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Too Toxic to Conceive
Is Your Lifestyle to Blame? By Teri Brown
Dr. Christina E. Sebestyen, OB/GYN and board member of Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, believes that drug use is one of the toxins men and women have the most control over.
"Women should avoid cigarettes, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and caffeine, which are each clearly documented risk factors for infertility," says Dr. Sebestyen. "THC, the major psychoactive constituent of marijuana, decreases the fertilizing potential of human sperm. This effect is likely confined to the period around his marijuana use and not throughout his life unless the marijuana use is persistent."
THC, the ingredient that affects your brain in marijuana, interferes with the way that a sperm is able to penetrate and fertilize an egg, and this decreases the chances of pregnancy. In a report released by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, a study done by the State University of New York at Buffalo examined the semen samples from men who reported smoking marijuana for an average of five years. The study found that the marijuana smokers had reduced semen volume and sperm number.
When Jennifer Key of Montevallo, Ala., went to her doctor with concerns about her inability to conceive naturally, one of the first things her doctor suggested was to lose weight. "My OB/GYN knew me pretty well and really didn't have to ask too many questions about our lifestyle, but she did tell me to lose some weight," says Key. "I did a litle research on my own and found out that overweight women have an overabundant amount of estrogen that causes problems in conception."
Key's research was right on the money. Obesity changes the way hormones behave and often causes unreliable ovulation. "Given the current epidemic of obesity, it is important to note that obesity is the most serious risk factor for primary ovulatory infertility or not releasing an egg each month," says Dr. Sebestyen. "Maintaining a normal body weight will help both women and men to conceive."
