Are you taking proper care of your reproductive health, the way you take care of your skin and physical appearance? Good reproductive health has a positive impact on our mental and social well-being.
Don’t we all just work hard to look physically fit, but have you ever thought about how to maintain good reproductive health?
Now you must be thinking about what exactly reproductive health is and what habits you should adopt for good reproductive health.
Don’t worry though this blog we are telling you everything about reproductive health and a few healthy habits to include in your daily schedule along with your skincare!
Let’s get started!
What is reproductive health?
Reproductive health means being socially, mentally, and physically fit in the context of the reproductive system and its functions.
The reproductive system constitutes hormone-producing glands and organs. A good reproductive system means the capability to reproduce, no problems in conceiving, and to maintain one’s sexual health.
In females, the reproductive system is one of the most sensitive parts and females need to take care of it properly. Because if it is neglected then they can create problems in the future.
Here are a few habits that will help you to maintain good reproductive health.
Healthy habits for the reproductive system-
1. Healthy lifestyle- Approximately 10% to 15% of couples face the issues of infertility and difficulty in conceiving. There are many reasons behind this issue, but a poor lifestyle is one of the major reasons for infertility.
Numerous lifestyle factors such as stress, age, weight, physical exercise, and nutrition have a major influence on reproductive health and infertility.
A healthy lifestyle includes sufficient sleep, a proper diet, a healthy body weight, and a positive environment.
You should always have positive and happy surroundings because a stressful environment may affect your immune system and it can cause hormonal changes that have a negative effect on the menstrual cycle. And if the menstrual cycle is not regular then it can cause some serious diseases which directly affect the reproductive system.
2. Diet and Nutrition- What you eat and how much proportion you eat matters a lot and it has a great influence on reproductive health. In fact, the right food choices can reduce the chances of infertility.
You should start your day by having a king-size breakfast that includes calorie-rich food as it helps to reduce the level of insulin and testosterone and also helps in maintaining hormonal balance.
You should add healthy fats to your diet as it boosts fertility. All the fruits and vegetables are a good source of nutrition and other antioxidants like green tea, berries, ginger, turmeric, dark chocolate, etc all are very beneficial. And both men and women should increase the intake of antioxidants.
Eat vitamins and minerals in a proper proportion as it is an essential component of a balanced diet.
And you should totally avoid caffeine consumption as it negatively impacts the menstrual cycle that in the future can cause infertility.
3. Exercise- One of the most effective ways to increase fertility is yoga and exercise along with a balanced diet. Exercise is good for the regulation of the menstrual cycle, good for the lungs, heart, and immune system.
Daily 30-35 minutes you should donate to exercise, but remember anything done in excess is harmful so don’t do too much exercise. Practice all the moderate exercises like walking, running, swimming, playing a sport, and muscle strengthening exercises.
However, doing vigorous exercises like heavy weight lifting or doing the exercise for more than an hour can cause infertility.
Regular exercise will help you to reduce the problem of obesity and help to attain a healthy body weight.
4. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol- Recently consumption of drugs, pills, alcohol, has increased but it has some serious effects on the reproductive system especially on the male reproductive system.
In males, sperm count, sperm motility, and reproductive hormones decrease causing infertility. Apart from infertility, they are also the root cause of some fatal and long-term medical conditions like cancer of the mouth and throat, liver cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and digestive problems.
It also affects our mental health also and can cause problems like depression and anxiety.
5. Increase consumption of calcium and magnesium- Calcium and magnesium both play a significant role in the male and female reproductive system respectively. Magnesium is one of the most important micronutrients for the human body and in addition magnesium is needed for normal cell and organ function.
Magnesium helps to maintain the balance of female hormones like progesterone and estrogen that boost fertility. Apart from this magnesium also helps to decrease inflammation which increases the chances of successful embryo transfer.
Similarly, calcium also plays a vital role in maintaining good reproductive health. Calcium helps in the regulation of spermatogenesis( production of mature sperm) and fertilization.
Foods like dark chocolate, nuts, avocados, whole grains, fish, bananas, and spinach are rich in magnesium.
Foods like yogurt, leafy green vegetables, soybeans, oranges, papaya, and lentils are rich in calcium.
What should you avoid?
- You should decrease the consumption of caffeine as it can increase the risk of miscarriage.
- Avoid eating too much junk food as it may cause irregular periods and can also cause obesity.
- Neither gain a lot of weight nor lose a lot of weight, just strike the right balance and don't exercise too much.
- Not getting enough sleep and a distorted eating and sleeping schedule. Poor sleep may lead to excess weight in all genders.
Conclusion
We understand changing your daily lifestyle and changing your eating habits is not an easy task but each step towards healthier habits makes a difference if you are trying to conceive and you want to embrace motherhood.
Starting from small changes like daily exercising for 15-20 minutes, cutting down caffeine and sugar, slowly you will be habitual and apart from just being reproductively fit your body will be physically, socially and mentally in the right shape.
Consult your doctor often if you are trying to conceive and also take tests to avoid the chances of STDs ( sexually transmitted diseases).
Just doing physical exercise doesn’t make you fit. If you actually want to fit you need to take care of your reproductive system as well. Your body should be fit in all aspects. We hope through this blog you might understand the importance of reproductive health.
