Nutrition, Diet and Health Tips

In the recent past, infertility was not a commonly discussed topic in Africa, after all we had ways to deal with the situation if it came up.

For example, in Kenya most communities allowed a woman to take in a wife to sire kids with her husband if she was not in a position to, some communities still practice this. If the man was the problem, the woman would be expected to take matters into ‘her own hands’ and ensure they had babies running in that compound.

But you see with modernization, advancement in technology, change in social dynamics and more, alot has changed especially on how we handle things like Infertility.

Increased awareness & diagnosis is one of the reasons for the increasing numbers of Infertility in both males and females in Kenya.

So what are the causes of Infertility?

✅ Age – as we grow older, our ability to reproduce slows down due to age related degenerative changes.

For instance, after 35, a woman’s eggs quality starts depreciating and ofcos she’ll have it harder conceiving or even carrying a pregnancy to term than her counterpart who is 25 ( This is a fact that doesn’t sit well with women lol 😂).

For men, after 40, sperm motility, quality, quantity and count reduce but studies have shown promptly and the right nutrition interventions with lifestyle adjustments helps with this. ( Men are lucky 😉)

✅ Surgical removal of reproductive organs like Uterus, Fallopian damages, testicles might make it impossible to conceive or even carry a pregnancy to term.

✅ Poor dietary Habits – consumption of refined & processed foods, synthetic sugars, too much alcohol and drugs, lack of physical exercise and more have been associated with increased incidences of Infertility despite the advancement in Reproductive health technology for diagnosis and management.

✅ Hormonal Imbalances – for both genders. In women it affects egg release, quality, ovulation and the monthly Menses. For males it affects sperm count, quality & quantity which affect Fertility negatively.

✅ Infections like STDs/ STIs such as syphylis, gonorrhoeal disease, HPV, recurrent and chronic UTIs and more that affect the reproductive system have a negative impact on fertility.

✅And other unexplainable causes. They actually account for 30-50% of the Infertility cases globally.

If this article was helpful, please give it a like and stick around for Nutrition Interventions that support Fertility next.

As always, signed with love from your favourite Dietitian,

Lilian Mumina,
Registered Dietitian,
Mumina Wellness Solutions.
https://youtu.be/KupxshfBEHk
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