Our newsfeeds are constantly filled with heart-breaking stories of failed IVF attempts and couples who have spent years trying to conceive. It’s little wonder, then, that so many Irish women are concerned about their fertility.
This is according to new research conducted by MummyPages, in conjunction with fertility supplement brand Proceive.
According to the study, a whopping 60 percent of Irish women are worried about their chances of conceiving a child – and age seems to be the greatest source of their concern.
While the generations before us were having children in their twenties, considered the ‘prime fertility years’; this isn’t the case for millennials.
Indeed, Irish women are now spending their twenties travelling the world, landing their dream career, and finding ‘the one’ – meaning that mere idea of having children isn’t cropping up until they are in their thirties.
While this is the norm now for many young women, they are facing setbacks when they actually do start trying.
Gaye Godkin, nutritionist with Proceive – a fertility supplement designed to support the nutritional needs of the body when trying for a baby – explained the significance of age when trying to conceive naturally.
“Women are born with their compliment of eggs. As we age, so too do our eggs. In essence, your eggs are chronologically the same as you. They have been subject to the environment that they have been immersed in,” she explains.
So, lacking the ability to turn back the clock, what can we do? Turning the focus back on ourselves and our lifestyle can make a major difference.
“Egg quality can be enhanced if they are released into a healthy, nutritious environment. Fostering a good diet and ensuring that you are taking the essential nutrients can positively affect the health of your eggs and, subsequently, the developing foetus," adds Gaye.
It seems that our lifestyle – diet and fitness, in particular – have never been more important when it comes to our fertility, and this has been reflected in the study statistics.
Indeed, lots of Irish women are focusing on their nutritional health, in a bid to boost their fertility chances.
According to the research, 82 percent of Irish women are taking daily folic acid supplements ahead of trying to get pregnant.
In addition, a whopping 53 percent of women surveyed admitted to losing weight in a bid to boost their chances of conceiving, while a further 38 percent are taking fertility-enhancing prenatal vitamins to help them along.
Commenting on the research, MummyPages’ spokesmum, Laura Erskine, welcomed the encouraging statistics which show that mums are taking an active role in their fertility.
“The good news is that today’s millennial is much more health-conscious, where hashtags such as #cleaneating and #fitfam adorn their social posts,” she explains.
“While our mums-to-be currently trying for a baby can’t do anything about their age, they can take steps to ensure that they are providing the best possible physical environment to aid conception.
“Losing weight; taking prenatal vitamin and mineral supplements; reducing sugar, caffeine and alcohol in their diets, and avoiding stress will all help the baby-making process – and having regular sex, too, of course!”
Procieve is a range of scientifically formulated fertility supplements for both men and women who trying for a baby. It is designed to support nutritional deficiencies associated with the reproductive system. It provides the most comprehensive formulations including Folic acid, amino acids, vitamins and minerals to support the nutritional needs of the body when trying for a baby.
