RRule number 1: to increase your fertility naturally, it is essential to “take care of yourself”, recommend doctors. And, to feel good in your body and in your head, “the best recipe”, they recall, is still to practice a regular sporting activity, because sport allows you to fight effectively against all the elements that could disrupt procreation. At the forefront of which is essential… stress. This would reduce the chances of procreation by 45%, according to a study by the University of Louisville, in the United States.
A major generator of fatigue and sleep disorders, stress can, in women, block ovulation. It is also said to have the ability to cause the fallopian tubes to spasm, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. Relaxing activities, such as walking, gentle gymnastics, swimming, yoga, improve psychological well-being and help regulate menstrual cycles.
Sport with others is… even better!
In men, stress can be just as much a factor of infertility because it is potentially responsible for a drop in testosterone production. Consequences: a sluggish libido, erectile dysfunction, even the risk of premature ejaculation. Add to this that stress also manages to reduce the volume of sperm… In short, a rather gloomy picture, but which can quickly regain color by putting on your sneakers, in particular, because numerous studies have proven that sport stimulates spermatogenesis (concentration of spermatozoa). Thus, practicing thirty minutes of jogging three times a week would be enough to significantly increase the possibilities of becoming a father, according to a scientific study relayed by BBC News.
In all moderation
Rule number 2: having a regular sports practice generally leads to healthier eating. However, diet is essential for fertility since foods and nutrients influence hormonal balance. We know for example that the lack of vitamin A, zinc, magnesium and antioxidants leads to an imbalance that can also block ovulation in women.
Being overweight is also thought to affect the quality of the ovaries, while in men it can cause androgen hormone imbalance affecting erectile function. But beware, conversely, excessive thinness (for both sexes, a BMI of less than 18) is likely to make you infertile. Since rapid weight loss is rather common in high-level sports, it has a “double blade” effect because it is associated with heavy training (among gymnasts, cyclists and long-distance runners, in particular), they frequently cause amenorrhea (absence of periods) in female athletes and produce free radicals which deteriorate the seminal quality of male athletes.
Does sport make you lose weight?
Hence this necessary reminder of a moderate sports practice (thirty to sixty minutes per day) rather than intensive (eight hours and more per week) when one wants to constitute or enlarge a family. And, to really put the odds on your side, you have to choose a sports field that would not expose you too much to injury. Indeed, it is a question of being in total working order to be able to make the cuddles necessary for the genesis of your beautiful parental project.
* Christophe Brun is a well-being columnist on the Mich showEl Cymes” It’s going much better, the weekly “Sundays from 9:15 to 10 a.m., on RTL.
