I get asked this question at least 10 times per day so what I am going to talk about is the evidence for lifestyle changes that have been shown to impact fertility.
The first is age, but this is always a difficult one because you cannot change how old you are but I guess the key message in terms of fertility is always sooner not later, the average 30 year old woman has a 22% chance of having a baby each month she tries and by 40 it is 5%.
Weight also impacts fertility and the optimal healthy fertility range is 19 to 25, so being really skinny is not so great but also increasing weight reduces fertility and increases miscarriage risk.
Cigarette smoking is a big no no, halves the chances of conceiving each month, increases miscarriage risk and makes menopause happen sooner.
The alcohol question is less clear, in a perfect world probably no alcohol is best but probably a little has minimal impact but the problem is no one can define what a little actually is.
Caffeine is an interesting subject, as lots of caffeine (more than 5 to 6 coffees a day) does increase miscarriage risk and reduce fertility so minimising caffeine is reasonable.
Other recreational drugs are all bad.
Are there any special foods I can eat to boost my fertility is another commonly asked question. My opinion is a good balanced diet with lots of fruit and veg is great. There is no evidence that vegetarians have better fertility. There is some evidence coming through about transfats or hydrogenated oils being bad for fertility fertility. Bisphenol A which is found in any soft plastics is a compound that is attracting a significant amount of attention as it acts as a hormone disrupting agent. This is present in plastic bottles and in other plastic food containers and leaches out more in the presence of heating.
Moderate exercise is also a good thing and get a screen for thyroid disease and diabetes.
So this is what is good for women, next blog will be all about men and their lifestyle.
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