Fertility Fertility: do you know how fertile you really are?
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1. When does a woman’s fertility decline? 2. How can I influence my biological clock? 3. Why do smoking and coffee reduce fertility?? 4. How soon after stopping the pill can I get pregnant?? 5. Does an abortion have an effect on my fertility? 6. How to tell if I’m more likely to get pregnant easily or heavily? 7. When is fertility at its highest? 8. How time-consuming is the process of having eggs frozen?? 9. Do long intervals between periods affect my fertility?? 10. Is there an ideal age for infertility treatment? 11. What makes it difficult to get pregnant? 12. What happens during fertility treatment?
For many young women, the question for years is: "How do I prevent becoming pregnant??" That’s why you buy condoms, swallow pills, insert diaphragms, calculate ovulation, pay super close attention, and still end up worrying that nothing will happen to upset your life plan.
But by their mid-30s at the latest, many women’s attitudes change, sometimes abruptly. Children suddenly become a possibility, often a desire. Most women then suddenly have lots of questions about fertility. We have 12 answers:
- Exercise plan
- Fit after birth
- Only dumbbells needed
- 57 exercises in picture and video
- 42 page PDF, available on all devices
- Training plan
- Fit after childbirth
- Only dumbbells needed
- 57 exercises in picture and video
- 42 pages PDF, available on all devices
Getting back to a pre-baby body is one of the hurdles after having your own child. In this 8-week workout plan, we’ll help you get back to your dream figure. With the help of 24 workouts, you should be able to get back in shape – this plan is suitable for beginners as well as advanced users.
Every workout is preceded by a warm-up phase so that you are optimally prepared for the load. Also, you don’t have to worry about doing it wrong, because each exercise is explained for you in picture and video. While you’ll need dumbbells for one or two of the sub-disciplines, you can alternatively just use filled water bottles.
Making the journey from baby bod back to original shape isn’t necessarily easy – but we’re sure you’ll succeed with the help of this postnatal workout plan!
You want to build muscle or get fitter all around? Our top trainers write you one customized Training and/or nutrition plan.
You are already a client? Then log in here.
After successful payment you will receive an email with a download link. If you have any questions, send a message to [email protected]
1. When does a woman’s fertility decrease?
This varies from woman to woman. Using a combination of blood tests and ultrasound, the gynecologist can determine whether it is already 5 to 12 on your biological clock. Firstly, the so-called anti-mullerian hormone is determined in the blood. This hormone, which is formed in the maturing follicles, has not been known for very long, which is why the test is only now gaining acceptance. The more that can be detected, the more eggs are still dormant in the body.
In addition, the visible follicles are counted in an ultrasound at the beginning of the cycle. "If two are seen on each ovary, that is rather modest, twelve indicate good remaining fertility", says Professor Heribert Kentenich, head physician at the DRK Women’s Clinic and Fertility Center in Berlin.
In this way you can find out what you could only guess so far – how loud the clock is ticking for you personally right now. "Above all, this test helps women around 40 to decide for or against a rapid fertility treatment.", says the reproductive doctor. The blood test at the gynecologist or in a fertility center costs around 50 Euros. How to recognize premature menopause
2. How can I influence my biological clock?
Difficult. Hormonal contraceptives do not significantly delay the breakdown of the ovarian (egg) reserve. Because at the time of birth, a girl has about 1 million eggs, and by the time of her first menstrual period, she already has 450.000 less.
The ovulations you save by taking the pill simply don’t matter. According to gynecologist Kentenich, there is only one way to slow down the ticking: Don’t smoke. Is by the way also otherwise quite healthy.
3. Why do smoking and coffee reduce fertility??
Smoking produces free radicals in the body, and they affect not only your skin, but also your eggs. It is also certain that both overweight and underweight have an unfavorable effect on fertility because they make ovulation more difficult. According to a new study, a lot of caffeine could also reduce the chance of pregnancy: The substance slows muscle contractions, which can interfere with the egg’s journey from the ovary to the uterus.
- Training plan
- Fit after birth
- Only dumbbells needed
- 57 exercises in picture and video
- 42 pages PDF, accessible on all devices
- Training plan
- Fit after birth
- Only dumbbells needed
- 57 exercises in picture and video
- 42 pages PDF, available on all devices
Getting back to your pre-baby body is one of the hurdles after having your own child. In this 8-week workout plan, we’ll help you get back to the figure you desire. With the help of 24 workouts you should be able to get back into shape – this plan is suitable for beginners as well as for advanced users.
Each workout is preceded by a warm-up phase, so that you are well prepared for the load. Also you don’t have to worry about a wrong execution, because every exercise is explained for you in picture and video. You will need dumbbells for one or the other sub-discipline, but you can also simply use filled water bottles as an alternative.
Making the journey from baby bod back to your original shape isn’t necessarily easy – but we’re sure: with the help of this postnatal workout plan, you’ll succeed!
You want to build muscle or get fitter all round? Our top trainers will write you a customized Training and/or nutrition plan.
You are already a client? Then log in here.
After successful payment you will receive an email with a download link. If you have any questions, send a message to [email protected]
4. How soon after stopping the pill can I get pregnant??
You should expect your cycle to be like it was before you went on the pill within 2 to 3 months: for example, if you’ve had irregular periods, you can expect them to be like this again.
In the very first period after weaning, it is normal to have some confusion, for example, your periods may be heavier or lighter. "But getting pregnant is possible immediately", says Kentenich. This is true from day one, although it is more likely (as in any cycle) towards the middle of the cycle. Even after you have had your IUD removed. Only with the hormonal IUD it takes 1 to 2 months until full fertility is reached again.
5. Does an abortion have an effect on my fertility??
An abortion performed according to local standards "has actually no influence on the later fertility", explains Kentenich. At least not if it was without complications. When abortion can be healthier than carrying to term.
6. How can I tell if I am more likely to get pregnant easily or heavily??
You can ask your mother and your grandmother if they had to wait for a long time. It is suspected that the ability to get pregnant easily or rather with difficulty is inherited. But this has not been proven, and there are no genetic tests or similar.
Also the information whether female relatives have reached menopause early could be a clue. Because, of course, fertility depends largely on the egg reserve. And there is a lot to be said for the fact that this is similar for you as it is for your mother and grandmother. Also exciting: This is how a lot of sport influences your fertility.
7. When is fertility at its highest?
One thing is clear: under 35 is better than over 35. Kentenich: "After that it becomes much more difficult, a woman simply has to know that." Also because miscarriages are more frequent then.
The problem is the eggs, whose number and quality diminish over the years. It is very rare for women to become mothers in their late 40s. According to Kentenich, with 2,400 women giving birth each year at the DRK Women’s Clinic in Berlin, that is about one in two.
"Beyond the age of 50, however, a baby is really only possible with the help of an egg donation", according to the doctor’s assessment. Also with regard to the baby, he advises having the first child before 35: Because from this age, the probability of chromosomal abnormalities increases significantly.
8. How time-consuming is the procedure of having eggs frozen??
It’s not easy: you have to take hormones and undergo an operation to remove the eggs from the ovary. This costs around 2000 euros. Then they are frozen. Storage in liquid nitrogen at minus 170 degrees Celsius costs about 100 to 200 euros per year. You should already be sure that you want to have a child later on.
But of course there is no guarantee that fertilization in the laboratory will work out. "In my 20 years as a reproductive physician, only one completely healthy patient has ever asked me for an egg retrieval, so Kentenich. The situation is different for young women who have cancer: for them, freezing is often the only way to have a biological child after chemotherapy. More on the question: Is it worth freezing eggs??
9. Do large gaps between periods affect my fertility?
Yes, it is possible. Because then at least one of the hormones that control the cycle is out of balance, for example due to thyroid problems. Or there is too little estrogen in the blood, as is the case with many competitive athletes with a very low body fat percentage.
"One in 100 women conceives before 40. Birthday into menopause", according to Kentenich. It is essential to have this clarified by a gynecologist, then it will be clear whether and how the cycle will return. As soon as you have regular periods again, i.e. regular ovulation, full fertility is also back. What are the signs of pregnancy, you can find out here.
10. Is there an ideal age for fertility treatment??
In any case, it is always too early to despair. If you have only been off contraception for a few months, it is perfectly normal that nothing has happened yet. You should have tried for at least one year before seeking medical treatment.
The exception to this rule, according to Kentenich, is when the woman is over 40. In this case, it is advisable not to waste time, especially if there are already concrete indications that it could be difficult – such as hormonal disorders or fibroids, benign growths of the uterine mucosa with which the woman has been struggling for a long time.
Even if you or your partner have remained childless in an earlier relationship, you should check out all the alternatives early on. "Then it makes sense to have yourself examined as soon as possible, regardless of your age", says the reproductive physician.
11. What makes it difficult to get pregnant?
This cannot be said unequivocally, because: "It is always a network of many reasons that makes it difficult to get pregnant", says Kentenich. "But the age of the woman plays an increasingly important role." Because many women in Germany today decide late in life to have a baby.
According to a new study by the health insurance company KKH-Allianz, the number of expectant mothers between 20 and 24 has fallen by 28 percent in recent years, while the birth rate among women aged 40 to 44 has risen by an impressive 46 percent. On the one hand, this means that it is often possible to conceive late in life, but not as easily as in your mid-20s.
Other possible reasons for a long wait for a baby include hormonal problems, leaky tubes and adhesions to the uterus, fallopian tubes or ovaries. By the way: In about half of the cases it is the man’s fault if there are problems with conception. So he should also be examined.
12. What happens during fertility treatment?
This is a very complex issue. In principle, there are several possible procedures for this:
- Hormonal stimulation In this case, ovulation is triggered with the help of tablets or injections, because in some couples the cause of the problem is that the egg follicles do not even mature without this assistance.
- Insemination If, for example, the man’s sperm are poorly mobile or simply scarce, doctors can help by insemination: The sperm is injected into the uterus. It can be additionally specially prepared beforehand.
- In vitro fertilization This is the fertilization of the egg outside the body, in which the egg and sperm are combined in a Petri dish. This is recommended, for example, if impermeable fallopian tubes stop the egg on its way to the uterus. The ovaries are almost always stimulated with hormones beforehand so that several follicles can be retrieved. Recently, however, experts have been discussing the idea of foregoing the stressful treatment for women over 40 and performing the egg retrieval in coordination with the natural cycle. Because at this age, women often form few follicles despite hormone doses.
- ICSI In this procedure, the intracytoplasmic sperm injection, the sperm cell is injected directly into the egg cell, so fertilization takes place in any case. ICSI is used, for example, if there are many indications that a sperm will not make it to the egg cell. Sometimes there are no sperm at all in the ejaculate. Sperm cells can then be collected from the testicles and used for ICSI, for example if a man wishes to have a child many years after sterilization.
Don’t panic if your desire to have a child doesn’t work out right away. It is normal for a couple to wait about a year for the first baby to arrive. Trust your body and your fertility. The more relaxed you are, the higher the success rate for fertilization.