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Expectant moms or women who are trying to get pregnant should avoid light during the night, according to a new research. Darkness is important for optimum reproductive health in women, and for protecting the developing fetus, said study researcher Russel J Reiter, a professor of cellular biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
In a review of studies published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, Reiter and his colleagues evaluated previously published research, and summarised the role of melatonin levels and circadian rhythms on successful reproduction in females.
The evidence showed that every time the light at night was turned on, it turned down the production of melatonin, 'Live Science' reported.
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Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain in response to darkness, is important when women are trying to conceive, because it protects their eggs from oxidative stress, Reiter said.
'If women are trying to get pregnant, maintain at least eight hours of a dark period at night. The light-dark cycle should be regular from one day to the next; otherwise, a woman's biological clock is confused,' he said.
Eight hours of darkness every night is also optimal during pregnancy, and ideally, there should be no interruption of nighttime darkness with light, especially during the last trimester of a pregnancy, Reiter said.
Turning on the light at night suppresses melatonin production in women, and means the foetal brain may not get the proper amount of melatonin to regulate the function of its biological clock, he said.
What is fertility?
Fertility refers to the normal human ability to bear an offspring. Hormonal cycles in males and females determine when they can achieve it.
The age of first menstrual cycle (menarche) in females is between 9 to 15 years and that of last menstrual cycle is usually between ages 45 and 55. Menarche does not signal that the female is fertile. It only suggests a possibility. Ovulation marks fertility. The first menstrual cycles are likely to be anovulatory. Around 80% of the females have anovulatory cycles in the first year after menarche. Ovulation is the release of a mature egg which becomes available for fertilization. Peak fertility in a menstrual cycle occurs one to two days before ovulation to about 24 hours afterward. According to a study, women become far more competitive with attractive counterparts when at the peak of their fertility. Peak fertility years in females are in the early 20s and drops considerably after age 35. Menopause is considered the end of a female's fertile phase.
Most males become fertile by the age of 14 to 16 years. Males can ejaculate and produce sperm at any time of the month. They can usually remain fertile throughout their lifetime. But with age their fertility also declines with a decline in semen volume, and sperm motility and morphology.
Eating healthily can play a big part in boosting the fertility levels of men and women alike. Factors that can affect both male and female fertility are obesity, smoking, eating too many sweets, and triclosan soaps and deodorants. Keeping a laptop on the thighs, wearing tight underwear and soya-rich diets have all been linked to infertility in men. A study has found that women consuming too much of low fat dairy foods are 85% more likely to have ovulation problems.
Pic Source: Getty Images
With inputs from PTI
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