5 ways to protect your fertility NOW for future family planning

When you are young, you may be more concerned about which university you are going to attend, what your dream job is, or who you want to date at the moment. Thinking about your future children may be one of the furthest things on your mind.

But, when it comes to long term healthy fertility, the habits must start early. Even if you aren’t thinking about starting a family any time soon, there are a few critical steps you can take now to make sure that when that time comes, it will go as smoothly as possible.

1. Don’t smoke

It should come as no surprise to anyone, but smoking is bad for your overall health, including your fertility. Smokers have approximately a 66% higher risk of infertility than non-smokers, so smoking should be avoided entirely if you want to have children in the future.

2. Eat well and exercise regularly

Your fertility needs to be maintained every day, even if you aren’t planning on having kids for years and years down the road.

The best way that you can make sure that all of your organs are healthy, and your hormones are staying where they need to be, is to eat healthy nutrient-dense foods every day and get started on a regular exercise routine as soon as possible.

Exercise isn’t all about trying to lose weight, it should be initiated as a way to promote long term health, including your sexual health.

3. Practice safe sex every time

When you are practicing safe sex when you are young, it is a great way to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but it can also help with your fertility long term. Using condoms is a way to help prevent the transmission of STIs, which are capable of leaving lasting negative effects on your fertility if contracted.

Even if your partner ensures that pregnancy is not an issue, do your future self a favour and use a condom every time.

4. Get medical help if something seems off

When you are in your teens, you are starting to learn more about your body, including when everything going on with your reproductive system feels normal, and when something seems off.

For young women, this is a good time to start keeping track of your menstrual cycle to get a feel for your average cycle length, and what your normal period feels like. If cycle lengths change drastically, you miss periods, your flow varies, your discharge is unusual, or you experience more menstrual pain than usual, it could be a sign of something happening which you should check out with a doctor.

For young men, changes in your erection, urination, libido, discharge, or sensations of pain mean that you should have a sexual health check-up to ensure everything is working properly. Getting regular sexual health check-ups won’t just ensure that an STI is being left untreated, it can help preserve your fertility for the future.

5. Maintain a healthy body weight

Maintaining a healthy body weight helps all of your organs function properly. And, when it comes to fertility, your body weight can play a large role in the correct production of hormones. Starting early in life, try to maintain a weight in the normal range for your height, as weighing too much or too little can affect your fertility later on.