Fertility boosting tips to improve your egg-freezing journey

K. Ramya Sree

Change is the only constant. Even societal norms change with time and this change has affected the way people lead their lives. Women these days are way more independent than before and are often choosing to delay marriage and motherhood. Some are even choosing to freeze their eggs so as to be able to conceive according to their own convenience.However, to be able to freeze eggs and conceive at own convenience, it is important to have an overall good fertility.

Improving fertility and boosting one’s egg quality is linked to maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle. “Times have changed and a lot of women these days are opting to have kids later in life and are often considering freezing their eggs. It goes without saying that conceiving at a later stage in life usually gets very difficult. Hence one can choose to freeze her eggs and consider conceiving whenever it is feasible for them. However, one needs to prepare well in advance to prepare for an egg-freezing journey. This demands some efforts in terms of food habits and lifestyle changes,” said Lakshman TL, CEO – Milann Fertility and Birthing Hospitals  

Lakshman further explained a few steps to fertility boosting tips to consider to prepare for your egg-freezing journey:  

Moderate  smoking habits: Scientific studies have proved that too much of smoking can speed up the process of egg loss in ovaries thereby leading to infertility. Either completely cut down on smoking or ensure that you do it in moderation in order to ensure you have a good health.

Avoid alcohol intake: Consuming alcohol on a regular basis has been associated with an increased risk of female infertility. If you are looking towards conceiving at a future time through the process of egg-freezing, it is advisable that you completely avoid alcohol or reduce the intake considerably to ensure healthy ovaries.

Manage stress properly: Too much stress can produce hormones such as prolactin and cortisol that can interfere or even halt ovulation that hinders the production of eggs. It is advised to engage in exercises and meditation that help keep stress at bay.

Increase omega-3 fatty acid intake: Add omega-3 fatty acid into your regular diet because studies have proved that omega-3 intake can help improve fertility in females to a considerable extent. Include foods like fish, especially salmon, followed by nuts, seeds, green vegetables and fruits. Stay away from refined carbs, processed foods and excessive salt and sugar.

Achieve a normal Body Mass Index: Obesity has been linked with reduced fertility and a decreased egg-quality. Being overweight can lead to hormonal imbalance eventually disrupting ovulation. A body mass index (BMI) between 18.5-24.9 is recommended to achieve pregnancy. To give you an idea of what that looks like, a woman that is 5’6” falls within a normal BMI with a weight range of 52 to 69 kgs.

Reduce Caffeine Consumption: High level of caffeine consumption a day has been associated with decreased fertility. Most guidelines suggest limiting caffeine consumption to a maximum of two cups per day.

Get A Sound Sleep Daily: Getting enough sound sleep regularly is known to work positively in many physiological functions and fertility is one of them.That’s partly because the same part of the brain that regulates sleep-wake hormones like melatonin and cortisol is also involved in the release of reproductive hormones. Optimal sleep is around eight hours on average, but figure out what works for you to feel rested and refreshed.

Engage in Exercising: Exercising moderately can reap several benefits— from helping balance blood sugar and body fat levels to producing anti-inflammatory cellular responses (all with positive benefits for fertility). Studies show it increases the chance of success of assisted reproductive technology treatment.Moderate exercise implies that any sort of exercise that will help increase the heart rate, make you breathe faster and of course feel warmer. Vigorous exercising is not advisable especially during the ovarian stimulation cycle.

“Motherhood is a beautiful yet crucial phase in one’s life. It can be said that in order to experience this phase through an egg-freezing journey, one has to ensure fertility health. Once fertility health is in place, one can definitely enjoy motherhood even if she chooses to opt for an egg-freezing journey,” concluded Lakshman.