Fertility: How to Boost it!

Despite the number of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies that occur each year, the chances of a healthy woman with no fertility issues conceiving is only 20-25% each cycle. Most doctors and health experts require you try to conceive for at least a year before they label the problem infertility.

Because the chance of conceiving on any given cycle is relatively small, it is important to do everything you can to boost your chances of conceiving, and increase your fertility. Although we often don't realize it, some of our daily activities might be making it harder for us to get pregnant.

Here are some tips and lifestyle changes you can implement to make sure you have the highest chance of conception-

1. Relax. As much as you might hate to hear it, the truth is that stress can actually delay ovulation and make it significantly harder for you to become pregnant. Normal day to day stress should not affect your fertility, but high levels of stress can wreak havoc on your chances of getting pregnant.
2. Cut back or give up smoking. You've heard it a million times, smoking is bad for you. Smoking can reduce sperm count in men, and has been shown in studies to reduce the chances of getting pregnant. Just another reason to add to your list of reasons to quit.
3. Track your cycles. There are numerous ways to track your menstrual cycles including checking your basal body temperature, using ovulation predictor kits, or paying attention to your cervical fluid. By tracking your cycle you can tell exactly when you are ovulating, and plan some baby making sessions. There is only a very small time frame each cycle that you can conceive, so knowing when it is can make all the difference in the world. Most women can dramatically increase their fertility just by tracking cycles.
4. Exercise. Not only does exercising release endorphins that help to keep you happy and stress free, it also helps get you or keep you in ideal pregnancy condition. If you don't currently exercise, start slowly with walking or swimming, and try to get active at least 30 minutes a day 3-5 times a week. Think of every exercise as a small boost to your fertility, and it will seem a lot less strenuous.
5. Eat nutritiously. Keeping your body healthy is key to increasing your chances of getting pregnant. Eating well will prepare your body for pregnancy by filling it with the vitamins and nutrients it will need once you do become pregnant, and correct any minor imbalances you suffer from.

Try to remember that getting pregnant is a journey, and sometimes it will happen on your first month without protection, and sometimes it takes years.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for more than one year, you should make an appointment with your doctor to have some tests done to ensure you have no fertility problems.

Sprinkling lots of baby dust,

Mrs.Infertility