Gynaecology
Reproductive Health
Complete wellbeing in all matters pertaining to the reproductive system – physical, emotional and social.
What is Reproductive Health?
Good reproductive health is crucial for an individual’s general health and wellbeing. It is central to their ability to make choices and decisions about their lives, including when, or whether, to contemplate having children.
Reproductive health does not only relate to physical wellbeing, but also includes:
- The right to healthy and respectful relationships
- Access to health services that are equitable, inclusive, safe and appropriate
- Access to accurate information and support
What can I do to improve my reproductive health?
Reproductive Health for all individuals is influenced by five main factors.
Age
As we age, our chances of having children decreases. While the exact timing of this varies among individuals, age impacts both men and women alike.
Women under the age of 35 and men under the age of 40 have a higher chance of having a child than those who are older. This applies to both natural conception AND conception via fertility treatment.
You can learn more about the impact of age on fertility here.
Weight
Being a healthy weight increases your chances of having a baby, whilst being overweight or underweight can increase the time it takes to conceive.
This is because weight has an influence on hormone levels, which can impact:
- A woman’s menstrual cycle
- Egg quality
- Sperm quality
- Erectile dysfunction
- Reduced libido
It’s not about having the ‘perfect’ body, but more about having a fit body: maintaining a healthy, balanced diet and regular, moderate exercise will improve your health and increase your chance of pregnancy and having a healthy baby.
Timing
Timing is everything when it comes to conception and there is definitely a right and a wrong time to do it. Conception is most likely to occur when sperm enter the female reproductive tract during the ‘fertile window’, the three-six days leading up to and including ovulation.
Health
Many health issues can have an impact on your reproductive health. These can include:
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Diabetes
- Medications
- Endometriosis
- Adenomyosis
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Gender reassignment therapy
- Cancer treatments
It is important that health issues are managed by an appropriately qualified health professional.
Lifestyle
There are a number of health and lifestyle changes you can adopt to ensure your reproductive health is kept at its peak.
Click on each of the links below to find out more: