The Connection Between Lifestyle Factors and Unexplained Infertility

Unexplained infertility is a condition that prevents women from becoming pregnant without any obvious causes. Reproductive health specialists may recommend health assessments and diagnostic tests to identify underlying conditions that could be contributing to infertility. Some factors that contribute to infertility include asymptomatic reproductive health conditions and lifestyle influences. Here are a few ways lifestyle factors impact fertility:

Stress Levels

High levels of stress contribute to unexplained infertility by reducing general physical wellness and blocking hormone signals. Couples undergoing infertility treatments, like IVF, without success, may experience additional stress that strains fertility. Finding healthy coping mechanisms, like therapy, physical activity, and support groups, helps individuals and couples lower their stress levels. By prioritizing emotional and physical wellness, couples may improve their chances of a successful pregnancy.

Stress-related conditions like depression and anxiety can cause changes to ovulation and hormone production in women, leading to fertility issues. These conditions can also reduce sperm quality in men. Meeting with a mental health professional allows individuals to express their concerns and find treatment options, like therapy or medication. These treatments help reduce the severity of depression and anxiety and their impacts on fertility. Effective depression and anxiety management may help couples experiencing unexplained infertility to conceive.

Diet Quality

The types of foods individuals consume affect their fertility and reproductive health. Eating a diet rich in B vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients supports egg and sperm quality and increases the chances of successful conception. Diets that include a variety of food types, like fish, unsaturated fats, whole grains, and vegetables, can improve overall health and well-being and support reproductive health. Avoiding foods high in sugars and unsaturated fats may also increase fertility levels. Some fertility specialists perform thorough diet and health assessments to identify risk factors and recommend specific foods or supplements. These recommendations aim to address nutritional deficiencies that could be linked to unexplained infertility.

Substance Use

Using substances like alcohol and tobacco reduces a couple’s chances of conceiving. These substances reduce hormone production, egg quality, and sperm health, negatively impacting female and male fertility. Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking in the past affect future fertility by minimizing sperm motility and altering DNA content. This makes substance use a contributing factor to unexplained fertility issues. Avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs while trying to conceive may help increase the chances of successful conception and pregnancy.

Environmental Exposure

Exposure to harmful chemicals and other materials can disrupt hormone production, impacting the reproductive system and causing infertility. Individuals and couples who work around hazardous chemicals or live in areas with poor air quality may experience a decrease in overall health and well-being, which can affect fertility. Other environmental elements that negatively impact a couple’s health and fertility include water pollution and pesticides. Minimizing exposure to toxins reduces stress on the reproductive system, allowing hormones to rebalance and reproductive organs to function more optimally.

Weight Loss

Significant weight loss can impact the body’s hormone production and reproductive processes, like ovulation. A woman’s reproductive system needs sufficient body fat to maintain regular menstruation, so avoiding extreme weight loss helps prevent irregular or missed menstruation. Irregular or lost menstruation in underweight individuals is a result of hormone disruption, and it makes conception more difficult, as the body is no longer ovulating or preparing the womb for implantation.

For some women and couples, losing weight can lead to better hormone balance and increased fertility. Higher body weight and obesity may be linked to lower chances of successful conception due to hormone imbalances, and losing excess weight may shorten conception times. Meeting with a fertility specialist helps couples understand how weight is affecting their fertility and what steps they can take to address weight-related fertility concerns.

Learn More About Unexplained Infertility

Scheduling a consultation with a fertility specialist will help couples gain a better understanding of their reproductive health and chances of conception. These doctors recommend diagnostic measures like genetic assessments, BCL6 marker tests, and sperm analyses to identify underlying causes of infertility. If the doctor suspects that a condition like endometriosis is causing the couple’s infertility, they might suggest surgery or hormone therapy to reduce the condition’s severity and impact on conception. Contact a fertility specialist today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how environmental factors and reproductive health conditions impact fertility.