Have you always thought that stress has a huge impact on your fertility? And do you also believe that you have at least an 80 percent chance of becoming pregnant every month?
You’re not the only one! The results of the National Fertility Test show that there are still some misunderstandings about fertility.
Little knowledge
Pregnancy is not always self-evident: approximately one in six couples who wish to have children are confronted with reduced fertility. This can have various causes, both biological and influenced by lifestyle and age. Remarkably, the results of the National Fertility Test show that the average Dutch person knows very little about this. Furthermore, the average woman estimates that she has at least an 80 percent chance of becoming pregnant each month. In reality, this percentage appears to be different.
Age does play a role
According to Dr. Astrid Cantineau, a subspecialist in reproductive medicine at the UMC Groningen, the chance of pregnancy per menstrual cycle is around 25 percent for women of a young age. In addition, the desire to have a child is often postponed for various reasons. It may be that there is no suitable living situation yet, that people want to focus on their career, want to take a trip, or are simply not ready yet. But according to Cantineau, the chance of becoming pregnant decreases as early as age 23, during each year of the menstrual cycle. “Many people think there is always time to have a child,” she explains. “But over time, your age really starts to play a role. People often think: IVF will solve it, but unfortunately that is not always the case in practice.”
Also read – Men with joint problems have more children than healthy men
Facts and fables
It’s notable that 84 percent of participants believe stress plays a big role in fertility, when it’s actually not that big of a factor. What is important besides age is your lifestyle and how often you have sex. It is important that women stop smoking and drinking alcohol, and start taking folic acid, even before stopping contraception. It is these small but important steps that can contribute to a healthy pregnancy.
The study also addresses other facts and myths about fertility. For example, it appears to be a misconception that carrying a phone in the pocket of men affects fertility. Night shifts, on the other hand, do influence the risk of miscarriage. Although a healthy lifestyle cannot reverse egg aging, a poor lifestyle can accelerate the aging process./
Also read – Why the chance of becoming pregnant is greater in winter than in summer
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