Obesity is no doubt a major health challenge worldwide. Being overweight brings plethora of
health issues such as heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, osteoarthritis and some cancers like colon and breast. And not only these, but obesity highly affects your sex life too. One is considered to be obese when you weigh more than 20% above of your ideal weight.
How obesity can affect your sex life?
Being overweight hinders stamina which is important to sustain sexual performance. It disturbs ones hormonal balance which in turn affects testosterone levels, causing loss of libido or low sex drive. Obesity also affects blood flow to the genitals and lack of blood circulation there causes erectile dysfunction.
Testosterone is actually an important male hormone which helps in development of male sexual organs and builds strong bones. Testosterone levels begin to rise at puberty and peak in early adulthood and then start declining with age. Furthermore, excess fat in the inner thighs and pubic region results in high testes temperatures of over 35°C. This may be sufficient to hinder sperm production. Obesity is definitely linked to low sperm count and reduced sperm motility which can be a cause of infertility. In other words, we can say that if you have low sperm count and you are unable to make your wife pregnant despite trying of one year or more then you have infertility.
Obesity may also take an emotional toil in ones life; some may experience feelings of social isolation, depression, discrimination over weight etc. Obesity related infertility is more common in urban areas. Disrupted sleep-wake cycles, unhealthy eating habits, ease to junk or packed food, no physical activity can badly affect the fertility.
Chose a healthy life over wealthy life:
- Make healthy lifestyle a family goal by keeping the calorie needs in mind.
- Try to be active all the time, take a walk, and prefer stairs over lift or escalator.
- Limit your screen time (TV, Computers Mobile phones); instead play outdoor, indulge more in outdoor activities.
- Keeping a track of weight, BMI and weight circumference.
- Take a proper balanced diet; have fertility enhancing foods such as banana, broccoli, walnuts, garlic, ginseng, red meat, beans, eggs, fish, citrus fruits like oranges, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, cheese etc.
- Go for a proper health check up once in six months.