“Love yourself enough to live a healthy lifestyle. A wise person ought to realize that health is the most valuable possession we have.” ― Hippocrates

If motherhood has ever crossed your mind, it is wise to identify and know potential risk factors that could hurt your fertility. When you know what not to do and things to do you will have a better chance of achieving a successful pregnancy when you are ready to actually get pregnant.

Here are things that can hinder your fertility:

• –Being either overweight or underweight
• –Consuming large amounts of caffeine, coffee, junk food, or having a bad diet
• –Having stress in your life or constantly being stressed out when trying to conceive
• –Having hormonal imbalances or taking certain prescribed medications
• –Using chemical based products or non-sperm-friendly lubrication during sex
• –Drinking alcohol to excess
• –Smoking or using tobacco
• –Consuming pesticides or being exposed to environmental hazards
• –Contracting STDs or diagnosed with illness such as endometriosis or cancer
• –Your age and pre-disposed genetic factors

Personally, I like to live life with everything in moderation. I think it is a good goal. Have fun, but don’t over do it too often. Explore, but know your limits. Don’t be afraid to try new things, but don’t go overboard. It is okay to have that glass of wine or bowl of ice cream, just remember too much of any good thing is really just too much. Switch it up from time to time. Go to bed earlier, drink more water, have the salad instead of steak. These are easy suggestions to make sure you keep balance in your life. It is okay if you start small, the most important thing is that you start.

Changing your diet or beginning a new exercises plan can significantly increase your odds of having a successful fertility treatment and cycle. Protein is usually the key factor. Patients who add daily protein increase the number of oocytes (eggs) they can produce. Research shows that the optimum diet for increasing fertility contains 30% protein and less than 40% carbohydrates. Then when in combination with exercise such as cardio, can boost your health and increase your fertility. Think of all the things you waste 10-20 minutes on a day. Get up 30 minutes earlier and run the stairs in your building or take your dog out for a longer walk. All simple solutions to boost your chances of increased fertility.

Beyond healthy eating you can also supplement your diet with adding vitamins. Vitamins can also contribute positively when preparing for a fertility cycle. Theralogix Nutritional Science offers supplements that are based on scientific evidence formulas and ingredients constantly being re-evaluated in light of the latest research trials. This means each supplement’s formulation has been approved by medical advisory board after an extensive, detailed review of the most current scientific research. Check out these preconception prenatal supplements like Ovasitol®, Essentia® Multivitamin, DHEA 25, or TheraNatal® Core. There are even reproductive health products for your man to take that will help with male fertility. Use Provider Referral Code (160661) when purchasing online for a discount.

Exercise has many health benefits and we all know physical activity is good for us. It is not rocket science, your family doctor or internist physician is not telling you to exercise just for fun. Working out or getting even 20 minutes of physical activity can decrease many healthcare issues. Exercise has so many long-term health benefits especially on fertility. However the over exercising can have an opposite effect. Exercising too much it can have a negative impact on ovulation. The most obvious sign of this potential problem is a change in menstrual cycle. There are many options for staying fit. Check out the newest apps like ClassPass to schedule your workouts or watch YouTube videos or even iTunes for exercises at home. This great website you can Skype with a trainer for comfortable sessions in your own home anywhere in the world. Or checkout Pinterest for workout ideas, the options are endless. The most important factor is that you just start to get into the best shape of your life before your fertility treatments.

The type of birth control you take before fertility treatments can be a factor for successful egg or embryo freezing during your cycle. There are many types of birth controls on the market, such as vaginal ring, the patch, implantation, injectable, pills, or IUD. A few birth control methods are not suggested to be taken if you are seeking out fertility treatments. One of these such birth controls is the injectable, Depo-Provera which prevents pregnancy and normal menstrual flow or ovulations for an average of 14 weeks. Another birth control methods such as IUD or implantation could cause decreases in egg production or complications when going through the hormones treatments. The product Yaz, Yasmin, or Ocella (several names for same product) birth control pills has an extra black box warning label for higher risk of blood clots with this type of progestin it contains.

While birth control in and by itself is not harmful and actually has health benefits, some brands use better hormone ingredients than others. Personally I use the vaginal option, NuvaRing, because I am not a good pill taker. It was very easy to take the ring out and stop my birth control when instructed to start my medication for egg freezing. It regulated my hormones and I am able to skip my periods if desired like continuous birth control method options. Birth control should not be used by women who have a history of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, undiagnosed vaginal bleeding, liver tumors or disease, increased clotting or stroke risk, or if pregnant.

There is no need to panic or feel the need to completely restructure your life, but small changes and certain lifestyle choices can have an impact on your fertility. Though there’s no one rule to improving your fertility, but trying to keep your body as healthy as possible can help make the process easier. Remember age and fertility are directly related so chances are that is a factor too. Just make the best choice for where you are today, don’t hesitate or wait a month longer. See a fertility specialist and start these discussions now.

Keep in mind, your mother’s indicators of fertility and genetics plays a big factor in your fertility as well. If you have the opportunity ask your mother what her struggles may have been when trying to conceive, how old was she, did she suffer any miscarriages or pregnancy losses? Genetics is not the only factor in fertility, but might help connect the dots if other factors don’t seem to add up. General health can also factor in. Things like polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, thyroid problem can affect a woman’s chances of getting pregnant or successfully carrying a pregnancy to term and could be the reason for infertility. Think of all these factors as puzzle pieces you are putting together. For each one that you connect you have a better picture of what is going on.

Hope the health reminders encouraged you to live a more healthy and happy life each day. Tell us what you think. We would love to hear from you and you’re your feedback. Do you have any health tips? What things do you do on an every day basis to help your future fertility? What small changes can you make in your life for long-term fertility benefits? What lifestyle decisions or changes are you making? What new long term and short term resolutions are you deciding to make? How do you plan to protect your fertility for years to come? Are you worried about any past decisions that could have hindered your fertility? Want to talk to someone about it? We would love to hear from you and answer your questions.