time, alcohol residues have been absorbed by the fetus. Although they will not be “congenital alcoholism” as we tend to joke, but it’s certain that your child’s health will not be as good as those not affected by alcohol.
- In addition, alcohol lowers sperm quality. Therefore, the husbands should also quit drinking. Even limited intake (about 1 glass per day) also significantly affects fertility.
4. Obesity or skinny
Do you think you’re too skinny or obese? Please calculate your body mass index BMI for specific information. A BMI that is too low (<18.5) or too high (> 30) causes irregular menstrual periods or missed periods. In addition, being too thin can stop you ovulating due to the lack of conditions for the developing fetus. Obesity is more serious and more harmful to pregnancy. This disease causes difficulties in conception, such as:
- Gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, a woman’s body changes a lot, her resistance decreases and she is more likely to get sick. If unfortunate pregnancy diarrhea, fetal health will be affected. The fetus can have physical and mental retardation.
- Preeclampsia;
- Birth defects;
- Increased chances of caesarean.
Therefore, being fit is very important for pregnancy.
If you are too thin or too fat, see your dietitian right away for appropriate corrective measures:
- Have a proper serving, not too little or too much;
- Consume enough nutrition, do not bias of any food;
- Exercise regularly;
- Be hydrated.
Sometimes, just adjusting your body weight a few kg is enough to make you “pregnant” or “not having it”.
5. Say NO to vegetables
Out ancestors passed on the experience that eating certain vegetables or meat is more likely to get pregnant. Scientifically, this is much more believable than justified. However, doctors agree on one thing: when the body is in a healthy state, getting pregnant will be easier. Therefore, a proper diet is essential.
Another reason to eat lots of spinach, and give up fried foods, is folic acid. Prospective mothers need at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily to have a favorable pregnancy.
Vitamin B in leafy green vegetables should be fully supplemented by the body before conception. This micronutrient helps prevent birth defects.
6. No dental care
This factor that trouble conceiving is unexpected and very rare. We clean our teeth every day, there is no such thing as someone who is lazy to clean her teeth then have unexplained infertility!
However, the dentist will give you a more complete answer. At the same time, the doctor will guide proper oral hygiene. Both you and your spouse should be hygienic – at least, for hygienic reasons.
In terms of fertility and pregnancy, not having oral hygiene will lead to:
- Reduce sperm count;
- If the mother has gingivitis, the fetus is more likely to have a premature birth, and also lighter in weigh.
7. Inactive can cause trouble conceiving
You have hundreds of reasons not to exercise:
- Too busy at work;
- It is difficult to follow a regular schedule due to the nature of the work that regularly demands time switches;
- The gym is too far;
- The weather is too hot, or too cold …
Forget them all now! This study shows that moderate but regular physical exercise – walking, cycling, playing golf, gardening … helps getting pregnant easier.
8. Too much exercising
Contrary to the above case, too heavy exercise affects the ability to get pregnant. We all want to keep our body slim, but don’t overdo it. In the same study mentioned above, too much exercising lengthen the time you need to conceive.
You don’t have to skip morning jogging altogether. It is good actually. But do not run too much so that jogging disturbs the menstrual cycle.
In fact, many marathon runners and bodybuilders have been upset for this reason.
9. BPA
BPA is the word you often see on many water bottles and food containers. They stand for Bi-Phenol A and are quite harmful to pregnancy. Scientists believe that excessive exposure to BPA reduces the fertility of both men and women:
- Reduce sperm count; and
- Reduce the number of fertile eggs.
Therefore, stay away from BPA by:
- Do not use plastic containers to store food;
- Do not use food contained in plastic containers;
Many infant items today have “No BPA” written on them. Develop a habit of looking at labels, especially plastic products, to protect your child’s health!
10. Stress is a major obstacle to pregnancy
Everyone of us is stressed, only to a lesser or worse extent. While experts don’t have concrete evidence that stress interferes with conception, we can actually feel this. High levels of stress obviously affect genital organs:
- For men, it is decreased libido.
- For women, it’s menstrual cycle disorder.
Women with high and prolonged stress are twice as likely to be infertile due to disorders. Not to mention, the difficulty of conception alone causes significant stress.
If you feel stress is affecting your life and health, especially fertility, see a doctor right away! Some studies show that there are many alternative medicine to treat stress. You can do yoga, or massage – reflexology, moderate exercise…
The above methods have all shown significant effectiveness in reducing the waiting time for the signs of the fetus.
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11. Fish contains high levels of mercury
Some fish contain higher levels of mercury than others. Typically: bass, shark, Emperor mackerel, swordfish, bigeye tuna. High levels of mercury in the blood are the direct agents of harm in pregnancy in both men and women.
In addition, this toxin can survive in the body for up to a year. They cause serious and permanent damage to the nervous system and fetal development. Therefore, staying away from mercury is the best way to have a healthy fetus.
But what if you missed seafood? There are still many other options for our sisters:
- Shrimps, crabs, oysters, oysters, scallops;
- Anchovies, whitefish, halibut, catfish;
- Tilapia, herring, cod, sardines, salmon …
During pregnancy, pregnant women are encouraged to eat fish to have enough nutrients for the fetus. With the above safe fish, expectant mothers can feel secure for their children.
Further reading:
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