We want you to feel as in control as you can be – fit and ready, physically and emotionally for your fertility journey ahead. So, we took your questions about preparation to the lovely team at IVF-Spain.
I often hear the expression “fertility fit”. What does this mean and how do I get “fertility fit”? (I want to be so ready for when my treatment starts!)
“Fertility fit” is an expression with which we want to highlight how closely related the patient’s physical and mental health and her fertility are.
We always recommend that our patients take care of their lifestyle. The basic tips to adopt a healthy life are the following: taking care of your diet, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and drugs, maintaining a normal weight and performing regular physical exercise, which also helps to avoid stress during this period.
Therefore, you should get “fertility fit” as soon as you have started planning a family, to prepare your body for a future pregnancy and to welcome the baby in your best health conditions.
Over the Christmas period, I let myself relax – I put “trying to conceive” to one side and instead ate and drank what I wanted to. Can you reassure me that I haven’t done my fertility any harm?
We can’t know if your fertility will be affected or not by high alcohol consumption and an excess of unhealthy food during a short period of time, but you must be aware of the negative impact this has on your overall health.
The best you can do during this period is to enjoy the moment and reduce stress and worries, with moderate or no alcohol consumption and by taking care of you diet but without becoming obsessed over it.
I heard that a man can improve the quality of his sperm within just 3 months. Is this true?
Male and female gametes have a very different generation process. On the one hand, the sperm is renewed every 3 months and, therefore, a quick improvement of the seminal sample is possible. On the other hand, for the ovules there is no possible renewal, since they are produced before women are born and the ovarian reserve is gradually depleted throughout their lives.
Regarding the sperm, many patients will be able to observe how the values of their seminograms can vary from month to month. This is due to periods of stress or episodes of fever, for example, that can greatly affect the results. In general, we recommend men to stop smoking, to reduce their consumption of caffeine, theine and chocolate, and to take preparations with antioxidants and turmeric. This can improve the quality of their semen after about 3 months, as this is the period of time it takes for the sperm to “renew”, which is called spermatogenesis.
Do you think that stress really affects fertility? What advice do you give your patients to stop stressing about stressing?!
Stress can negatively affect fertility and the results of assisted reproductive treatments. For this reason, we recommend our patients to try to go through the treatment and pregnancy with the least possible stress. For this, it is advisable, for example, to integrate the treatment into your day to day life, don’t think too much about it and continue to lead a normal life apart from the treatment.
If a patient has a lot of anxiety, she can take natural solutions to try to ease it, for example taking Valerian or doing relaxation exercises like yoga or meditation. Acupuncture is also a remedy which helps many patients.
Finally, some women may need the help of a professional who will accompany and support them during and after the treatment. Many of our patients contact a coach, like Andreia Trigo, to help them through the process of an assisted reproduction treatment.
Do you recommend any particular supplements to your patients?
In general, it is highly recommended to take specific multivitamins for conception and pregnancy. But, generally, all patients need supplements of folic acid and a control of their Vitamin D levels.
In addition, in some cases, for example, patients with elevated homocysteine, it can be advisable to take vitamin B supplements and high doses of folic acid.
But to know the specific patients’ needs and to be able to create a personalised treatment pan, it is important to establish a complete diagnosis. Before each treatment, we will ask for the appropriate tests to be able to rule out deficiencies or alterations in the blood, and to prepare the body for the pregnancy in the best way possible.
What is the first thing I should do if I want to have fertility treatment with you? Should I go to my local doctor first for initial tests and then call you when I have my results?
The first thing you should do is have a first visit with us (online or in person) or join one of our patient meetings (which we organise monthly). There, you will be informed in detail about which tests you need before starting your treatment and which treatment will be the best option for you.
Huge thanks to the team at IVF Spain. If you have any further questions, drop us a line at info@ivfbabble.com. You can also meet the team virtually at the Babble online fertility expo on Jan 23 & 24th. Click here to register for free.
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