It is a popular misbelief that fertility is a woman’s problem, male infertility is an equally significant concern today. Rohit Shelatkar shares how to build better reproductive health for both
Conversations surrounding reproductive health are most likely to be deferred for a later stage in life and are often conducted in silos. Both these approaches need tweaking though because reproductive health isn’t something that can be looked at only when couples/individuals are looking to conceive nor should it be spoken about in isolation as reproductive health is ultimately connected to and influenced by overall physical and mental wellbeing. Additionally, it is a popular misconception that fertility is a woman’s problem, male infertility is an equally significant concern today. Thus, the problem of infertility should be equitably shouldered by men and women and both need to build their reproductive health over a period of time.
Change in lifestyle
In terms of reproductive health, lifestyle change cannot be stressed enough. A man's sperm count, motility, and morphology are all strongly influenced by the quality of his lifestyle. Stress, alcohol consumption, and smoking can adversely affect male fertility. Similarly, for women, tobacco use is associated with lower fertility rates. Smoking contributes significantly to the ageing of the ovaries and leads to a quick and premature depletion of eggs and increased risk of ovulation disorders and hormonal imbalance. Maintaining an optimal body weight and getting regular exercise are essential for both. Regular exercise can help women reduce the risk of ovulation problems and manage fertility disorders like PCOS. Obesity can reduce sperm quality and fertility in men.
Micronutrient Supplementation
Boosting reproductive health and subsequently improving fertility is based on changes that happen at a cellular level in the body. Hence, the lack of micronutrients in the body can have a negative impact on reproductive health for both men and women.
Zinc: For women, lower rates of zinc in the blood have been associated with longer time periods to conceive. As for men, the mineral is essential for the formation of sperm.
Vitamin D: It is especially important for women, as low levels of it have been associated with PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) which acts as a major impediment for women who are trying to get pregnant.
Selenium: Although it doesn’t get too much importance, it has a significant role to play in reproductive health. For women, selenium can help to maintain the health of follicular fluid that surrounds eggs, and for men, it is a necessary element in the production of sperm.
Together, lifestyle changes coupled with vitamin supplementation and a healthy diet full of nutritious foods such as eggs, fish, white and limited quantities of red meat, high fibre and fruits & veggies, is shown to have a positive impact on the reproductive health of men and women.
The writer is VP at Vitabiotics, Fitness & Nutrition Expert