Hello and welcome to another blog! I’ve been having a bit of a mental block with blogging over the last week or so, and its so weird because I thought being at home due to the current Covid-19 crisis would send my productivity through the roof. When I’m feeling like this I usually find reading or listening to an audio book really helpful and inspiring. At the moment I’m listening to Period Power by Masie Hill (which incidentally I would highly recommend and will link here) and in a Carrie Bradshaw kind of way it got me thinking about fertility. Fertility is a tough one for me and certainly a year ago I probably wouldn’t have been in the headspace to write this blog, but I’ve done loads of research and have found out some AMAZING stuff about fertility and your gum health which is blowing my mind.

I’m going to separate this blog out into evidence based around women and evidence based around men. As a women and knowing women generally I know that women put a lot of pressure and blame around themselves and fertility issues and this is definitely a takes two to tango situation so get your partner to give this a read too and if you’re a guy reading this on your own accord, I salute you and get your other half to give this a read as well.

Infertility is classified as a failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.

Gum Disease will effect over 70% of the population and can have a really negative domino effect on not just any dental work you’re thinking of having done but your whole health generally, and yet it is usually overlooked, thought of as unimportant, and left untreated people choosing to pay for teeth whitening, veneers or orthodontic work instead.

Gum Disease occurs when plaque bacteria present at the gum line is left undisturbed for long enough to make its way below the gum line and begin to destroy bone and the soft tissues present that hold your teeth in place and if left untreated could cause your teeth to fall out. Pretty rough eh? Now if you have a good Dentist they probably will already have plans in place for your gums and should be screening your gums and or having your see a Dental Hygienist (hi) regularly. But that is just half the battle. Gum care is a two way street usually requiring lots of work from your Dentist or Dental Hygienist but lots and lots of work from you at home, even after having a course of Gum Disease treatment. It can be boring, it can be frustrating, it can be time consuming, I have a lot of patients who do really well and then fall off the wagon, but following a gold standard oral hygiene routine at home like this:

1.Using floss/interdental brushes/water flosser - or for a gold star a combination of all three - at least once a day, everyday, to stop plaque bacteria building up in between your teeth.

2.Clean your tongue using a tongue scraper at lest once a day.

3.Using an electric or a manual toothbrush twice a day every day for 2 minutes preferably timed using a timer. 30 seconds for each quarter of your mouth to make sure each area is cleaned evenly. With the toothbrush angled 45 degrees towards the gum line to gently brush plaque away. Remember don’t scrub, think spa treatment for those gums.

4.Using a fluoride toothpaste - remember don’t rise directly afterwards.

This way we can hopefully limit the negative impacts Gum Disease will have on your risk of developing Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Stroke, Respiratory Issues, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis and Fertility Issues, to name a few.

Now, when I see new patients I always mention that Gum Disease is related to fertility problems but I never really elaborate on it and no one ever really asks me to because it can be a little awkward and embarrassing. So this is a safe space to take your time and take everything in. Most of the studies I’ve looked at have been carried out over the last couple of years and some are reviews of large bodies of studies (a meta-analysis) so all of the information I’ve looked at is very recent and (hopefully) relevant and I will leave my list of references at the bottom of the blog post.

We’ll give the men the floor first so here we go.

Lots of recent studies have shown a significant relationship between patients who have Gum Disease and their Sperm Count or Mobility, so you could say that having Gum Disease could be related to having low quality swimmers.

This is because bacteria from plaque make their way into your blood stream which is thought to damage sperm DNA and in which effects sperm production and motility.

The other big news is that Gum Disease can be a factor in the cause of erectile dysfunction. Eek. This is because high levels of inflammation in the blood stream, caused by Gum Disease. Even poor oral hygiene is a risk factor for Erectile Dysfunction.

LUCKILY improving oral hygiene and having a course of Gum Disease Treatment with your Dentist or Dental Hygienist is thought to increase sperm count, improve sperm motility and show significant improvements in cases of Erectile Dysfunction. If this doesn’t get you guys looking after your teeth and gums then I don’t know what will.

This bit is for the ladies because infertility doesn’t have favourites everyone is equal.

In the Journal of Fertility in 2016 it was suggested that Gum Disease can be associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, sometimes referred to as PCOS. This happens because Gum Disease causes inflammation which causes inflammation within the ovaries. In fact female patients suffering from Gum Disease are twice as likely to also be suffering from PCOS.

This inflammation brought about by Gum Disease is also thought to prevent ovulation - where your ovary releases an egg and prevent implantation of a fertilised embryo in the lining of your uterus. Not great. Gum Disease acts as a focal point of infection where bacteria can get into your blood stream. This could possibly lead to complications conceiving naturally and through IVF.

Thankfully again, intervention and control of Gum Disease through Gum Disease treatment as prescribed and outlined by your Dentist or Dental Hygienist is thought to favour the implantation of embryos and improve outcomes in pregnancy. Absolutely wonderful news.

I also would be a fool not to mention smoking here, not only does smoking increase your risk of developing Gum Disease it will also reduce fertility, for men and women so quitting really is a win win here (much to Carrie Bradshaw’s dismay I’m sure). If you would like some more information on stopping smoking, you can visit the excellent NHS website which I will link here.

So I think we can agree that a trip to see the Dentist or your Dental Hygienist is a great idea if you’re thinking of conceiving. Now these results are not gospel, I know plenty of men and women with below par oral hygiene that have went on to conceive gorgeous, healthy babies.

Similarly, I know many women who have excellent oral hygiene who have had difficulties conceiving. But this is evidence to suggest that women and men should be in the best possible health when trying to conceive and this should include dental health, which doctors should be aware of - apparently a lot of them aren’t. It should be as important as stopping smoking, taking folic acid, reducing alcohol consumption and losing weight.

Thanks so much for reading! Believe me I know this is a tough topic, but if you’re looking for that one thing and have tried everything else, this could be it. Worth a try anyway. Lots of love to you if you’re trying <3 and good info even if you’re not.

References

https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?as_ylo=2019&q=periodontitis+and+erectile+dysfunction&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1743609518313201

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5672720/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25307820

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6594118/