Five Reasons Behind Not Getting Pregnant
32 year old Mrs. SS and Mr HS attend on a Saturday, making the most use of their Saturday off. Both work in IT industry, and both work shift systems, one week of night shifts every 3 weeks.
SS tells me that it has been over an year since they have been having regular unprotected sexual intercourse to conceive a child and start a family. That one year unprotected sex is a hint to underlying infertility issue and they have come right in time.
I enquired general health of the couple, weight and medical history. There was nothing pointing out to a particular problem. Her egg reserves and his semen analysis came back to be normal.
Could there be any non-medical reasons behind the infertility?
In this modern era, there are numerous reasons that can lead to fertility disorders in the couple and simple life style changes and keep the fertility specialist away. Let us glance through the five most popular ones below:
1. Stress – Any form of stress, both physical and emotional, is known to have a negative impact on the fertility. It is vital to be balanced and calm while trying to conceive. It’s easier said than done but at the same time, it is important that this issue is addressed and acted upon. Practice to take some time out for yourself, meditate for 15 minutes if it makes you calmer, or practice yoga as it is known to relieve stress. Do whatever suits you.
2. Sleep Pattern – Interestingly, sleep deprivation and sleep pattern variation is also a form of stress. Women who do not get enough sleep, begin to feel anxious and this can be detrimental for the menstrual cycle. It is essential for your body to rest and rejuvenate, every day. Seveneight-hour sleep highly beneficial for couples who are trying to get pregnant.
3. Weight Issues – Couple who want to start a family must maintain a healthy body weight and have a Body Mass Index BMI score of around 25. Underweight women may not ovulate on a monthly basis. Excessive weight leads to lack of ovulation. No ovulation, no egg, no pregnancy, it is as simple as that. Overweight and obesity has a negative impact on the sperm quality in men. Couples trying to conceive must eat healthy and nutritional diet. They must also maintain an exercise routine, at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Fertility foods such as green leafy vegetables, carrot, tomatoes, chicken, eggs, banana, citrus foods, almonds, sun flower seeds and dark chocolate. Try to take as many of these items as you can.
4. Timing of sexual intercourse – This reminds of the couples who tell me we have sex twice a day, we have sex every day and we are still not able to pregnant. This is what I explain them. Men release sperm every time they ejaculate. Women release egg only once a month. When is the day then? The biggest thing about getting pregnant is timing. Theoretically, in a woman with 28-day cycle, egg is released on day 14. And the couple should have unprotected sexual intercourse on alternate days, from day 10 to day 18. I’ll explain why this range. Egg lives up to 24 hours after release and Sperms can live for up to t48 hours. One can have unprotected sex a day or two before ovulation or after ovulation and still get pregnant. This day 10-18 is not one size fits all. Each woman is different and has a different cycle length and doctor can customise the days for you.
5. Biofeedback – It is extremely important to stay positive. Positive thoughts play a huge role in mind-body connection. Patience and perseverance in the first year is quite essential to conceive naturally. If that doesn’t happen, there are numerous assisted reproduction programs and they can be of great assistance.
At least quarter of the couple get pregnant with these simple changes in day-to-day life.