Your natural body clock affects fertility
Following your body's natural rhythm could help you get pregnant
Women who are trying to start a family often think about their biological clock, but new research shows they might need to be thinking about their body clocks too!
Research carried out by body clock expert Dr Fred Turek has found a clear link between body clock disruption and the ability to fall pregnant naturally.
Dr Turek found that repeated changes in the light-dark cycles of mice led to problems with getting pregnant – and the more their body clock was disrupted the more the chances of them falling pregnant fell. They found that repeatedly shifting the light-dark cycle severely disrupts the body's natural clock, and in turn affects fertility. Only 22% of mice who had severely disrupted body clocks fell pregnant, compared to 90% of the mice without disrupted cycles.
Dr Turek says: 'Our results have important implications for the reproductive health of female shift workers, women with circadian rhythm sleep disorders and/or women with disturbed circadian rhythms for other reasons.' Dr Keith Summa, who worked on the study, added: 'Our results suggest people should consider their biological rhythms for optimal health.'
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