My Fertility Health and When Should I Seek Help?

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How can I improve my fertility health?

Here are some general advice to improve your fertility and optimise your pre-conceptual care:

Achieving your ideal BMI
  • Being overweight or obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) >25kg/m2) reduces fertility and often affects ovulation
  • Being underweight (BMI <19kg/m2) may also result in irregular menstruation resulting in reduced fertility
Healthy diet
  • Eating a healthy balanced diet rich in vitamin-rich fruits and leafy greens as well as fibre-rich foods such as whole grains and nuts containing mono-unsaturated fats will help to ensure the body is in optimum condition for conception and pregnancy
Exercise
  • Increasing physical activity and losing weight to achieve a BMI between 19-25kg/m2 can help to increase the chance of conception and improve overall well-being
Alcohol
  • For women trying to get pregnant, the safest advice is to not drink alcohol at all. However, if you do drink, limit it to no more than 2 units of alcohol per week and avoid binge drinking in order to reduce risk of harm to the developing foetus
  • Alcohol has also been shown to be affect sperm quality
Smoking
  • Both active and passive smoking have been associated with reduced fertility in women
  • It may also reduce semen quality in men
Caffeine intake
  • There is no consistent evidence of association of consumption of caffeinated beverages with fertility problems
  • General advice is to consume in moderation
Occupation
  • Exposure to occupational hazards can reduce both male and female fertility
  • If you are concerned about potential hazards, seek advice from your doctor
Folic acid
  • Recommended dose of folic acid is 400mcg (0.4mg) per day prior to conception up to 12 weeks gestation. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects
  • A higher dose of 5mg is recommended for women with a previous history of having a baby affected by neural tube defects or for women who have medical problems like diabetes or epilepsy on medications or have a BMI of more than 30.