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Painful periods
Many women, unfortunately, are still convinced that discomfort during menstruation is the norm. But this pain can be one of the signs of uterine fibroids or endometriosis.
The problem has a scientific name – dysmenorrhea. Among its symptoms, in addition to the pain itself, there may be fainting, dizziness, headaches, nausea and vomiting. The consequences, as you already understand, up to infertility.
By the way, painful sensations in the rectum, pain during sex, as well as discharge – abundant or, conversely, scanty and smearing, can indirectly indicate endometriosis.
But pain during ovulation, even if they are bloody, is really just a female feature that does not affect the ability to conceive a baby.
Irregular cycle
The main indicator of a woman’s reproductive health is the clarity of her cycle without regard to the individual characteristics of the body. It doesn’t matter how many days you have your period – just three or a whole week. It is not so important what the interval between them is: for some, a little more than three weeks pass between cycles, and for some more than a month. If all this is repeated from time to time without delays and changes, then, most likely, the hormonal background is normal, which means that there should be no problems with conception, at least for this reason.
It is bad if your cycle suddenly turns into a “swing”: you never know exactly what day your period will start and how long it can last. This may indicate problems with hormones, ovulation, anovulatory cycles, polycystic ovary syndrome.
By the way, the late onset of menstruation – at the age of 16 and older – can also be the first symptom of possible infertility.
Excess weight
In combination with an irregular cycle, it can also frankly hint at hormonal problems. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 45% of obese women cannot get pregnant. Yes, and our experts say that this is an extra difficulty when trying to conceive.
But even if doctors say that, despite the extra pounds, everything is in order with fertility, it is better to lose weight before conceiving. Otherwise, it will not be easy to carry the baby.
Excessive thinness
A slender physique, from the point of view of gynecologists, is no better than overly curvy forms. Adipose tissue still has to be, because it plays an important role in the metabolism of many hormones. Excessive thinness, up to anorexia, can also be one of the reasons for the absence of menstruation and anovulation. This means that you will not be able to get pregnant – after all, there is no egg.
Age over 35
Agree, the expression about the ticking clock is terribly annoying. But at the same time, it does not cease to be less truthful. And this applies only to the beautiful half of humanity. Unlike men, who are “great fathers” at almost any age, in women, fertility gradually decreases over the years, the eggs age. And if gynecologists consider the age of up to 35 years to be actively reproductive, then after 43 it is difficult to get pregnant on your own, even with regular ovulation.
Fanaticism and anxiety
It’s a paradox, but if you live only with thoughts of how to get pregnant, you most likely will not succeed. In medicine, this is called psychological infertility and the woman is advised to “let go of her head.” True, rarely does anyone succeed in doing this on their own; the help of a specialist is needed.
By the way, another potential factor in infertility is stress. If the body is in constant stress, it will give signals that now is not the time to give birth. A woman may even lose her period during this period: this is called stressful amenorrhea.
In addition, increased anxiety can indicate thyroid problems, which can also affect ovulation.