Food, stress and sex: their relationship with infertility...

Food, stress and sex play a vital role to become pregnant. It is generally known to everybody; but how to manage them is not an easy task for many. In the recent weeks I have talked to a number of childless couple who are trying more than a year to become pregnant. We see the real situation here and it is interesting to compare with the literature.

Food – He eats bad and not getting all the essential nutrients from his food. We need all the essential minerals, vitamins and all the phytochemicals including anti-oxidants. Semen contains zinc and selenium in high concentrations. If his semen quality is bad, semen count is low and the motility of the sperm is not optimal, infertility is the result.

Eating many junk and processed foods makes her obese and this means fertility problems. This is also the case with extreme dieting. Irregular menstruation means problems in conceiving.

Healthy food is important for the husband and wife. These should be found exactly for the man and the woman. Right food has the capacity to do many wonders if you have little patience.

Stress – In women stress disrupts the communication between brain, pituitary and the ovary. This has a negative influence on the maturation of the egg and the ovulation. The production of neurotransmitters are so affected that the emotional part is completely changed negatively. In women the stress are physical, emotional and above all from the wish for a child.

In men the physical and emotional stress affects fertility. Sperm counts, motility of the sperm and the structure are altered due to stress. Impotence, difficulty in ejaculation or very quick ejaculations is the result. Stress disturbs the sleep and a restful sleep is not guaranteed. Stress brings depression, anxiety, uncontrolled anger and fatigue which are the problems of the persons suffering from infertility.

Stress is devil’s circle and it is sometimes impossible to come out without any help. The stress must be reduced; otherwise it leads to permanent infertility.

Sex – Stress-free sex is needed to have a baby. If you want to relax and enjoy sex, do not think of baby making, but think of love making. Finding the ovulation time gives more stress and the negative effects are more. Have sex very regularly, take time to enjoy your partner and there are sperm always when the ripe egg reaches the fallopian tube.

If a woman thinks about the baby before love making with her husband, she is already lost. This thought and the emotional stress makes her infertile.

All the pairs I have talked are having deficits in nutrients; they have physical as well as emotional stress from them and from their family. Sex is a routine for 5 to 10 minutes without any relaxation and that is also very late in the night. Stress and tiredness are not friends of love making.

If we mange to change to right food, control our stress and have a proper sex which brings enjoyment the chance of getting a baby very high. For this you need not take any medicines or hormones. Many will have a good chance here to become pregnant and rest could go for other therapies.

Extreme physical activities must be avoided by men and women and it can make infertile. But, normal physical activity is important. Quick walking for 30 min per day is enough.

Alcohol is an enemy for fertility.

Smoking including passive smoking must be avoided completely.

I have given you here the general information. Come to me and in my counseling I could make a tailor-made diet plan and methods to reduce your stress. Love making must also be real love making. The success will be yours…

Female Infertility

Primary infertility is the inability to conceive a child after regular intercourse for at least one year. Secondary infertility is defined as the inability to achieve a second pregnancy. Women and men are equally affected here.

For woman’s fertility, her reproductive organs must be healthy and functional. The causes of infertility in women may be physical or emotional. Healthy egg and sperm must be there in the fallopian tubes for a possible union to conceive a child.

The causes of female infertility include:

• Ovulation disorders
• Fallopian tube problems
• Endometriosis
• Cysts in the ovary
• Pelvic infection
• Poor nutrition
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Egg quality
• Hormone imbalance
• Tumour
• Uterine problems
• Fibroids – tumour in the uterus
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome
• Life style – smoking, alcohol and drugs abuse
• age

The failure to produce ripe eggs is the most common cause of female infertility. Excessive weight loss, stress, even slight hormone imbalances, thyroid problems. Irregular menstrual periods or no periods are the signs of this problem.

Inflammation or any other of the fallopian tube makes it blocked and the egg cannot move from ovary to the uterus.

Endometriosis is a condition when the tissue of the uterine lining grows excessively outside the ovaries or in the lining of the abdomen near uterus and fallopian tubes. This can prevent the period and inflammation is the result. Women with endometriosis have usually pelvic pain and infertility. Other symptoms are painful menstrual cramps, pain during sexual intercourse, heavy bleeding and unusual spotting.

Ovarian cysts may indicate advanced endometriosis and it affects fertility.

Excess androgen hormone production can produce many tiny cysts in the ovaries which prevent the production of mature egg. Here the symptoms include acne, irregular or absent periods and weight gain.

A woman’s peak fertility is in her early 20s. After the age of 35 the ability to produce eggs declines. After the age of 40, the chance of conceiving decreases.

Life style must be changed first with healthy food and less stress. There must be enough physical activity.

With personal interviews of both partners taking into consideration of the health history, sexual habits and menstrual cycle your doctor has to diagnose infertility.

Measurement of basal body temperature each morning over months is important to know exactly about ovulation.

Along with normal blood parameters the levels of the hormones luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, 17beta-estradiol and progesterone should also be estimated.

Fertility drugs and surgery are the possible treatments apart from other techniques.

Multiple pregnancy, low birth weight, birth defects, infection, bleeding and enlarged ovaries may be the possible complications.

Next: The role of food in fertility

Male Infertility

More than 16 hours away from home to work, tension, tiredness, poor water and fluid intake, processed or junk or fast food consumption regularly, environmental poisons, less physical work, almost no antioxidants in the food are reasons enough for the infertility in men. The expectation makes a man also psychologically in a bad position which is not also advantageous for the reproduction.

Are there more factors which affect the power of reproduction in a man? Yes, there are many and they include:

• diabetes
• undescended testicles
• hormone imbalances (hypothyroidism, hypogonadism)
• obesity
• hereditary
• sexually transmitted diseases – infection
• mumps
• autoimmune diseases
• liver, kidney diseases
• abuse of anabolic steroids
• certain medicines
• abuse of narcotic drugs and designer or party drugs
• chemotherapy
• diet low in antioxidants
• exposure to toxic metals
• exposure to xenoestrogens like pesticides
• erection problems
• premature ejaculation
• excessive exercise or physical activity
• wearing tight pants and underwear
• hot bath
• prolonged sitting work
• radiation and radiation therapy
• poor sperm quality
• poor movement of sperm
• low sperm count

If you want to avoid infertility the above conditions must be changed. For many men it helps to make the wife pregnant. It is easy with a counseling to change this. The medical provider, dietician and counselor must be good to solve these problems.

If there are other reasons, the necessary hormones and other estimations must be done in the blood. The medical history is also important here.

Do not forget, in infertility the problem lies on 30% with men, 30% with women and 40% on both.

The risks are completely avoided, the hormone therapy is also done, still no success, what to do? The other treatments considered may be:

1. Artificial insemination - placing sperm directly in the cervix or uterus.
2. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection - placing individual sperm cells directly inside the woman's eggs.
3. In vitro fertilization - fertilizing the egg outside the womb and then returning it to the uterus.

Next: Female Infertility