Lifestyle choices have defining impacts on our health and fertility, and lifestyle is generally something everyone can change for free. Making positive lifestyle choices can make a massive difference to conception rates and the health of our children. We provide the latest research on 12 lifestyle factors so you can fully understand the issues and optimise your fertility.
Negative lifestyle choices reduce a couple’s chances of conceiving each month, and they add up to the extent that couples with four or more negative lifestyle factors are seven times more likely to be sub-fertile, and couples with four out of these five lifestyle choices usually take seven times longer to conceive: iii
- Either partner smokes 15 + cigarettes a day
- The woman’s BMI is over 25 (overweight)
- The woman drinks six + cups of coffee or tea a day
- The man drinks over 20 units of alcohol a week
- Social deprivation
No. of lifestyle factors: ○: none, ■: one, ×: two, ∆: three, ♦: four or more (Hassan, 2004)
- 83% of couples without negative lifestyle factors get pregnant within a year of trying
- Under 40% of the couples with four or more lifestyle factors conceive in that year
- 97% of couples without negative lifestyle factors are pregnant after two years of trying
- 64% of couples with four or more factors are pregnant after two years
Most of the factors are pretty easy to change (caffeine or alcohol and smoking are three) with a bit of help and determination, real changes in fertility are possible! Morefertile provides excellent research on 12 lifestyle factors:
Substances
Factors
Health and lifestyle affect fertility profoundly, and healthy lifestyles promote greater fertility. Negative lifestyle factors accelerate ageing, directly reduce egg and sperm health, change the hormone balance of both sexes and make miscarriage more likely. Improve your health and fertility by:
- Making fewer negative lifestyle choices
- Engaging in positive lifestyle options
- Discovering your Personal Fertility Profile (PFP) and follow the personalised
- Seeing a fertility specialist if you’ve been trying for over a year unsuccessfully
Lifestyle Benefits
Lifestyle affects more than just fertility, so this advice applies to a range of other conditions (including cardiovascular disease and diabetes) with links to fertility. ii The many benefits of positive lifestyle choices include:
- Better general health
- Greater natural fertility
- More success with IVF
- Better mood
- Fewer health risks
- Lower fertility costs
- Lower medical insurance costs
- Fewer complications in pregnancy
- Lower risk of miscarriage
- Better health for children
