This year, our team at Cape Fertility raise our voices to highlight the importance of protecting your fertility, in light of the reality that a number of commonly known factors are driving an increase in fertility challenges among men and women globally.

Fertility is defined as the natural ability to conceive a child. It is a precious gift and yet something most people simply take for granted, and very rarely ever think about – until, of course, they want to have a baby and struggle to fall pregnant.

When a couple has been trying unsuccessfully for more than 12 months to fall pregnant by having regular, unprotected sex, they may be diagnosed with infertility – a devastating outcome that most people did not even realise was a possibility.

The number of couples who are diagnosed with infertility is increasing worldwide due to several factors, making it paramount for people who want to have a family in the future to take a proactive approach to protecting their fertility.

What is driving the global decline in fertility?

There are several common reasons why infertility among couples is increasing worldwide.

These include the health effects of poor lifestyle choices, environmental factors, sexually transmitted diseases, medical conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome – or PCOS, as well as cancer, a global decline in sperm quality and advanced maternal age.

We briefly look at each of these issues below, so you are better informed to protect your fertility in the face of these realities.

Poor lifestyle choices

A healthy egg and healthy sperm are required to achieve a pregnancy. Sadly, however, modern lifestyles and poor lifestyle choices have resulted in even young people experiencing poor health, which could make it difficult to fall pregnant naturally.

Obesity is one of the best-known causes of fertility problems. Weight related problems are often the result of unhealthy food choices, including eating highly processed food.

Furthermore, lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension certainly have a negative impact on fertility.

Smoking is another well-known contributing factor to fertility challenges. In fact, infertility rates in male and female smokers are about double the rate of non-smokers. Similarly, alcohol consumption and recreational drugs can affect fertility.

Environmental factors

Another known contributing factor to poor health and infertility is the wide array of environmental pollutants and toxins people are exposed to in the modern world. Some pollutants and toxins, such as xenoestrogens, heavy metals and air pollution, have been found to have a direct negative impact on fertility.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)

STDs or sexually transmitted diseases can cause infertility in women and also in men. Typically, for women, STDs can cause tubal inflammation and can even block the fallopian tubes, which makes a natural pregnancy impossible.

Medical conditions

Endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS, as it is better known, are also among the top reasons for infertility in women.

Endometriosis is a non-cancerous condition in which the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. There has been a definite increase in the number of women who have endometriosis over the last few decades. Endometriosis can severely impact on the quality of life for women, including causing infertility, and while it cannot be cured, it can be treated very effectively.

There has also been an increase in the incidence of PCOS, which already affects an estimated 20% of women. PCOS is the most common endocrine (hormone) disorder and a common cause of infertility in women, because it prevents the little follicles in the ovaries from growing and releasing the eggs.

A decline in sperm and egg quality

There is also grave concern on a global level regarding the decrease in sperm quality over the last few decades. Studies have shown that the quality of sperm today is almost 50% lower than it was 50 years ago, and this has been recognised as a global health challenge.

Similarly, many women are postponing having children until later in life, and this is having a significant effect on the quality of their eggs. The physical reality is that women have a prime fertility window that extends to around age 35. Female fertility slowly decreases until age of 35, but after this age, there is often a steep decrease in fertility year after year, so it becomes more difficult to conceive as women become older. In fact, the chances of falling pregnant naturally after the age of 40 is lower than 15%, and most women over the age of 45 are unable get pregnant naturally.

Cancer

A staggering 10 million people die from cancer each year, and millions more lose their health and their quality of life. Sadly, cancers and their treatments severely negatively affect fertility in men and women. Thankfully there are methods of fertility preservation that can save or protect eggs, sperm and reproductive tissue before cancer treatment, so cancer patients still have a chance to have their own biological children in the future after the cancer treatment.

How can you protect your fertility?

Protecting your fertility starts with looking after your health by making smart lifestyle choices to maintain a healthy weight and to manage lifestyle diseases. It also means protecting yourself from environmental toxins and pollutants that will negatively affect your health and fertility.

You also need to keep yourself safe from sexually transmitted diseases by practicing responsible and safe sex, and have regular health checkups, so medical conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS can be identified and treated quickly.

For men who are facing lower sperm counts and women who are delaying their family-building until after their prime fertile window, as well as for those who are facing cancer and cancer treatments, egg or sperm freezing provides a solution to protect fertility for the future.

What to do if you experience fertility problems?

While prevention is always better than cure, you may already be experiencing fertility challenges.

If this is the case, the most important thing to realise is that fertility challenges do not mean you can’t fall pregnant or can’t have a baby, but rather that you will require medical assistance to do so.

Once the exact cause of your infertility as a couple has been established, the right fertility treatment can be provided. The good news is that these days, in the vast majority of cases, there is a fertility treatment available that can help infertile couples to have a healthy baby. This is because most fertility problems are caused by medical conditions that can be treated very successfully.

If you are concerned about your fertility, it is highly recommended that you consult with a fertility specialist as soon as possible.

If you would like to meet one of our world-renowned fertility specialists, simply contact us by clicking here…

At Cape Fertility, we value each individual patient and we look forward to providing you with individualised and personalised care, affordable quality fertility treatment, and higher success rates at our purpose-built premises in the beautiful city of Cape Town.