Question

1) What makes nutritional aspects of reproduction different for males and females? 2) Why is it recommended that females who are at risk of cardiovascular disease or blood clots, and women with high blood pressure use non-hormonal methods of contraception?

Answer 1

Answer 1: As it is known, good diet leads to a healthy lifestyle in every individual. Like so goes with individuals in the aspect of reproduction.

     When talking about nutrition and Male reproduction, many studies suggest a healthy diet plan always enhance semen quality, not only in terms of amount but also in terms of ability. A dietician suggests the following nutritional food for a male for healthy reproductive health:-

• Seafood
• Whole grain
• Poultry
• Fruits
• Low-fat dairy
• Skimmed Milk
• Vegetables.

     These foods suggested to males are prescribed or given by keeping in mind that 70% of cases of an infertile couple comes from male infertility and poor quality of sperm due to various reasons like workplace contamination, smoking etc. Added to that, in some cases, poor reproduction in male is associated with their poor performance while intercourse, this issue can generate in a male while puberty when the onset of adolescence is delayed and the maturity is not achieved to its fullest. This delayed puberty can be rectified by giving the right amount of nutrition a study done by (Kumar et al., 2015) suggests.

     Talking about female nutritional, aspect of reproduction, females play a major and more difficult role in reproduction and childbirth. Right from conceiving the baby after fertilization to carry the offspring inside the womb to delivering the baby. The high and better nutritional intake is always advised to the females, like:-

• Berries (antioxidant)
• Seaweed (for vital organs)
• Seafood (fishes containing omega 3 fatty acids)
• Figs (increase fertility)
• Oysters (contains a good amount of zinc) - helps in producing good quality eggs.

Answer 2:- The best suited and the only reason for suggesting a non-hormonal that, a hormonal contraceptive pill, patch or any other type of hormone-releasing contraception will interfere with the female's hormone levels.

A study was done by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWIG) in 2006 very clearly states that the most used 3rd and 4th generation contraceptive pills containing desogestrel, dienogest, gestodene and drospirenone are majorly associated to risk of blot clots (thrombosis). Thrombosis is a blot clotting mechanism over any part of the body, and a female already at risk of blot clot and cardiovascular disease will double the risk of her reproductive, hormonal health. And while comparing the data they also recorded that 2 out of 10,000 women who does not take hormonal pills are seen less at risk.