The big fertility story making the morning show rounds is the “breaking news” that women lose 90% of their eggs by the time they’re 30, and only have 3% left when they turn 40. Stories like this really rile me up, because when doctors are asked what women can do to increase their chances of fertility, one of the recommendations is to avoid stress. Then don’t report stories like this! First of all, if I was born with as many as 2 million eggs (it’s estimated that baby girls are born with between 1 and 2 million follicles that have the potential to mature into eggs) then having “only” 3% left when I turn 40 means I’ll still have 60,000. More than enough potential babies, don’tcha think? Or let’s be conservative and say i was born with 450,000 eggs. That’s still 45,000 when i’m 30, and 13,500 when I’m 40.
I know the news media is constantly looking for things to report on, but enough with the scare tactics about fertility. Let’s focus on what we do have control over- how you treat your body. Sleep well, eat well, go for walks, exercise, avoid trans fats and artificial anything, cultivate your spiritual life, spend time in the moment without dwelling on the past or obsessing over the future, allow yourself to “do nothing” and enjoy it, give, look for opportunities to really love your friends and family, and enjoy every minute of it.
“We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.”
-THICH NHAT HANH