Is Lack of Sleep disrupting your fertility?

According to the findings done by Philips annual global survey, lack of sleep is something over 30 percent of Indians find it difficult to initiate and maintain sleep and it only gets worse for patients dealing with the stress of undergoing fertility treatments. There is a certain age group whose sleep hours are often given over to late nights at work, binge watching on TV and smartphones. But for couples trying to get pregnant, a lack of sleep could be sabotaging their efforts. For instance Harish Atthotra, a Gurugram based professional; he didn’t smoke, was not overweight and did not suffer from diabetes. He walked every day, and even ran a half-marathon. But he slept late usually at 1 am, or even later. After coming from office he usually spends time watching Netflix’s latest or his favorite match series. He and his wife Dimple (31) are trying from long for a baby but couldn’t get successful. His wife’s forceful behavior and uneasiness in conceiving forced him to seek medical help one January morning at our Vasant Vihar centre to which we find out that there is a significant disruption of hormones which makes it difficult for him to make his wife pregnant. Your health, mood,hormones, and fertility are all affected by how much, and how well, you sleep. 

Sleep Deprivation is a Fertility Killer

Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just influence your mood and productivity; it also influences the hormones a woman secretes throughout her cycle. Studies have shown that getting enough quality sleep has a positive effect on the reproductive hormones a woman produces, including progesterone, estrogen, Leptin, and Follicle-Stimulating Hormones (FSH).

Getting enough quality sleep is even more important for women hoping to achieve a pregnancy using IVF. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine’s study, women with low quality sleep had

Smoking affects during pregnancy

Smoking during pregnancy accounts for an estimated 20 to 30 percent of low-birth weight babies. Let’s see below some more dangers of smoking while pregnant:

Giving birth to pre-mature baby: Smoking increases the chances of pre nature birth. Baby’s who born too early are always at risk of high infections and their organs are too not developed properly. In extreme cases babies do die also because of low birth weight.

Harm to the placenta: As we know that placenta is an organ which develops in your uterus during pregnancy. Placenta helps to fight internal infection and also produces hormones to support pregnancy. If you smoke during pregnancy then it will prevent palcenta from giving proper nutrients and oxygen to the baby that is needed.

Risk of miscarriage: Women who smoke are twice as likely to have a miscarriage as compare to non-smoking expectant mothers.

Important facts every woman needs to know about ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer - the cancer of ovaries has been known as a ‘silent killer' in the past because it's hard to diagnose. Its symptoms are:

Persistent tummy or pelvic pain

Increased tummy size or persistent bloating – not bloating that comes and goes

Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly

Some women may also experience other symptoms like:

The need to wee more frequently

Changes in bowel habit

Extreme fatigue or pain

If you have these symptoms more than 12 times in a month, you should seriously consider going to see your doctor.

According to the American Cancer Society about 1 in 75 women will get ovarian cancer in her lifetime, but young women are rarely affected. The risk escalates starting at age 63

Get Healthy, Get Pregnant!

Eat a Whole Food Diet

A great method for boosting fertility and overall well-being is to eat a whole foods diet. When trying to conceive, eat leafy greens, organic dairy and high-quality protein. Not only will this improve your fertility, but eating healthy will boost your well being throughout pregnancy.

Get Regular Exercise

Getting the right amount of exercise can do wonders for your mood, well-being and it can may even help with boosting fertility. If you’re struggling to conceive due to polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or are overweight, regular exercise can help regulate your hormones and insulin sensitivity.

Avoid smoking, caffeine and alcohol

Basically anything that hurt your general health, will also affect your fertility. Treat your body like a temple and only introduce foods and drinks that will boost your wellness.