Being a career women can cause fertility problems
Women who go after high-powered careers in their twenties and thirties are unwittingly reducing their chances of conceiving later in life, reports the Times website.
A new study revealed that a hormonal shift occurs when women are driven to succeed and are placed under a large amount stress, more than likely work-related. Less oestrogen in produced, and is replaced instead by androgen’s, which include testosterone, which is associated with competitiveness.
This is also linked to body shape – women who produce more oestrogen are more likely to have an hourglass figure, which is conducive to fertility, and were three times more likely to get pregnant. those with a more straight up-and – down figure are more likely to suffer from fertility problems.
Diet, stress and exercise can affect body-shape, and those putting themselves under pressure at work may under-eat, which has already been proved to lower fertility.
Professor Elizabeth Cashdan, an anthropologist at the University of Utah said: “Although the hormonal profile associated with a high WHR may favour success in some stressful and difficult circumstances where women must work hard, there are well-known costs. Women may suffer lower fertility and possibly lower attractiveness to men who may have an innate preference for curviness.”