Okay, so I am 21 years old and in my senior year of college (I’ll be done in May!!). On the forefront of my mind is school, job, friends, fun, etc. Needless to say, having a baby is pretty much on the bottom of my list of stuff to worry about. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE kids; I grew up with three younger brothers and I love babysitting and all that stuff. It’s just there’re so many things I want to do when I graduate college, and so many places I want to go, that the thought of kids is distant in my mind.
That being said, though, working at IntegraMed® Fertility has changed the way that I think about having children. In learning about infertility I find the irony of my situation: I am expending my time and energy right now worrying about not getting pregnant.
Yet when the time comes that I want to have children, I will likely be doing just the opposite. For this reason I’ve become increasingly aware of my health and the risk factors that I can control to keep myself at low risk for infertility when the time comes.
One thing that is particularly important to me is keeping a healthy weight. High blood pressure and obesity can have a negative effect on many aspects of my health, including fertility. I’ve been physically active almost my whole life. Playing soccer, track and cross country in high school always kept me in good shape.
However, coming to college was a huge change for me, as my eating habits and schedule changed drastically, making it harder to eat healthy and exercise regularly. Apparently Cup-O-Noodles isn’t nutritious, despite its killer value ($1). Oh yeah, beer isn’t that great for you either. Go figure. Despite my freshman year blunders, I have developed a healthy diet and regular exercise schedule that has helped me to stay fit and feel great, which I plan to stick to in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle not only through pregnancy, but for the rest of my life.
In addition to maintaining a healthy, smoking has a detrimental impact on one’s health, including negatively impacting fertility. I’ve never had an interest in smoking and although most of my friends smoke, they aren’t the peer pressure type. For my own sake, however, I will continue to remain smoke-free not only for the sake of my fertility, but to preserve all other aspects of my health.
Last, but certainly not least, is the issue of safe sex and STD’s. Your twenties may very well be your most sexually active years, and with that freedom also comes responsibility (Oh God, I totally sound like my father the day I got my driver’s license.)
Teaching abstinence, which was a weak attempt even in high school, would be a joke to most college kids (at least from my own observation). Living on campus, it seems like I’m surrounded by the careless and hormonally-charged college population.
I think colleges have really picked up on this and have responded accordingly. (Granted, putting condoms in a candy bowl in our dorms seems a little weird, but hey that’s just me.) Aside from the obvious effects that certain STD’s can present in and of themselves, many STD’s also cause problems when it comes time to conceive. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the two most common – and preventable – STDs linked to infertility. To prevent these diseases and others it is crucial to practice protected sex, even if on birth control.
Well, that being said, as for now, living life one day at a time – no babies in sight! Let you know if my plans change!
