How important is health promotion in the lifestyle of infertile couples?

Unlabelled: We sought to elucidate the current attitudes and practices of infertile couples concerning unhealthy lifestyle practices, and examine the extent to which the couples engaged in health promoting activities.

Methods: The study population consisted of consecutive couples who first attended an infertility clinic at a tertiary care clinic between July 1, 1995 and June 30, 1996, and voluntarily completed a questionnaire centered on knowledge, attitude and practices pertaining to unhealthy lifestyles as well as health promoting activities.

Results: The majority of the 106 couples 53%, reported cigarette smoking by at least one partner; 69% admitted to alcohol consumption; and 77% were using over-the-counter drugs. Only 28% of the smokers were knowledgeable about the value of smoking cessation intervention. In 11 of the 50 (22%) nonsmoking couples, both partners had stopped smoking because of their infertility. Awareness of the adverse effects of smoking on fertility was more common among nonsmokers and females. A large proportion of respondents failed to appreciate the periconceptional risks of alcohol consumption and over-the-counter drugs. Only 59 per cent of alcohol users considered its consumption to be undesirable when trying to conceive. Over-the-counter drugs were not considered to impair fertility by 71% of respondents. Compared to males, females were more conducive to health promotion practices as exemplified by smoking cessation, avoidance of second hand smoking, and regular exercising.

Conclusions: Infertile couples seeking medical intervention often disregard lifestyle factors having adverse effects on fertility. Clearly, there is a need for early education on the value of health promotion and prevention in relation to the management of infertility.