Fertility Options Coach

Danish girls are entering puberty a year earlier than they did just 15 years ago. US studies have found similar results, but were not as carefully controlled as this new study. Researchers studied 1,000 young Danish girls in 1991-1993 and another 1,000 young girls in 2006-2008. They used the same methods to find subjects and measure development. They found that girls today are beginning to develop breasts a full year earlier than they did in the 1991-1993 group.

In the earlier group, breast development began at an average of 10.9 years of age. The more recent group began developing breasts at an average of 9.9 years. While other markers of development such as onset of menses and pubic hair was also found to be earlier, the difference was less drastic with an average difference of 0.2-0.3 years earlier development. Researchers found that breast development was early even when they took looked at weight as a factor.

Early puberty can lead to more risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome and risky social behavior. PCOS is a leading cause of infertility. Girls who develop physically younger may not be ready to handle the increased social pressure to experiment sexually and therefore may engage in more risky behavior at a younger age. This is an example of one more reason we need to work to protect young girls from the social pressures of body image and too-early sexual pressure.

Environmental toxins from Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles and other plastics to pesticides have all been tied to hormone disorders and early onset of puberty. Many different chemicals can act like hormones in the body or may disrupt normal hormone processes.

You can read more about this study here:

Puberty Study Article

An excellent book on helping young girls to help with the pressures our society puts on them is Reviving Ophelia. I highly recommend reading the book if you are a parent or loved one of a young girl.

Stress and infertility go hand in hand. While it is not as simple as ‘just relax and it will happen,” taking care of yourself can improve your fertility and lower your stress level. One simple but often overlooked way to boost your fertility is to get enough sleep.

I know, it sounds silly at first, but if you look at the chemistry of sleep you will see that chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to infertility. Melatonin (a hormone produced during sleep) is also important in regulating fertility.

* Weight gain and infertility are closely linked, especially in those with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Several studies have shown that getting less than 7 hours of sleep each night can lead to weight gain and insulin resistance. Excess insulin is a known factor in infertility and PCOS.

* Your body operates on a daily cycle called the circadian rhythm. At precise times throughout the day and night your brain sends messages to different hormone systems. When you don’t get enough sleep, or your sleep schedule is erratic, this precise timing is thrown off. Every hormone system in your body is thrown out off kilter when your circadian rhythms are off. Getting enough sleep allows your body to restablish those rhytms and get your hormones working properly again.

* Your body also repairs itself while you sleep. Damaged or inflamed cells are repaired each night. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body does not have time to repair itself. Over time these small areas in need of repair can cause long-term damage to any system in your body.

* Lack of sleep is itself stressful. When you are overtired you are more likely to feel stressed. Not only will you feel more relaxed with more sleep, you are less likely to make the small mistakes and have the small memory lapses that cause day-to-day stress to increase. When you are fuzzy from lack of sleep you may lose your keys, spill coffee on your work shirt, leave for work late or any number of other things that take an ordinary day into a stress-filled nightmare.

* Depression is a well-known side effect of lack of sleep. When you are depressed you are less likely to take good care of your body including eating right and exercising – a good diet and moderate exercise can increase your chances of fertility as well.

Getting enough sleep may not get you pregnant, but it can improve your chances. Besides, when you are well rested you are more likely to have the energy to try for a baby!