It’s no surprise that your lifestyle bears weight on your health. Whether you are trying to conceive now or planning for the future, it’s never too early to improve your overall health. While there are some factors that affect your fertility that can’t be changed, here are 3 that can!

  1. Weight: Work toward a healthy weight! Being under or overweight can actually prevent healthy ovulation. If you are in the overweight category, your ovaries and fat cells produce estrogen and too much estrogen can actually act like a hormonal birth control by preventing ovulation from happening. On the flipside, being underweight and not having enough fat can cause a woman’s body to stop producing estrogen and cause your cycles to be irregular.
  2. Sleep: Yep, that’s right! Get some sleep! While you sleep, your body works to detox and regulate hormones among other things. Try to get your 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night – your body will thank you!
  3. Diet: Cut back on alcohol, smoking and caffeine if you haven’t already! Increased levels of these 3 are of course bad for your overall health but also put you at higher risk for irregular cycles, hormone issues and possible health risks for your babies as well.

If you’re trying to conceive, don’t delay in making lifestyle changes to help improve your chances! If you’ve been trying unsuccessfully for a year, it may be time to schedule a fertility consultation. Contact the UNC Fertility specialists today!