How to Improve Fertility

Congratulations on your decision to try to get pregnant. Now that you have decided to conceive, you may be curious about what you can do to boost the odds of it happening as soon as possible. There are some changes you can make to your diet and daily routines to boost your odds of conception.

Instructions

1. Make sure you are having intercourse around the time of ovulation. If you have regular 28-day menstrual cycles, you will probably ovulate around the 14th day of your cycle. (Women generally ovulate about two weeks before the onset of the menstrual period.) Having sexual intercourse every two to three days is generally sufficient for making sure that sperm are present in the reproductive tract when ovulation occurs. If you have irregular menstrual periods or if your schedule prevents you from having regular intercourse with your partner, or if you plan to conceive by artificial insemination, you should use some sort of ovulation tracking method in order to have the best odds of conception.

2. Stop smoking if you or your partner currently smoke cigarettes. Smoking by either partner can hurt your chances of conception or increase the risk of miscarriage or other pregnancy complications. Research shows that smoking can dramatically reduce your partner's sperm count, and even second-hand smoke might decrease the odds that a fertilized egg will be able to implant in your uterus. Avoid alcohol and other substances as well.

3. Cut stress out of your life wherever possible or find ways to effectively manage stress. Research has increasingly shown that stress can affect women's ability to conceive. Scientists don't yet know the reason why, but the explanation might be either processes within the body or ineffective coping mechanisms. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to reduce your stress level.

4. Take prenatal vitamins and increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Research has shown that couples with fertility problems tend to have a lower daily intake of fruits and vegetables. It's possible that having an adequate intake of vitamins--particularly folic acid--may improve fertility. This applies to both partners. An adequate nutritional status can improve a man's sperm count and the swimming ability of his sperm.

5. Take dietary supplements such as green tea, chasteberry, vitex, and B-vitamins--all of which have been found to boost conception by researchers. Stay within recommended limits for any supplements you take, which should be printed on the bottle, and ask a doctor when in doubt.

6. Get enough sleep. Irregular or poor sleep can affect your hormone levels, and research suggests that highly irregular sleep might disrupt ovulation--and therefore your conception chances.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to overthink things. When you have decided to get pregnant, it's easy to get impatient and convince yourself that you have to do a whole bunch of different things to improve your fertility--but unless you have been trying for a while, it might be best to just not worry too much.

• However, if you have been trying for a while without success, it does make sense to make some lifestyle changes to boost your fertility before seeing an infertility physician, which is the right thing to do if you have been trying for 12 months or more without success (or more than 6 months if you are over 35).

• Whenever trying herbal supplements to boost fertility, use a reputable manufacturer and seek advice from a professional whenever in any doubt about the dosage.