About one in eight couples have problems getting pregnant or maintaining a healthy pregnancy. If you are planning to conceive, it is very important to know the pregnancy factors that affect a woman's fertility.
PARENTING has gathered some of the most important factors that affect a woman's ability to conceive. Knowing these factors could help improve a woman's chances of getting pregnant.
The biggest pregnancy factor is the woman's age. Women are known to reach their fertility peaks during their late 20's and a decline during her 30's. According to Cornell Medical Center IVF Program director Owen Davis, three-quarters of women will be able to get pregnant by age 35 and only half will conceive at age 40.
Another pregnancy factor is smoking. The exposure of a woman's eggs to the nicotine content of cigarettes will negatively affect the quality of her eggs and ovaries. The more a woman smokes, the lower her chances of getting pregnant.
Having a healthy body weight is another pregnancy factor. Being overweight and underweight -- especially for women with irregular menstrual periods -- can cause serious problems for a woman's fertility and ovulation. Regular exercise and a healthy diet are both recommended.
Women should also watch out for the medications and remedies they are taking. The main concern is the kinds of meds that affect the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in a woman's body. "These include steroids (for asthma and rheumatoid arthritis), as well as prescription medicines that contain metoclopramide (for gastrointestinal upset) or phenothiazines (for anxiety)," the article shared.
A woman who has very long menstrual periods (37 days or more) and very short menstrual periods (21 days or less) might have ovaries that are not functioning normally. This could also have an effect on the availability of a woman's eggs.
Lastly, stress is also one of the pregnancy factors that affect fertility. "In fact, constant stress could alter your body's stress management system, causing it to overreact and trigger an inflammatory response," WebMD reports. "Inflammation, in turn, has been linked to poorer pregnancy health and developmental problems in babies down the road."
