It is a well-known fact that smoking can have a negative impact on your health, with both active and passive smoking possessing the ability to wreak havoc. Being associated with health conditions such as emphysema, diabetes, multiple forms of cancer, heart disease and many more, you would assume that no one would pick up this habit. However, in 2019, health data showed, 28% of men and 22% of women aged…
Category: Health and Lifestyle
10 Posts
Alcohol and Hormones: What is the link?
Read moreWhen looking to conceive, cutting down on your drinking is often one of the first things on your preconception to-do list. The dangerous effects of alcohol on the developing foetus can range from physical to mental and generally disrupts their development in the womb (see foetal alcohol syndrome). But what is the link between alcohol and hormones? According to recent data, women and gender-diverse people assigned female at birth, are…
Stress and Your Menstrual Cycle: Is there a link?
Read moreMost of us recognise stress when it comes along. It can be triggered by an impending deadline or presentation. Maybe you are moving house next week or taking on extra shifts at work to afford a holiday this year. Either way, stress is a natural reaction to different life events. Often a very good motivator, it helps us work harder and achieve things, in small doses. But there is a…
Alcohol and Fertility: How Drinking Affects Your Conception Chances
Read moreMonitoring your ovulation, reducing your caffeine intake, taking folic acid… If you are currently actively trying to conceive these recommendations will most likely sound familiar. Chances are you will also have been recommended to stop drinking alcohol. But how are alcohol and fertility linked, and can drinking impair your chances of conceiving? In short, yes. However, new research has now indicated that both the timing in your cycle at which…
Exercise and Fertility: Is There Really a Link?
Read moreWe all have different feelings about exercise. Some of us can’t go a day without it and some of us simply can’t bear it. Whichever team you’re on, there’s no denying that exercise comes with health benefits and some of these benefits extend to your fertility. At the same time, too much exercise can be damaging and finding the right balance for you can be difficult. So we’re here to…
STIs and Fertility: What You Need To Know
Read moreThere are dozens of STIs out there, all with different symptoms and characteristics. If you find out you have an STI, you’re gonorrhoea-lly want to sort it out quickly, so it is important to get an STI check-up if you develop any symptoms and get treated as soon as possible. If you do develop symptoms, you should avoid having sex without a condom until you have been treated to prevent…
Veganism and Fertility: How does a vegan diet impact your fertility?
Read moreThis month, an estimated 400,000 people are taking part in ‘Veganuary’: a movement in which you go vegan for the month of January. Perhaps, you are thinking of joining them or maybe you are just curious about how a vegan diet will affect your fertility? The vegan diet is often hailed as having many health benefits, but what about when it comes to your fertility… Firstly, what is a vegan…
The Science Behind Stress and Fertility
Read moreOn a scale of candlelit bath to the year 2020, how stressed are you feeling right now? It’s been a whirlwind of a year (thankfully it’s nearly over), and one that has required a lot of extra self-care to protect our mental health and wellbeing. But what impact could the stress of this year, on top of all life’s normal stressors, be having on your reproductive health? In the world…
How Your Fertility May Be Affected By Your Lifestyle
Read moreWe’re all guilty of having bad habits; smoking, drinking, over-indulging on the caffeine or stressing out over the simplest of things, these are common poor lifestyle choices we often make. But vices like these can not only impact your general health but your fertility too. 1 in 7 heterosexual couples in the UK experience fertility struggles and for those, modifying bad habits and lifestyle choices are the first step. Whilst…
Cervical Screening: Have No Fear, Get Your Smear!
Read moreTurning 25 not only marks the end of your first quarter of a century on earth, but it also calls for a (rather mundane) birthday card from the NHS, reminding you to book in for your cervical screening. Now you’re ‘of age’, this is going to become something of a routine for you every few years, but just because it’s routine, doesn’t mean we fully understand the ins and outs…