3 Things You Can Do Today to Prolong Your Fertility

Whether you are TTC (trying to conceive) or are thinking you may want to have a baby down the road but you aren’t ready just yet, here are three things you can start doing today to preserve your fertility get closer to your goals of motherhood. Besides taking general care of yourself (sleeping early and enough hours, eating non-processed foods, staying hydrated, reducing stress and exercising in healthy ways), there are a few things you should also consider.

Kick a bad habit: Smoking not only shortens your lifespan (also not a great thing if you are planning on being a mother someday down the road) but it destroys eggs and sperm. Drink a lot on the weekends? Also not great for keeping inflammation within normal ranges, which can effect fertility directly through ovarian health or indirectly through a subtle underlying autoimmune disorder that could potentially take years to diagnose and may undermine any plans you have of getting pregnant. Take inventory of your lifestyle and habits and adjust accordingly – you will not be sorry.

Sleep cycles and work shifts:  Although there is conflicting evidence about how many hours of sleep is enough to maintain a healthy happy body, most women by their thirties know how many hours they need in order to wake up feeling rested. Get that amount. And if you work the night shift – don’t. Working when you body should be sleeping will disrupt circadian rhythms and greatly reduce fertility.

Chemicals: If you work in a facility that is known to use chemicals that cause reproductive harm, please research the safety mechanisms in place and protect yourself – thousands of chemicals we are exposed to everyday in our work and home and be major fertility killers by disrupting hormones or adding to the toxins in our bodies. If you work in a salon or a dental office, you may want to investigate what chemicals you are using or how you can protect yourself and your clients.