[YOUR HEALTH] Causes of female infertility (2)

Behavioural factors

It is well-known that certain personal habits and lifestyle factors impact health and may limit a couple’s ability to conceive. Fortunately, however, many of these variables can be regulated to increase not only the chances of conceiving but also one’s overall health.

Diet and exercise: Optimal reproductive functioning requires both proper diet and appropriate levels of exercise. Women who are significantly overweight or underweight may have difficulty becoming pregnant.

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Smoking: Cigarette smoking has been shown to lower sperm counts in men, while it increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and low-birth-weight babies for women.  Smoking by either partner reduces the chance of conceiving with each cycle, either naturally or by IVF, by one-third.

Alcohol: Alcohol intake greatly increases the risk of birth defects for women and, if in high enough levels in the mother’s blood, may cause Foetal Alcohol Syndrome.  Alcohol also affects sperm counts in men; it is reckoned that a bottle of beer a day or three glasses of wine a day is dangerous for your reproductive health. In other words, alcohol should be avoided if you are thinking about conception.

Drugs: Drugs, such as marijuana and anabolic steroids, may impact sperm counts in men.  Cocaine use in pregnant women may cause severe retardations and kidney problems in the baby and is perhaps the worst possible drug to abuse while pregnant. Recreational drug like ecstasy use should be avoided, both when trying to conceive and when pregnant.

A good number of the behavioural factors affecting fertility can be well corrected in a medical spa that is equipped with some of the cutting-edge equipment to remove the accumulated toxins and encourage new lifestyle that will discourage such behaviours.

For instance Mayr clinics have been able to assist a significant number of  obese patients to get pregnant ordinarily or following filed IVF cycle by getting them to go through a Mayr therapy and losing between 10kg and 15kg in 10 days; while the underweight patient have been prepared to optimum weight.

Environmental, occupational factors

Substances that can cause mutations, birth defects, abortions, infertility or sterility are called reproductive toxins. The ability to conceive may be affected by exposure to these toxins or chemicals in the workplace or the surrounding environment. Disorders of infertility, reproduction, spontaneous abortion, and teratogenesis (inborn abnormalities caused by drugs and other substances) are among the top 10 work-related diseases and injuries in the U.S. today.  Four chemicals are now being regulated based on their documented infringements on conception.

a.       Heavy metals: Exposure to lead sources, mercury, titanium, oil fossils, petrochemical fumes, plastic, paint and other metals has been proved to negatively impact fertility in humans.  Lead can produce teratospermias (abnormal sperm) and is thought to be a substance that causes artificial abortion. Mercury and titanium, as present in large fish and dental fillings, can prevent the implantation of embryos.

b.       Medical treatments and materials: Repeated exposure to radiation, ranging from repeated simple X-rays to chemotherapy, has been shown to alter sperm production, as well as contribute to a wide array of ovarian problems.

c.       Ethylene oxide: A chemical used both in the sterilisation of surgical instruments and in the manufacturing of certain pesticides may cause birth defects in early pregnancy and has the potential to provoke early miscarriage.

d.       Dibromochloropropane (DBCP): Handling the chemicals found in pesticides, such as DBCP, can cause ovarian problems, leading to a variety of health conditions such as early menopause that may directly impact fertility.

In general, the understanding of the fact that environmental factors can create a lot of fertility problems has made it mandatory for cases of repeated IVF failures and early pregnancy loss patients to use the detoxification process before going through a fresh cycle in order to enhance the chances of  a successful pregnancy and normal live birth.

Concluded

- Oladapo Ashiru/Punch

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