It is well known that lifestyle issues can interfere with a couple's fertility. Some leisure activities, jobs, and the use of drugs & medications may all increase the chances of infertility. On the positive side, some lifestyle changes may bolster a couple's chances of having a family.

Smoking can have significant deleterious effects on sperm motility, sperm morphology and erectile function increasing the chance of male infertility. The effects correlate with the amount smoked, so men who smoke should cut back as much as possible even if they can't completely give up. After smoking cessation, it takes about three months to restore these functions to their normal state.

It is a known fact that cigarette smoking does have a deleterious effect on a woman's ability to reproduce, evidencing itself in longer times before conceiving, more spontaneous abortions, early menopause and abnormal oocytes. Follicular fluid, when tested in women who smoked, showed high levels of cadmium, a heavy metal present in cigarettes, as well as cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine.

Any woman trying to get pregnant should avoid unnecessary drugs, both for the sake of her fertility and because in early pregnancy, some drugs have a devastating effect on the developing embryo. Excessive use of "recreational" drugs or more than one drink of alcohol a day can also harm fertility in both men and women. Some medications, such as cimetidine, nitrofurantoin, sulfasalazine, spironolactine and nifedipine are known to harm sperm quality as do anabolic steroids including testosterone.

Certain industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants, as well as radiation, are known to contribute to or cause infertility. Lead poisoning, for example, has long been associated with infertility in men and women. Chemotherapy and x-ray therapy for cancer can be extremely toxic to sperm and eggs and can render the patient indefinitely infertile. HRC recommends that men who will be undergoing chemotherapy store their sperm before treatment. Sometimes we are able to do an egg retrieval before a woman's cancer treatment and freeze the embryos for later use.

Two toxic pesticides, dibromochloropropane and kepone, were found to cause infertility in men and they are no longer produced. It has been documented recently that sperm counts worldwide are falling. Britain is concerned enough about this issue, according to Environment Minister Michael Meacher, that they are planning to launch a government research program to "investigate whether falling sperm counts are endangering the nation's reproductive capacity". Although this position may be somewhat excessive in its viewpoint, it is illustrative of a concern over global falling sperm counts. This fact has been corroborated in many studies. At present, however, the whys and wherefores are still under scientific investigation.

Gonadal exposure to excessive heat can cause male infertility . Long soaks in the bath tub or hot tub or long hours of sitting (for example, truck driving) and excessive bicycling can cause the temperature in the scrotum to increase enough to impair sperm production. Because sperm take up to two months to mature, winter saunas can affect the sperm of early spring. A febrile illness (one with a temperature) can also lead to a significant decline in sperm motility that may take up to 3-4 months to restore. Extreme exertions in exercise can also significantly reduce sperm motility for several hours.

Women who exercise so strenuously that they stop having menstrual periods or lose too much body fat may induce a temporary infertility. Physical fitness is appropriate in moderation. However a certain amount of body fat appears to be necessary for a woman to be able to have a successful pregnancy. On the other hand, obesity in women is often counter productive to conception.

Whether stress causes infertility or not remains unclear. However, couples with extremely busy schedules, or who do extensive traveling may not find time to have intercourse every two days around the time when the woman is ovulating. Busy couples with fertility problems may also find it hard to cope with the demands of an infertility evaluation and treatment plan. Timing is very important. Having intercourse too often may result in fewer sperm and impaired motility. Infrequent intercourse can also cause sperm counts to drop, or can cause a couple to miss an opportunity to conceive.

Caffeine and Infertility - Yes or No (Tea for two) While previous research has suggested that women who drink coffee regularly and other caffeinated beverages may experience fertility problems, a new study did not find that coffee drinking had a significant effect on fertility. In fact, a study of 210 women who were trying to conceive found that those who drank as little as a half a cup of caffeinated tea each day were twice as likely to become pregnant as women who did not drink tea. All the women reported their caffeine consumption and pregnancy status monthly and were followed for 12 months or until they become pregnant. The positive effects of tea drinking were only observed in the first three cycles.

It is postulated that the polyphenolic compounds in tea may promote fertility by inhibiting chromosomal abnormalities, thereby decreasing the number of nonviable embryos. Also hypoxanthine, another chemical in tea, might be the primary component of follicular fluid contributing to maturation and fertilizability of oocytes. On the other hand, tea drinking may simply be a marker for a healthier lifestyle. Women who drink tea typically eat less fat, exercise and smoke less than do coffee drinkers. Also there may still be a negative relationship between too much caffeine and pregnancy, so that women should still be cautious about how much caffeine they consume once they are pregnant.

Couples trying to conceive who want lubrication during intercourse are best advised to go to their refrigerator rather than their medicine cabinet. Vegetable oil, and olive oil don't have too much of an impact on sperm survival and petroleum jelly is also a relatively safe alternative. However, lubricants such as K-Y Jelly, Sugilube, Alpha Keri & Keri Lotion contain bacteriostatic agents, which can significantly decrease sperm motility. Saliva contrary to popular belief, is also toxic to sperm. The best option is to use nothing.

Lifestyle changes may not result in pregnancy in and of themselves, but in combination with treatment they certainly may increase the chances of conception occurring.

Other Fertility Links