Fertility Tips

Many couples who are trying to conceive their first, second or even third child may want to control the situation to improve their chances of conception to the highest rate possible. Using just a couple of fertility tips many couples can improve their chances of conceiving in the first several months of trying.

Most reproductive specialists and obstetricians recommend that couples who are less than age 30 try to get pregnant for at least 12 months before seeking the advice of a medical professional. Couples who are older than 30 can seek advice after having no luck for six months. This is because although it may seem that having a baby is normal and natural, the actual act of conception is a complex release of hormones, and control of organs and body systems coming together at the same time to release a viable and fertile egg which will eventually meet with a single sperm cell.

But most couples aren\’t willing to wait. When you want to get pregnant, you want to get pregnant now! Patience is great in theory but difficult to practice.

All women and couples who are interested in conception should begin by taking folic acid and a multivitamin now. These extra added vitamins and antioxidants will help to improve the overall quality and quantity of both egg and sperm. Folic acid will also reduce the chances that a baby will be conceived who has a neural tube defect. This defect is a problem with the development of the baby in the first 28 days which results in spina bifida or anencephaly (little to no brain development). Folic acid and vitamins should be started three to four months prior to conception.

It is also important to understand and know your fertile cycle and days. Women can start by tracking and using a fertility chart. On this chart they should keep track of their basal body temperature (taken before rising out of bed in the morning) as well as keeping track of their cervical mucus. By tracking it over a couple of months women will be able to know the exact three to five day period in which she is most fertile and most likely to become pregnant.

Peak fertility happens in the mid-20s and is already starting to fall in the late 20s. Fertility isn\’t a guarantee. Those couples who start their families earlier are rewarded with decreased effort and improved chances of having that family. However, starting a family before you are emotionally ready to care for children can be more of a challenge for both you and your children than getting pregnant or adopting later.

Improving your fertility, whether man or woman, means getting the right nutrition, the right number of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants as well as the right number of hours per sleep and regular exercise. Smoking is a bad habit that significantly impacts the health and wellness of an individual, but will also decrease the fertility of women and men. Tobacco contains over 250 different carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals which are inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the body. This means that there are over 250 different chemicals which can cause cancer and create birth defects in children.

Alcohol intake and recreational drugs also have a negative effect on the fertility of both men and women. It decreases sperm motility and quality as well as inhibiting ovulation and messing with a woman\’s reproductive hormonal system. Other environmental toxins which can have an effect on fertility include chemicals used in rigid plastic packaging for foods and phosphates in sodas.

Women who are underweight or overweight have a significantly different fertility rate than women who carry a normal body weight. This is because fat cells play an integral role in the way in which hormones are either secreted or absorbed and used inside the body. Women who are significantly overweight have a much lower rate of conception as compared to women who are significantly underweight.

Women who are using a fertility chart to track basal body temperature and cervical mucus can also use an over-the-counter urine ovulation test which detects surges of hormone called luteinizing hormone. This is the hormone responsible for ovulation and when the urine test indicates that the surge has happened it is the most fertile time of the month for the woman. To decrease the number of tests used a woman can use for fertility chart and confirm her ovulation using a urine test.

However, having sex the day before ovulation will actually increase the chances of conception. It usually takes around 12 hours for the sperm to go through a special process called capacitation that allows them to fertilize the egg. Daddy can also take a cold shower about 30 minutes prior to intercourse because the cold water will stimulate blood flow and may improve motility.

Women should avoid going to the bathroom immediately after intercourse and should instead spend 20 minutes with a pillow propped under her behind in order to give the sperm a boost upstream.

Using all of, or a combination of, these fertility tips will help the majority of couples to conceive a child within five to six months. There will be a certain percentage of couples who will have issues and problems with infertility and that percentage will be based on the age of both the man and the woman at the time they are trying to conceive. However using these tips will also boost the success rate for couples who require infertility medications because they help the medications to work with the overall goal of achieving a child.