Getting pregnant can be a great challenge. In fact, seeking pregnancy is one of the most important decisions for a couple, but achieving it is not always easy.
There are many factors that can influence the desired positive, but what is clear is that lifestyle does matter.
In this article we will show you how your habits influence, and you will see that with some changes in your lifestyle (and your partner's), you can get pregnant (or, at the very least, improve your chances of pregnancy).
What do we understand by lifestyle?
You have often read that lifestyle is very important when looking for a baby. It's true, but... what does everyone mean when they talk about lifestyle?
Lifestyle is a sociological concept that, in the field of health, is made up of a set of habits and routines. family members who can influence the achieving a pregnancy. These include physical exercise, diet, consumption (or rather lack of) alcohol and other substances, and stress or stress management.
How does lifestyle influence fertility and pregnancy?
The Impact of Diet and Exercise on Fertility and Pregnancy
The way we eat greatly influences how our body performs all its vital functions. And among them, of course, are the reproductive functions. Hormonal balance, sperm quality, or regular menstrual cycles - which can facilitate conception - can be improved thanks to a healthy diet. Below, we give you some advice and scientific evidence that can help you improve fertility and achieve pregnancy.
Choose foods rich in iron
A diet rich in iron can reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility (according to the “Nurses Health Study II,” which monitored 18,500 women trying to get pregnant). Foods rich in iron that you can include in your diet are legumes, eggs, lentils, spinach or some whole grains. In addition, adding a little vitamin C to the dish (such as that found in citrus fruits, peppers or red fruits) increases iron absorption.
The fertility diet
In 2007, a team of Harvard researchers published a study, “The Fertility diet” (which was published in a book in 2009), which found that women who followed this diet had a 66% lower risk of ovulatory infertility, and a 27% reduction in the risk of infertility due to other causes than other women who did not follow this type of diet. This diet, designed to increase fertility and the chances of pregnancy, provided some recommendations today widely known from the Mediterranean diet:
- Eat less trans fats, and more healthy fats like olive oil or avocado.
- Eat more plant protein and less animal protein.
- Maintain a diet high in fiber, low in foods rich in carbohydrates and with a high glycemic index (including pasta and refined cereals).
- Take appropriate vitamins for pregnancy.
- High-fat dairy instead of skim.
In general, eat more vegetables, less saturated fat, including half of whole grains and eating foods rich in calcium should be sufficient to provide the nutrients necessary for adequate fertility. In addition, this will allow the weight to be adequate, which brings us to another of the tips around fertility.
Here I leave you a post where we talk about. The best nutrition books for fertility.
Maintain a healthy weight to improve your chances of pregnancy
Medical research reports that Almost 30% of infertility cases are due to weight problems, either due to excess weight or too low weight. Weight problems can alter hormone levels and the regularity of ovulation, which can make pregnancy more difficult.
In the case of overweight, A loss of just 5% of weight can be enough to get pregnant.
If you are trying to get pregnant, exercise...in moderation
Studies show that Exercise is good to maintain a healthy weight, which we have already seen that has a positive impact on the chances of getting pregnant. In addition to the benefits on weight and fitness, exercise has a clear psychological component, since it releases endorphins, and that generates a feeling of welfare that keeps stress at bay, one of the great enemies of fertility.
In the case of exercise, very high intensity exercises must be limited to about five hours per week, as they could alter the chances of achieving pregnancy.
Don't forget about folic acid
Although it is not literally something that helps fertility, it is true that Folic acid is of vital importance once pregnancy has been achieved.. Therefore, it is important that before conceiving, the woman already takes folic acid supplements.
In addition to supplements, folic acid is found in dark, leafy green vegetables, and is necessary to prevent defects in the baby's neural tube, which develops when many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant.
How stress influences whether you get pregnant
Stress can have consequences on fertility, both masculine as feminine.
Today's society often has in its DNA the fact of always running, and always having high doses of stress. Try, both you and your partner, manage stress and avoid external pressure to get pregnant. Keep this news to yourself, to prevent questions from family and friends from being another burden on your mind. You can also decide to go together yoga, attend meditation classes or give each other a joint massage.
In addition to strengthening your relationship, you will also be improving your chances of getting pregnant.
Lifestyle greatly influences the chances of getting pregnant.
It may interest you:
- Improve your fertility with an anti-inflammatory diet
- All about the best pregnancy tests, types and sensitivity
