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getting ready | Preparing Body for <strong>Baby</strong>Union. Excessive drinking as well asunnatural processed foods and junk canalso have the same negative impact onthe body.mother, baby & child october 2013say that 1 in 7 couples are affected whereas hereit is about 1 in 6”.Empirical data can be hard to obtain indeveloping countries and living in the Gulf isno exception. Although the medical facilities inthe Gulf can be of Western standards, factualdata is important to understand why coupleshave trouble conceiving and what measures canbe taken to prevent it. “Demographic reportsare certainly more difficult to come by- datacollection is far less developed than many othercountries and there are particular difficultiesdue to the fluid nature of a multi-nationalpopulation”.Dr. Robertson explains that the increasingnumbers of women with the endocrine disorderPCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and menwho have low or zero sperm count are mostcommon. More positively- lifestyle choiceshave a very big impact in life quality overallwhich can assist in falling pregnant. The basicrecommendations include a healthy diet for bothparties and regular moderate exercise to createa good balance. The World Health Organizationclaims that “Smoking Can Damage sperm anddecrease fertility” which is being used as atobacco free initiative along with the European30There is great hope though, as Dr.Robertson reassures us that “it can takea perfectly healthy couple months toconceive. Up until the age of 35, 84%will conceive in their first year of tryingand half of the rest in the second year. Acouple should wait a year before seekingadvice. If the woman is older than 35then they should wait around 6 monthsbefore seeking a consultation”.Even treatment for women over 35 hasproven to be greatly successful eveninto their 40s and only a “relativelysmall portion end up having complextreatment like IVF”.Each case is individual and can alwaysbe influenced by a number of factors.If seeking advice is important to visitspecialists in the field instead of takingadvice from friends or loved ones. “Thenumber of treatments available and theirlikelihood on success have increasedgreatly over the last 20 years so we nowhave solutions to many problems thatwere previously untreatable”.Overall, the future can always lookhealthy for conception if we take goodcare of ourselves both inside and out.Pregnancy can be influenced frombiological, environmental and evenemotional factors. As Dr. Robertson says,“be realistic and stay positive”.Source:Dr. David Robertson+971 4 705 5055Group Medical DirectorDubai, UAE