Want to have a child… no matter what you do, it doesn’t happen. You’ve been trying naturally for a long time but still no success! Did you know? Certain behaviors can also make it difficult to conceive. Here are 10 behaviors that affect fertility. Check yourself to see if you have any of these habits…
10 Behaviors That Affect Fertility – What You Need to Know If You Want to Have a Child
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Frequent Stress
Stress not only negatively impacts mental health but is also one of the causes of difficulty in conceiving. Stress hormones interfere with reproductive hormones, causing anovulation, incomplete egg development, and making it harder for fertilized eggs to implant in the uterus.
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Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Did you know that drinking too much liquor, beer, or wine can reduce your chances of having a child by up to 50%? It decreases sperm count, weakens sperm, impairs motility, and causes abnormal sperm shape. It also reduces the absorption of nutrients essential for sperm health.
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Eating Unhealthy Food
Frequently eating unhealthy food results in insufficient nutrients to nourish the body, which affects fertility. It is recommended to eat a variety of foods appropriately, especially vegetables and fruits.
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Regular Smoking
Because cigarettes contain toxins harmful to the body, they cause hormonal imbalances, reduce sperm count and quality, and decrease ovulation in women. Smoking also reduces the effectiveness of the uterus as a site for embryo implantation.
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Increasing Age
As age increases, hormonal changes also increase, especially in women over 30. The chance of conceiving decreases, and there is a higher risk of fetal abnormalities such as Down syndrome, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, and cleft lip and palate.
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Weight Problems
Fluctuating weight or being overweight or underweight makes it harder for the body to prepare for pregnancy. Fertility decreases, and the risk of miscarriage increases. Studies show that women underweight take up to 4 times longer to conceive than women with normal weight, while overweight women take more than twice as long. In men, obesity reduces sperm count by 22% and sperm concentration by 24%.
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Excessive Coffee Consumption
Consuming about 300 milligrams of caffeine per day, equivalent to 3 cups of brewed coffee, increases the risk of difficulty conceiving, reducing the chance of having a child by up to 26%.
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Frequent Soda Consumption
Although soda is refreshing, it provides no benefits to the body. The sugar content in soda causes weight gain, which is one of the causes of infertility.
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Lack of Exercise
Exercise not only helps burn body fat but also stimulates sexual desire and fertility, including improving heart function, making the body more ready for pregnancy than those who do not exercise.
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Excessive Chemical Exposure
Chemicals from cosmetics, the environment, or contaminated food, including heavy metals like lead accumulating in the body, affect ovarian function and cause reproductive cells to malfunction.
Although some of these may seem like minor issues, doing them frequently and combining several can lead to difficulty conceiving. Therefore, if you want to have a child, you should prepare your body early. This not only increases the chances of pregnancy but also reduces the risk of diseases or abnormalities for both the mother and the baby.
