Fertility simply means being able to have kids. One of the reasons couples have sex is to get pregnant. Up to 85% of couples achieve this in their first year of living together. But what happens to the others?

Fertility challenges are common among couples, and the only way to deal with them is to learn about the factors behind them. If you are thinking of starting a family or having kids, you should know how these issues occur over time. Let’s go over the most common factors that influence your chances of pregnancy.

Factors influencing fertility

Both male and female factors play an equal role in influencing fertility. Below are the causes of why some people have a difficult time having kids:

  • Female factors (30-40%)
  • Male factors (30-40%)
  • Combined factors (15-20%)
  • Unexplained (1-5%)

This shows that if you and your spouse have a hard time having kids, you can trace the problem to either partner in 95% to 99% of cases. In rare cases, it might be hard to see the cause of the problem with conception.

Let’s take a look at some of the key personal and lifestyle factors that affect fertility:

  • Age: Most times, the best period to carry a pregnancy is in your 20’s or early 30’s. After that, conception starts getting a bit more difficult. Studies clearly show that increased age (women in their late 30’s and above) are less fertile. Therefore, it is important to consider your age when planning your family or career. For men, age only starts to become important after 50 years of age, and even then, it plays a minor role.
  • Obesity: The ideal Body Mass Index is 18.5 to 25 kg/m2. Obesity starts from 30kg/m2 and inclines both men and women toward reduced fertility. Also, kids born to obese mothers are at a higher risk of coming out with congenital disabilities. While it is unclear how being overweight affects a man’s fertility, that of a woman is pretty clear. Obesity causes menstrual cycle problems because of the hormonal imbalance, which affects ovulation, leading to reduced pregnancy rates. Weight loss can improve your chances of a successful conception.
  • Exercise: The role of exercise is to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. A little exercise and very intense workouts are two extremes that could affect your pregnancy attempts in a negative manner. Hence, it is best to exercise moderately three to four times a week. Male fertility’s association with exercise has not been adequately studied. However, females could have problems if they do not work out.
  • Diet: Poor diet habit might be making your fertility clinic visits futile. Certain diets such as vegetarian diets, low-fat diets, vitamin E, glycemic index carbs, multivitamin supplements are great food options. They reduce menstrual disorders and improve sperm conditions.
  • Alcohol intake: Studies show that women who drink alcohol have a decreased ability to conceive. Also, male partners seem to show gonad problems and decreased sperm production. Also, experts have not agreed on the safe levels of alcohol intake for expectant couples. This is why a good fertility clinic will recommend total abstinence. Besides, alcohol intake in pregnancy affects the fetus and may cause problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome.
  • Caffeine: There is not much evidence to suggest a negative effect of caffeine intake on conception and pregnancy. In other words, you can consume coffee at modest levels before and during pregnancy. Still, because of the unhealthy habits linked with caffeine and the risk of excess intake, you and your partner should limit your daily coffee intake to one or two cups. Also, since caffeine tends to store in fetal tissues and produces several effects, you would want to avoid it when you can.
  • Stress: There are several claims that stress reduces your chances of getting pregnant to some degree. The release of stress hormones such as cortisol affects heart rate, blood pressure, and many other body functions. Therefore, prolonged high levels of stress could cause a poorer disease course in already existing medical issues in you or your partner. Though clinical trials have not proven many of these claims, studies have shown a strong link between stress and fertility.
  • Tobacco use: Tobacco intake causes reduced fertility in both males and females. Cigarette smoking comes with multiple health risks. For females, they become less fertile with consistent smoking of more than ten cigarettes a day. Tobacco could damage the gametes and cause changes in tubal and cervical tissues. Also, several studies have linked smoking to early menopause.
  • Recreational Drug Use: Drugs should be avoided because of the general health risks they come with. All of these risks could affect the conception to varying degrees. For instance, some fertility clinics have linked marijuana use with a reduction in conception chances. However, this link could be direct or indirect. All the same, we have limited data on the exact role of these drugs in being fertile.
  • Sexual History: A poor sexual history marked by recurrent sexually transmitted diseases could lead to females’ childlessness. Untreated or poorly treated gonococcal and chlamydial infections may lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which could cause scarring of the inner tissues, making it difficult for you to get pregnant. Consider adopting safe sexual practices for months or years leading up to your pregnancy attempt.

Bottom line

So, why can’t I get pregnant? When starting your pregnancy journey, it is important to consider many of these factors influencing fertility. Maximizing your chances of conception means optimizing your body to give yourself the best chance of success. 

You should pay regular visits to your fertility clinic and undergo the necessary tests with your doctor. This would help you manage any pregnancy issues that you might have.