Today on the blog, we are going to share with you some must-know facts about fertility.
1. You are most fertile before ovulation happens.
If you can believe it or not, the day you are ovulating, you have a probability to get pregnant if you have sex about five days before. This happens because once the egg leaves your ovary, the sperm has roughly 12 to 24 hours to get conception to happen. Sperm can actually remain inside your body for several days or even weeks after having sex. Just to throw this out there, the more sperm you get in there ahead of time it will increase your likelihood of getting pregnant.
2. Your sense of smell is heightened when you’re ovulating.
If you’ve been smelling weird things all day this is completely normal and could potentially mean it’s the optimal baby-making time. So instead of complaining about all the not so pleasant smells, it might be worth a shot to try.
3. Fertility issues can affect both genders.
Fertility issues are a couple’s issue and can affect both parties. Fertility is not just a woman’s problem that most people think. When a couple seeks help to address fertility issues it can be broken down into thirds, male infertility, female infertility, and a combination problem (both partners are contributing to infertility).
4. Get a simple blood test to check your egg reserve.
Checking your egg reserve something worth asking your doctor about especially if you want to wait to have children because it will let you know how much time you have left to get pregnant. You can discuss with your doctor about your lifestyle choices, other health factors (illness or diseases that you may have) and family reproductive history, all of these factors can impact your ability to get pregnant.
5. Your lifestyle choices impact your fertility too.
By making simple changes to your lifestyle choices, it can potentially make a positive impact on your fertility. This applies to both men and women. Here is a gender breakdown as to what can impact your fertility.
FOR WOMEN:
- Smoking cigarettes
- Secondhand cigarette smoke exposure
- Chronic stress level
- Drinking excess amounts of alcohol
- Poor diet and lack of exercise
FOR MEN:
- Smoking marijuana can impact your sperm count
- Taking steroids can hurt your fertility
- Drinking alcohol
- Smoking cigarettes
- Poor diet
6. Your mother’s reproductive history has the potential to tell you something about your own fertility.
If your mother experienced menopause early (early forties or late thirties), it is a potential sign that you could struggle with infertility. Not only does this apply to menopause, but if your mother experienced difficult pregnancies. Discuss this information with your doctor.
7. STIs can definitely impact your fertility.
If you’ve ever had an STI, then you should talk to your doctor about what that might mean. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are known to cause damage to your fallopian tubes. If your fallopian tubes are damaged in any way, it will make it harder to get pregnant in the future. Having either of those STIs can increase your risk of having an ectopic pregnancy. Lastly, considering that there are many STIs and they can also have an impact your fertility, so ask your doctor for more information about that.
Did any of these facts surprise you or did we miss something? Let us know in the comments.
