If there is just one time our adult lives that we really feel the urge to leave old habits behind, it’s when babies are on the to do list. Thing is, getting fertility fit can be stressful – and that can be one big fizzer on the fertility front too! It’s a vicious merry go round. By now, you may have had the chance to read my e-book, where I talk about the specifics on the good habits you should be creating around your health. Truthfully, I prefer to focus on your fertility through wellness and health, not on the baby making act itself. Fertility isn’t babies. Fertility is having a healthy reproductive system.

So can one bad habit make me infertile?

As sure as I love coconuts, one single bad habit will be enough to flick off the fertility switch.

But there are two levels I’d like you to consider. Lots of little bad habits, be it through diet, lifestyle and general living – can actually add up to be one big problem, just as one whopper bad habit can be enough to stop your reproductive organs in their tracks.

These big habits I’m referring to may look like smoking or drinking, stress or poor diet. These factors alone can be enough get between you and your baby and they are equally important for men and women – in fact, often even more so for men. Did you realise that moderate drinking will affect fertility – for women this will delay ovulation and for men, it will present with poor semen quality and high numbers of abnormalities. For women, moderate consumption is considered more than two drinks per week! It’s not much. Men can handle a little more, but when your aiming for repair, it’s probably best to cut it out all together for a short while (3 months).

Here’s another thing I discovered after years in the field…

perfectionists find it hard to have babies

Truly. In the quest for perfection, the stress sets in – which as we know, affects fertility (I say by up to 50%). I had a patient in last week who’s specialist told her otherwise – in that stress didn’t affect fertility. I know this much. Stress affects us right down to a cellular level. It changes the way sperm look and the quality of eggs as well as ovulation as the bodies way of protecting itself. It ages you. It only makes sense it affects our wellness and our reproductive ability. The body is so so clever. Sometimes we forget that. If you are too stressed, your body is simply saying “get real.” Reality check required.

And then there are little habits – you know, the ones that all add up. They might look like erratic eating, consumption of poor foods a little too often, low fat foods, nutritionally lacking foods, irregular sex, late nights, poor quality sleep, poor water quality, too much exercise, too much work… there’s a long list. It’s good to live your life as normally as possible in the lead up to having a baby being mindful of what can stand in the way of you and your baby. One cup of coffee per day alone won’t make you interfile. 10 cups is another story.

Be encouraged to take charge of your wellness – get your reproductive organs happy and take some of that ‘guessing’ out of the equation. The baby making caper is hard enough without adding to it!

Balance is key.

AND if you need a little kick start – due to the overwhelming response to my January gentle cleanse, I’m left with no choice BUT to offer a February gentle cleanse that anybody can participate in. Details are here. It’s a seriously good way to reset the batteries and start fresh. I get many emails several months after these cleanses with pregnancy announcements. I wish I could share them on here for you to see.

The F word (fertility), always come with a degree of caution, which doesn’t allow for huge discussion or interaction in the comments section below. But, my inbox suggests otherwise! (and I love that) I mean, you may assume your fellow readers don’t really care about the timing of your cervical mucus or how many times you did the dead last month, but I can tell you people want to learn how to better themselves and if there is something your not sure on, you can bet your last tampon, Cindy next door probably wants to know too. What’s my point? Don’t be shy to share your experiences, comments or ideas in the comments section and create discussion. From the delightful feedback I receive, you all love the information on here. So take it to the next level and start to connect with like minded people. You never know who you might meet that can change your life!