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It is also important to prevent unnecessary damage to the cervix in women. Regular PAP smears to screen for early cervical precancerous disease allows conservative treatment of these lesions when they are found, thus preserving the function of the cervix. Unnecessary surgical treatment of benign cervical lesions such as erosions should also be avoided.
Young women who are obsessed with their fitness can paradoxically impair their own fertility. Excessive dieting; together with too much exercise in order to maintain a thin figure can actually cause irregular menstrual cycles and stop ovulation. This is especially common in women athletes, swimmers, gymnasts and dancers; and women with anorexia nervosa. Simply regaining body weight can reverse their infertility.
Obesity can also interfere with ovarian function. Excessive fat disrupts normal hormonal production, causing abnormal ovulation. Reducing body weight down to normal can correct the problem.
Another problem that has become more prevalent recently is the advanced age at which women are opting to have babies. Because of socio-economic pressures, women prefer to complete their education and pursue their careers before starting a family. This sometimes means that childbearing is postponed till women are in their late twenties or early thirties - and for some women at least, the biological clock has ticked on too far as a result of this delay. In addition to the natural decline in fertility with increasing age, the longer a woman puts off pregnancy, the more she risks having her fertility threatened for various other reasons - such as endometriosis and STDs. While postponing childbearing can be an economic necessity for some couples, the best time to have a baby from a biological point of view is when the woman is in her early twenties.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
