How to protect female fertility after 30?

Years of academic training, the time it takes to find a moderately stable job and difficult access to housing are some of the factors that cause motherhood to be postponed, putting female fertility at risk.

In many cases, circumstances don’t allow you to consider having a baby until your thirties, but then getting pregnant can be more difficult.

The age of the woman is decisive to be able to have children because, From the age of 30, fertility begins to decline.

This decrease is pronounced from the age of 35 and very high from the age of 38, according to data from the Spanish Fertility Society.

However, age is not the only factor to take into account, as lifestyle can also influence the chances of achieving a pregnancy.

In this sense, a review of studies published in the journal “Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology” concludes that, in addition to age, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, alcohol, tobacco and other compounds have a negative effect on fertility and They can prolong the time needed to get pregnant.

Healthy nutrition

Thus, ProCare Healtha laboratory specializing in women’s health, offers some advice to take into account when considering a pregnancy after the age of 30.

The first is to have a healthy diet. In this way, The Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN) indicates that women with obesity have a lower probability of becoming pregnant both spontaneously and after undergoing assisted reproductive techniques.

Thus, it is calculated that the probability of pregnancy in women with severe obesity is reduced by half compared to women with normal weight.

“It is estimated that for each point of increase in the body mass index (BMI), the probability of spontaneous pregnancy is reduced by 10%. In addition, it is estimated that, after assisted reproduction techniques, for each point increase in BMI, live births decrease by 9% “,

points out Dr. Ana de Hollanda, coordinator of the Obesity group of the SEEN.

The specialist explains that obesity alters ovulation because excess body fat causes alterations in the hormones that regulate ovulation.

Also, that excess fat negatively affects the quality of the eggs and their ability to be fertilized.

smoking

Another recommended measure for women who want to be mothers is avoid tobaccoas this habit is also associated with lower fertility rates.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) stresses that chemicals in cigarette smoke (such as nicotine, cyanide, and carbon monoxide) speed up egg loss.

Keep in mind that a woman’s egg reserve decreases with age and does not regenerate.

This implies that women smokers reach menopause between 1 and 4 years earlier than non-smokers.

Similarly, this entity emphasizes that women smokers do not conceive as efficiently as non-smokers.

In fact, infertility rates in both men and women who smoke are about twice those of non-smokers.

Also, the risk of fertility problems increases with the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

For his part, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stresses the importance of stopping substance use before trying to get pregnant.

This entity reminds that tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, illegal drugs and some medications can cause serious problems such as birth defects in the baby, low birth weight, premature birth or even the birth of a stillborn baby.

Physical exercise

From Procare Health they recommend women who want to get pregnant to do physical exercise.

“The regular practice of physical exercise has numerous benefits for the well-being of the organism. Physical activity contributes to weight control, which is favorable to prevent obesity and the problems that this entails for the ovulatory capacity»

indicate the specialists of this laboratory.

Also, ACOG experts recommend getting 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, along with muscle-strengthening exercises, at least 2 days a week.

“You can divide the recommended number of minutes into several training sessions throughout the week, for example, in sessions of 30 minutes spread over 5 days a week. Establish the routine that best suits you»

recommend.

the most fertile days

Finally, when you want to be a mother, it is advisable to check which are the most fertile days.

“When looking for a pregnancy, it is essential to know the woman’s ovulation calendar to know which is the most fertile period and thus optimize relationships”

point out from Procare Health.

A woman has a certain number of immature eggs stored in her ovaries.

Throughout her life, some of these eggs will mature.

When an egg is fully mature, it is released from the ovary. This is known as ovulation.

Image of an embryonic development. Photo courtesy of the Marqués Institute.

From the ovary, the egg travels down the fallopian tubes to the uterus. If during this journey it is fertilized by a sperm, a pregnancy begins, which will stay inside the uterus.

But if this does not happen, it will be expelled along with the endometrium, which is the tissue that lines the inner wall of the uterus, during menstruation.

In an average menstrual cycle of 28 days, ovulation occurs about 14 days before the start of the next menstruation.

If you want to conceive, the optimal time to have intercourse is the day of ovulation and the five days prior to it.

Since sperm can live inside the female reproductive tract for up to five days, the chances of getting pregnant are higher if there are live sperm in the fallopian tubes during ovulation.

According to data from the Spanish Fertility Society, 85% of couples achieve a pregnancy after a year of searching and a third of those pregnancies happen within the first three months.

However, if after trying for a year, pregnancy does not occur, it is advisable to consult a doctor.

Journalists Use Burner Phones to Protect Privacy at Beijing Olympics

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — 

Many foreign journalists at the Beijing Winter Olympics tell VOA they have brought “burner” devices, such as phones and laptops completely wiped of personal data, to protect their digital privacy. That’s because China has a long record of surveilling and restricting journalists.

Reporters at the Beijing Olympics will not see much of Beijing at all. Instead, they will be in a closed loop, taking official buses from venue to venue. COVID-19 policies aren’t the only challenge. Another is digital privacy, and journalists are taking extraordinary steps to protect it.

James Griffiths, Asia correspondent for The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, is currently in the Beijing bubble.

“I set up a burner computer, which is what we’re talking on right now,” he said. “I have a burner phone. I even have a burner iPad with me just to be sure so none of my usual identities are on that. Most of my accounts aren’t logged into while I’m here.”

Griffiths said it is difficult to find any reporter who is not using some type of burner device at the Olympic Games.

It’s a familiar routine for those reporting in China. This week, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China warned media freedom is declining at “breakneck speed.”

Ahead of the Games, the Committee to Protect Journalists warned reporters to assume everything they do online will be monitored.

So far, those reporting from the Olympics bubble have reported no problems, even if they have limited mobility.

“We can operate as reporters in the closed loop without restrictions,” said Donna Spencer, a sports reporter for The Canadian Press, “but the restrictions inherent in the closed loop prevent us from doing the kind of reporting that someone who is a foreign correspondent here would do a year around.”

It may not be ideal, but Australian journalist Eryk Bagshaw said it is an acceptable tradeoff.

“Essentially you’re submitting yourself to such total surveillance that there’s almost freedom in that,” Bagshaw said. “There’s cameras absolutely everywhere . . . you’re not looking over your shoulder wondering if you’re being tailed because you’re speaking to a Chinese dissident.”

But even this kind of reporting has its challenges.

During his interview with VOA, Bagshaw was interrupted by authorities reminding him of a required COVID-19 test.

“I just need to finish this video interview and then I’ll come down,” he told them. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes, if that’s OK. Thank you very much. Bye … there you go. Right on it.”

Just another challenge of reporting during a pandemic in China.