Getting pregnant can be a big challenge. In fact, seeking pregnancy is one of the most important decisions in a couple, but getting it is not always easy.
There are many factors that can influence the positive yearning, 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)can you get pregnant (or, at the very least, improve your chances of pregnancy).
What do we understand by lifestyle?
Many times you have read that lifestyle is very important when looking for a baby. It's true, but… what is everyone referring to when they talk about lifestyle?
Lifestyle is a sociological concept that, in the field of health, is made up of the 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 has a lot to do with 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. Here are some tips and scientific evidence that can help you improve fertility and achieve pregnancy.
Choose foods rich in iron
A diet rich in iron can lower the risk of ovulatory infertility (Based on 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, the fact of adding a little vitamin C to the dish (such as that present in citrus fruits, peppers or red fruits) increases the absorption of iron.
The fertility diet
In 2007, a team of Harvard researchers published a study, "The Fertility diet" (on which a book was published 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 from 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 of the Mediterranean diet:
- Eat less trans fat, and more healthy fats like olive oil or avocado.
- Eat more plant and less animal protein.
- Eat a diet high in fiber, low in carbohydrate-rich, high-glycemic foods (including pasta and refined cereals).
- Take vitamins suitable for pregnancy.
- High-fat dairy instead of skim.
En general, eat more vegetables, less saturated fat, including half of whole grains and eating foods rich in calcium should be sufficient for the supply of nutrients necessary for adequate fertility. In addition, this will allow the weight to be adequate, which leads us to another of the tips around fertility.
Here is a post where we talk about. the best fertility nutrition books.
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 from being overweight or underweight. Weight problems can disrupt hormone levels and ovulation regularity, which can make pregnancy difficult.
In the case of being overweight, a loss of as little as 5% in weight may be enough to get pregnant.
If you are looking for a pregnancy, exercise ... in moderation
Studies show that Exercise is good to maintain a healthy weight, which we have already seen that positively affects 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 well-being that keeps stress, one of the great enemies of fertility, at bay.
In the case of exercise, limit very high intensity exercises to about five hours a week, as they could alter the chances of getting pregnant.
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 the pregnancy has already 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 green leafy vegetables, and is necessary to prevent neural tube defects in the baby, which develops when many women are not yet aware that they are pregnant.
How stress influences you to get pregnant
Stress can have consequences on fertility, so much masculine as Feminine
Today's society often carries 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 for yourself, to avoid that the questions of family and friends can be a burden on your mind. You can also decide to go together to yoga, attend meditation classes, or get a joint massage.
In addition to strengthening your relationship with your partner, you will also be improving your chances of getting pregnant.
The lifestyle has a great influence on 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