5 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
If you are a healthy, fertile couple in your 20s, your odds of getting pregnant are looking rather rosy. If you wait a decade longer or have medical issues that may impact your reproductive system, things may get a little more complex. Still, unless you have been diagnosed with infertility, most women conceive within the first year of trying.
Here are 5 ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant:
1. Eat a Healthy Diet
There are two reasons you should consider focusing on your diet when you are trying to conceive. First, it is important that you are at a healthy weight. Being over or under weight can cause fertility issues. Experts recommend a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.5 to 24.9 for your best chances of conceiving. Also, a diet made up of varied fresh, organic produce with lean meat and full-fat dairy may help you conceive by providing your body with all the nutrients it needs for your reproductive system to function normally.
2. Limit Caffeine
You may have to limit caffeine during pregnancy, depending on how much you are drinking, so start a healthy habit now. If you are having two cups of medium-strength coffee a day, you do not need to worry. However, if you are having the equivalent of five cups of coffee daily (or 500 milligrams of caffeine), it may be affecting your fertility. Remember that caffeine content can vary greatly by brand and brew, so be careful about getting too close to your limit. One cup of brewed Starbuck's coffee can have as much as 300 milligrams, so two cups would put you over the daily limit.
3. Have Sex During Your Fertile Window
You can only get pregnant when you are ovulating, so make sure you are having sex in the days leading up to and including ovulation day. Experts do not recommend having sex too often (it can reduce sperm quality and quantity) so try for every two to three days. If you do not want to worry about tracking ovulation, just have sex every two to three days during your cycle.
4. Be Smart About Lubrication
Many lubricants on the market are just plain bad for conception. Some contain spermicides that are meant to kill sperm. Others contain ingredients that may unintentionally kill sperm. Even saliva can be dangerous to sperm. To be safe, use a lube that was designed for trying to conceive or use a vegetable oil.
5. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Having a drink or two while you are trying to conceive is not a bad thing. It may reduce your inhibitions and loosen things up a bit – especially if you have been feeling stressed. Just try not to overdo it. And if you find that you are binge drinking often, get help. It may be impacting your fertility, and if you are addicted, it can certainly cause problems for your baby.
Author: Dr Zeenobiyah McGowan Ph.D., an expert on women's health and helping couples conceive naturally. Dr McGowan is a mother of one beautiful girl. She is editor-in-chief for Ovulationcalendar.com, also founded Impact Humanity, a charity which helps under privileged children get the basic necessities like food and education in Kenya. http://www.ovulationcalendar.com/