Infertility: What is it? And is age really that important?
Currently infertility is affecting 3.5 million people in the UK - just take that in for a moment, that’s a rather big number in the UK alone! Infertility affects 1 in 7 couples and 1 in 4 cases are determined to be, ‘unexplained infertility’. Furthermore, 1 in 4 early pregnancies result in miscarriage.
When I first heard about these stats, I truly was astonished. How can 1 in 4 cases of infertility be defined as ‘unexplained’? It certainly doesn’t help that the subject of reproductive health can still be quite taboo to talk about, whether it is painful periods, irregular periods, having problems conceiving etc.
These stats motivated me to look into the research more and find out what could be applied to lower the numbers. I know deep down the power of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle can impact our biology - our hormones, energy, mood, sleep and overall health. I have experienced it myself with applying a healthy balanced diet and lifestyle (as well as healing work) to manage my PCOS symptoms. I have also seen many other women transform their health and influence their genetic makeup and I am passionate about carrying the message to more women out there who are thinking about conceiving in the future or are currently struggling to conceive.
Definition of Infertility
Infertility can be due to primary or secondary reasons. Primary infertility is someone having difficulty conceiving and has never had a child; secondary infertility is when someone has had one or more children in the past but is having trouble conceiving again.
The World Health Organisation defines infertility as, “a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.” What doesn’t quite sit right with me about this definition is why wait 12 months to see if you can get pregnant before optimising your diet and lifestyle to support your fertility? You do not lose anything by doing this, in fact you only GAIN more energy, health and vitality. Making positive, fertility focused diet and lifestyle changes three months prior to conception has been shown to be protective and supportive of both female and male fertility and fertility treatments (NICE 2010).
Causes of Infertility in Women
Age
Genetic factors – e.g. Turners Syndrome
Ovulation disorders – such as PCOS is present in ¼ cases of infertile couples
Tubal factors e.g. Endometriosis
Cervical factors – including cervical mucous issues
Lifestyle factors e.g. diet, supplements, caffeine, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking, weight, activity
Uterine factors – such as intrauterine adhesions or fibroids
Mechanical issues e.g. blocked fallopian tubes
Iatrogenic causes – e.g. Radiotherapy treatments or chemotherapy
(NHS 2020)
Is age really that important?
As you can see, there are many causes of infertility. However, we need to address the fact that age is one of the main factors for women as our egg quantity declines rapidly after the age of 35, however, this rate is different for each individual. We are born with 1-2 million eggs, all the eggs we will ever have. This decreases to around 400,000 eggs at puberty and around the time of peri-menopause, we may only have 500 to 1,000 eggs.
Every menstrual cycle, we lose 1,000 eggs and of these, only 400 eggs have the opportunity of maturing enough to produce a baby over the course of our lifetime, however, many people’s fertility will drop at different rates
I am not telling you these facts to scare you but to empower you to make an informed choice with regards to your fertility. Finding out your egg reserve can be useful information and you can do this initially by undergoing some hormone testing. Here are some benefits of proactive hormone testing:
Empower yourself with knowledge. Knowing your egg reserve now can aid you to make informed decisions later on.
Health prior to conception really matters: it is beneficial to address any hormone imbalances now so you can optimise your health and feel your best self
It can reveal if you have important health conditions such as PCOS or Endometriosis. These conditions can affect fertility as well as your overall health
After the age of 35, the rate of decline of Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH - a hormone produced by our follicles in our ovaries and indicates ovarian reserve) rapidly increases, however, this rate is different for each individual. Repeat testing can be helpful as it can show the individual rate of AMH decline.
(O’Neill and Huntriss, 2022)
Optimising your nutrition and lifestyle for fertility can make a positive, significant impact to your fertility journey and enhances likelihood of conception and pregnancy. Of course, it cannot directly influence fertility but it certainly can impact indirectly when applied in the most positive way.
You cannot increase the number of eggs you have left but you CAN improve the quality of your eggs!
In my next blog, I will go into the benefits of following a diet focused on supporting your fertility.
In my 'Optimise Your Fertility' programme, I create a bespoke diet & lifestyle plan but also combine this with menstrual cycle mapping, hormone & egg reserve testing and healing sessions.
Imagine feeling energised, healthy and empowered on your fertility journey! To read more info on the programme and book your free discovery call, click here.
If you haven’t already, sign up to my free weekly newsletter where you will receive similar information on how to optimise your fertility, as well as fertility friendly recipes and inspirational quotes!
Look forward to connecting with you soon!
Jess x
References
NHS 2020. ‘Conditions: Infertility’. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Infertility/
NICE 2010. ‘Weight management before, during and after pregnancy.’ Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/PH27
O’Neill and Huntriss, 2022. ‘Female Fertility. The Impact of Diet and Lifestyle.’ Online webinar with My Nutri Web. December 2022.
