Most couples are likely to conceive if they have no medical problems. Some medical conditions (diabetes, asthma, obesity) can lower ones chances of conceiving so besides sorting out any medical issues, couples who wish to conceive should also have a healthy diet, exercise regularly, stop smoking & drinking alcohol and reduce their levels of stress .This advice is good for a couples overall well being especially if fertility is sought.
a) Watch your weight - Aside from the other risks it poses to your health, excess body fat can lead to an overproduction of certain hormones that disrupt ovulation. Your cycles may be less regular, you may ovulate less often, and you lower your chances of getting pregnant. Too little body fat means your body may not produce enough hormones to ovulate each month or to sustain a pregnancy if you do conceive.
b) Eat healthy foods - Staying well nourished increases your odds of conceiving. Make sure to include enough protein, iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamin C, because deficiencies in these nutrients have been linked to decrease fertility and a higher risk of early miscarriage.
c) Quit smoking - Aside from health concerns, cigarette toxins not only damage a woman's eggs, interfering with the fertilization and implantation process, but also cause the ovaries to age.
d) Know your fertile period - When you're ready to conceive, find your "fertile window," during which you should have intercourse regularly. You can try urine ovulation test kits, which checks for certain hormones in your urine, or note daily changes in your basal body temperature and cervical mucus.
e) Reduce Stress - learning to manage stress through relaxation techniques (such as meditation or yoga) or support from counselling.
f) Avoid alcohol and reduce caffeine intake - alcohol consumption decreases the ability to get pregnant (not to mention the harm it can cause to a developing fetus). Alcohol alters oestrogen levels, which may interfere with egg implantation. Cutting back on caffeine while you try to conceive and during your pregnancy is encouraged. Women who drink the equivalent of two cups of coffee per day are twice as likely to miscarry as those who didn't consume any.
g) Frequent intercourse - During your fertile period, you should try to have intercourse on alternate days or have intercourse on the day and the very next day when the urine ovulation test kit is positive. Outside of this fertile period, intercourse is unlikely to result in pregnancy. Because mandatory sex on certain days can become a chore, you might also try making love on other days which should be good for your relationship.
h) Don’t douche – try not to douche after immediately after intercourse as this may wash away some of the sperm that may be still in the vagina. Give yourself at least 20-30 minute before cleaning yourself to give the healthy sperm time to swim into the uterine cavity. Douching can wipe out normal, protective bacteria in the vagina, shifting the balance and putting you at risk for bacterial vaginosis, a common but often overlooked vaginal infection. A fishy odour and greyish discharge are often the only signs. Untreated vaginal infections have been linked to preterm labour and may be associated with higher risk of miscarriage and infertility.
i) Some women may experience vaginal dryness during intercourse which makes it a painful experience. Some may have hostile cervical mucus that may kill sperm. Try coating the inside of your vagina with sperm friendly lubricants which not only increase the number of viable sperms that can enter the uterine cavity and therefore fertility but also reduces painful intercourse and vaginal infections.
j) Looking after your partner’s health - Cigarettes, alcohol and a poor diet can contribute to lower sperm production or motility (ability to swim). Studies have traced chromosomal damage in sperm to cigarette smoke and heavy alcohol intake. Vitamins E and C and the mineral selenium help healthy sperm production so taking a daily male multivitamin is advisable. After all, conceiving is a joint effort so both parties should play their part.
