DocYard | Lead a healthy lifestyle

Moderate exercise up to one hour helps to avoid the risk of reproduction inability, and improve sperm quality in men and ovulation in women

Reproduction inability has become a common problem around the globe. On an average one in every seven couples are found to be physically unfit for reproduction. According to medical experts, the unhealthy eating habits, sedentary lifestyle are the major contributing factors for the increasing rates of reproduction inability.

It is advised to follow certain life style modifications to avoid reproduction inability. For both women and men, the key factors to boost their reproductive health include maintaining a healthy diet, weight, exercise that helps to achieve desired result in conception and end up with healthy pregnancy and eventually delivering a healthy child as well.

• Healthy eating can optimise reproductive ability: To avoid the inability the diet should consist of fresh, home-made meals containing a variety of vegetable and fruits, organic foods are always advisable, since they have a higher mineral content to avoid toxins and hormones used in commercial rearing.
• Consume protein from meat and vegetables.
• Eat more fibre and dark leafy greens to improve ovulation, and make healthy sperm.
• Avoid trans fats which are associated with a high risk of reproduction inability.
• Avoid highly processed foods and hydrogenated oils.
• Eat healthy fats: The first and most important dietary fat-related recommendation is to avoid trans fats. Eating trans fats typically leads to higher blood sugar and insulin levels, as trans fats hurt your ability to clear sugar from your bloodstream after a meal. And higher blood sugar and insulin levels lead to reduced reproduction ability.
• Increase your Vitamin and mineral intake: Vitamins and minerals nutrient intake is very essential for both men and women when working towards conception. As Vitamins and minerals deficiencies can cause a variety of problems in the body, reproduction inability being one of them. Thus, it is advised to take a good quality multi-vitamin and mineral. Some of the most important nutrients are B-vitamins, selenium, iron and Vitamin E.
• Take an iron supplement: Women who regularly take an iron supplement are 40 per cent  less likely to have difficulty in reproduction.
• Moderate exercise: Moderate exercise up to one hour helps to avoid the risk of reproduction inability, and improve sperm quality in men and ovulation in women. Moderate physical activity, like taking a walk early morning or with your partner after dinner, can do wonders for your health.
• Prevention: Maintain following habits to prevent the reproduction inability condition:
• Minimise the exposure to toxic chemicals
• Aim to eat an optimal healthy diet
• Have an STD check
• Avoid coffee, smoking and alcohol
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner intake on right time
• Increase the intake of fresh Juices and fruits.
• A simple self-slogan “Quit Smoking”
• Exercise, a key to be fit and lead a stress free healthy life.
• Leave work pressure in office, avoid late night party and TV, take sufficient sleep
• Last but not the least “Early to bed and early to rise” is all what it takes.

The writer is Dr jyoti bali Gynaecologist & Obstetrician Secretary at Delhi ISAR & Delhi Gynaecology Forum