You may not be trying to become pregnant right now. However, it is important to understand what factors might influence your success if you decide to create a family and what you can do now to prepare. Let’s dig deeper without further ado. 

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1. Age

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times: age is the most influential factor in fertility. Women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have, and as we get older, the amount and quality of those eggs drop. Menopause may not occur until your early 50s, but for most women, fertility starts to fall drastically around the age of 35. By the age of 40, a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant are less than 5% every menstrual cycle, which means that fewer than 5 out of every 100 women will be successful each month they try. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you will not become pregnant and will not have to take prenatals one day.

2. Genetics

Genes, like so many other aspects of human health, have a significant impact on fertility, including the age of menopause. In fact, if your mother, sister, or grandmother went through early menopause before the age of 40, you’re six times more likely to do as well. Furthermore, Stanford University researchers recently uncovered a relationship between specific genetic markers and hormone levels, implying that our reproductive lifetime may be almost entirely determined by our DNA.

3. Hormones

We’ve already discussed the critical role that hormones play in achieving and maintaining pregnancy. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers, traveling back and forth between glands and organs to instruct them when and how to activate; any change in your hormone levels may affect how your body works. Many hormones are involved in the process of ovulation and conception. These includeÆ

  • Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), 
  • Luteinizing hormone (LH),
  • Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), 
  • Estrogen, 
  • Progesterone.

Each of these must be present at the right time and in the right amount to ensure that the process runs smoothly. For example, enough progesterone levels are required for ovulation, embryo implantation, and early pregnancy; insufficient levels may result in infertility or miscarriage.

Furthermore, if other hormones not involved in ovulation are excessively high, they may disrupt your body’s delicate equilibrium. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a prevalent cause of infertility. PCOS is generally characterized by increased androgens (male sex hormones such as testosterone), which impede a woman’s body from ovulating normally.

4. Anatomical or Gynecological Concerns

Infertility may arise as a consequence of reproductive organ damage caused by injury or illness. One example is pelvic inflammatory disease, an infection of the higher reproductive system; scar tissue from PID may obstruct a woman’s Fallopian tube(s), preventing ovulation or conception. Endometriosis, an illness in which tissue from the uterus starts to grow on other organs, creating swelling, cysts, or obstructions, may also hinder conception.

Furthermore, some women have inherent structural problems, such as a misshaped uterus or Fallopian tube anomalies, which might preclude conception. An anomaly like this is frequently present at birth and may not produce any additional symptoms — a woman may be unaware of it until she attempts to conceive.

5. Medical History

Unfortunately, certain medical procedures may impair a woman’s fertility. Thus, surgery on the ovaries — to remove a cyst or treat endometriosis — can harm the ovaries or deplete ovarian reserve. Chemotherapy and radiation, although clearly life-saving therapies for cancer and other diseases, may kill or damage a woman’s eggs, resulting in premature menopause. In reality, egg freezing was originally created to allow women who were going to endure fertility-damaging therapies to preserve their chances of conception in the future. Other medical conditions, such as an untreated sexually transmitted infection, might reduce fertility by producing pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and scarring in the reproductive system.

6. Lifestyle

Let’s face it: your age, genetics, and biology have the biggest influence on your fertility, but that doesn’t mean your lifestyle has no effect at all. According to the ASRM, up to 13% of infertility cases may be caused by cigarette smoking. Smoking depletes a woman’s ovarian reserve and causes chromosomal damage to her eggs. It is believed that women who smoke achieve menopause one to four years sooner than nonsmokers. Other lifestyle variables, like as being considerably overweight or underweight, or having an erratic sleep pattern, may also have an impact on fertility by causing a hormonal imbalance.

What Can You Do to Improve Your Fertility?

Making healthy lifestyle choices may help you in this journey. Take the following steps:

  • Maintain a healthy weight — Being excessively overweight or underweight might prevent you from producing eggs (ovulation) and having regular cycles.
  • Avoid sexually transmitted illnesses — Infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhea are primary causes of infertility.
  • Try not to work the overnight shift — Working the night shift all the time may impact your hormone levels. This may increase the chance of infertility. If you work the night shift, strive to get adequate rest while you’re not working.

Stress is unlikely to impact your fertility. However, stress has a negative impact on your health. Consider strategies to reduce stress. When trying to conceive, consider meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or other stress-reduction techniques.

Final Say!

If you are considering becoming pregnant, you may be concerned that certain lifestyle choices may make the process more difficult. Consult your healthcare provider about measures to boost your fertility and increase your chances of becoming pregnant.