Pregnancy

Natural Ways to Boost Your Fertility

If you’re planning to get pregnant soon or you’re struggling with infertility, you may be wondering what you can do to increase your chances of conceiving. Although it’s important to see you doctor if you haven’t become pregnant after a year of trying to conceive, there are also a lot of natural things you can do to boost your fertility. The healthier both parents are, the healthier baby will be. So, here are a few suggestions for naturally boosting your chances.

Housework

How is housework connected to fertility you ask? Well, studies show that women who get moderate exercise doing housework, gardening or other chores, are more likely to become pregnant quicker than women who don’t. Sorry ladies! Some of the chores you do will stop the body from producing excessive insulin, promote healthy blood flow and strengthen your core. However, that doesn’t mean you should punish yourself when you feel like taking a day off.

Sunshine

As if you needed another excuse to sunbathe! Sunshine is the healthiest form of vitamin D and both men and women need a good dose of vitamin D when trying to conceive. If you experience irregular cycles, being outside in the sun could help. The vitamin D helps to produce progesterone and oestrogen, which in turn help to regulate periods. If your cycles are more predictable you may have an easier time at pinpointing ovulation and noticing differences in your body. Vitamin D has also been known to boost sperm counts, so a break in the sun could do your partner the world of good if he’s been diagnosed with a low count.

Relax

You probably already know that stress can have a major impact on fertility. However, you can put stress on yourself by trying too hard to not be stressed. So, what do health experts mean when they say ‘stress’? The type of stress that affect your infertility isn’t every day stuff. If you’re dealing with a death in the family or you’ve recently been in a car accident, you may be experiencing significant amounts of stress that could affect your chances of conceiving. But, if you stress about being late for work once a week, it’s not something you need to worry about.

Instead of trying to avoid every day stress, do things that will help you to unwind and blow off steam. Plans things that you get to look forward to all week, like a meal out with your partner or a relaxing massage. There are also studies that have found that acupuncture can increase the chances of conceiving naturally or through IVF. The therapy uses needles placed in focus points on the body to increase blood flow and boost implantation rates.

Dairy

Dairy is somewhat controversial at the moment because many health experts in the US and UK are arguing that it could be bad for us. We are the only species that consume milk after infancy and the milk we drink is often tailor made for an animal that’s much larger in size to us. However, when it comes to getting pregnant, fertility experts still recommend a good daily dose of full fat milk. The milk helps ovaries to operate at their best, which is why women who experience OHSS during an IVF cycle are told to drink plenty of milk. Although there is no definitive proof, some doctors also say that dairy can improve egg quality.

Omega 3, 6 & 9

So, what is Omega 3-6-9? Many people believe that you have to cut down on fat to be healthy. This is often true, but there are some essentials fats, like Omega 3, 6 and 9 that our bodies need to function properly. This is especially important for couples trying to conceive. Taking an Omega supplement will mean you boost your chances of regular cycles, promote blood flow to the uterus for successful implantation and increase egg white cervical mucus which can aid sperm on their journey. For men, Omega can improve circulation to the genitals and it’s important for the production of sperm. The essentials fats are also ideal for helping your baby to grow, specifically it’s brain, eye and heart.

Cut Out Smoking and Drinking

It’s easier said than done when it’s been a habit of a lifetime, but cutting out smoking and drinking is so important when you’re trying to conceive. Male smokers are 50% more likely to have a low sperm count or low motility – that’s huge! Female smokers can drastically improve their chances of becoming pregnant by giving up. It’s easy to look at other couples and think, ‘they smoke and still had a healthy baby’. However, studies have shown that children born to parents who smoke are more likely to have health problems during adulthood.

Have Sex Three Times a Week

Common sense would suggest that the more you have sex, the more likely you are to conceive. However, that isn’t always true. Sperm need time to replenish and if you’re having sex every day, you may not be getting the quality of sperm needed to conceive. Having sex every two to three days allows the sperm to increase in number and quality. Waiting any longer than three days means you may get dead sperm, sperm with low motility or they may just have lost their sense of direction.

Know Your Cycle

If you have a regular cycle, it should be easy to pinpoint when ovulation happens. During an average 28-day cycle, ovulation usually takes place between days 10 and 17, with the optimum day for sex being day 14. If you have an irregular cycle, it may be more difficult for you to know when you’re ovulating. Try taking some ovulation tests and recognizing the signs in your body when you get a positive result. You can also track ovulation via your temperature, although this method can be a bit hit or miss.

Lose/Gain Weight

Our weight can be one of the reasons for hormonal imbalance. Your doctor will recommend that you lose weight if you’re overweight or put on weight if you’re underweight. If it comes to the point where you need to seek out fertility treatment, you may have no choice in the matter. If you do a funded IVF cycle, your doctor will require you to stop smoking and have a healthy BMI before going ahead with treatment. This is so you have the best chance at success and the money spent isn’t wasted.

Cut the Caffeine

Recent research has shown that caffeine can have a dramatic effect on fertility. Some studies have shown that caffeine can stop the fallopian tube muscles from functioning and they are needed to help carry the egg from the ovaries. These days, caffeine is found in everything, even decaf teas and coffees. There’s also caffeine in chocolate, fizzy drinks and energy drinks. You may not always be able to completely avoid caffeine, but cutting down significantly will improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.

Water

When you become dehydrated, the water that is in your body is sent to the most vital organs. This means that your reproductive system doesn’t receive any. Staying hydrated will mean that your ovaries get what they need to produce quality eggs. It also ensures you have good general health and can deal with the pressures of trying to conceive.

When it really comes down to it, making a baby is a miracle, so don’t pressure yourself or your body into it. Everything has its time.

One thought on “Natural Ways to Boost Your Fertility

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.