Month: March 2016

How Contraceptive pills Could Affect Your Fertility

Last modified: December 4, 2021

Nowadays, most women are aware of the importance of contraception when they start their sexual life; however, the question how contraceptive pills could affect fertility

Contraceptives-and-fertility

It is estimated that about 60 million women worldwide are taking contraceptives pills

remains unclear to many of them. Despite the easy access to information there are still several misconceptions about the side effects of contraception methods. Fertility issues is a common one and probably what stresses women the most when it comes to consistent contraceptive use.

Birth control pills appear to be the most common method used for contraception. It is estimated that about 100 million women worldwide are taking birth control pills. Apart from their effectiveness in preventing an unwanted pregnancy contraceptive pills can also have positive effects on female fertility and overall health. These include:

  • – A more tactic and stable menstrual cycle, diminishing dysmenorrhea symptoms
  • – Skin benefits; contraceptive pills are frequently used for acne treatment
  • – Protective effects on diseases like ovarian and endometrial cancer-that can cause infertility
  • – Potential improvement of endometriosis symptoms, a condition that can cause abnormal menstrual bleeding and result in infertility
  • – Lower chances of ectopic pregnancy (ectopic pregnancies can’t result in a successful birth)

Of course, as all drugs they might have a few side effects but these are normally light and impermanent. One thing that worries women the most in terms of contraception side effects is whether use of birth control affects female fertility. According to fertility specialists this is not true. All contraceptive methods will help prevent pregnancy while using them but none of them has permanent long-lasting effects on the ability to conceive.

Female fertility is fully restored if women quit contraceptives and it is not affected by long term use. Fertility specialists highlight the fact that the transient interruption of contraceptive pills has no benefits to women’s health and in some cases can even increase the risk of venous thrombosis. Studies about pregnancy rates for women who quit the birth control pill after using it for a few years suggest that these women can get pregnant as fast as other women, even if they have used the pill for a long period. As for other contraceptive methods, women who quit the patch, ring or IUD get pregnant at similar rates as well.

Are you still worried about using contraceptives?

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Green tea for increasing fertility?

Last modified: April 21, 2016

If you are trying for a baby, a cup of green tea could be a great option for increasing your fertility and boosting your pregnancy chances.

green tea

Green tea is an antioxidant-rich beverage with many health benefits.

Green tea is definitely a good, healthy coffee alternative decreasing your daily caffeine intake which in excess can harm fertility and negatively affect conception. So, limiting caffeine intake is more than enough reason to consume green tea instead. But, that is not all.

Green tea is an antioxidant-rich beverage with many health benefits, including the reproductive system. There is some research reporting that antioxidant ingredients of green tea may protect the reproductive organs from cellular damage. More specifically, polyphenols and hypoxanthine of tea may improve chances of having viable embryos as well as promote egg maturation.

Researchers from Stanford University used a supplement made of green tea extract, chaste berry, folic acid and minerals to decide its effects on pregnancy chances. 15 women received this nutritional supplement and other 15 women received a placebo. According to the study results, one third of the women receiving the green tea supplement got pregnant within five months while none of the placebo groups achieved pregnancy. Though the study sample is too small to prove positive effects of green extracts on increasing fertility it can surely suggest that a positive correlation exists.

But it is not only women who can benefit from green tea consumption. A study published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research demonstrated that small everyday nutritional habits like moderate green tea consumption may be improving sperm motility, thus increasing male fertility. According to the study, it was found that low doses of EGCG (the major catechin of green tea) increase cholesterol efflux in sperm cells; a procedure of great importance for their proper function and fertilizing ability.

So if you want to benefit from green tea health properties all you have to do is to add it in your diet. Just don’t overdo, bear in mind that in excess it can have the opposite results, harming both male and female fertility. So keep it safe and stick to 1-2 cups per day.

Would you give green tea a chance?

Olive oil triples IVF success

Last modified: March 13, 2016

Women who are trying to achieve pregnancy through IVF it would be advisable to add foods like olive oil and avocado to their diet as they could triple IVF success rates, according to American researchers.

olive oil

Unsaturated fats could even triple chances of pregnancy following an IVF attempt

An American study revealed that such could even triple chances of pregnancy following an IVF attempt, thanks to the kind of fats they contain – unsaturated fats. Mono- and poly- unsaturated fats, apart from olive oil and avocado, are also found in salmon, nuts, sunflower oil and seeds in abundance.

The study population comprised 147 women who underwent IVF treatment at the fertility center of Massachusetts General Hospital. American scientists presented the study at the annual meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Constantinople.

According to Dr Jorge Chavarro, assistant professor of nutrition from the Harvard School of Public Health, women who consumed the greatest amounts of mono- unsaturated fats were 3, 4 times more likely to get pregnant following IVF compared to those who consumed less.

Conversely, it was found that women with a higher intake of dietary saturated fats (mainly found in butter, red meat and dairy products) produced fewer quality eggs for IVF treatment, decreasing IVF success rates.

Scientists estimate that monounsaturated fats improve fertility and IVF success rates significantly by diminishing inflammation levels of the body. Dr Chavaro explained that among all ‘’good’’ unsaturated fat sources, olive oil and avocado had proven to be the best when it comes to fertility.

He also highlighted the fact that women considering IVF treatment as an option, wishing to improve their success rates, should probably improve their diet by avoiding saturated fats and consuming plenty of monounsaturated fat -rich foods.

Fish is another food rich in ‘’good fats’’, though of different kind, which they were not studied in this particular study but it has been demonstrated before that they also benefit women in need of IVF treatment.

would you consider adding olive oil and avocado to your diet?