If you are trying to get pregnant, here are some natural and safe tips to increase your fertility and prepare you for a healthy pregnancy.
1. Follow well-balanced diet.
Eat at least 5 servings of fresh vegetables and fruits every day. Consume healthy, plant-based fat during your ovulation time. Get enough essential fatty acids each day in your diet or take omega supplement which contains omega 3, 6 and 9. The biggest dietary factor that often contributes to infertility is the lack of enough essential fats and proteins.
2. Eliminate exposure to toxins.
Your fertility chance increases after limiting yourself and your partner’s exposure to household chemicals, pollutants and conventional cosmetic and beauty products.
3. Take herbs.
Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) has been used by herbalists for hundreds of years to increase cervical mucous. This omega-6-rich plant oil also aids in hormonal balance.
Red Raspberry Leaf is a well know fertility herb that is also good during pregnancy.
Dandelion contains vitamins A and C as well as trace minerals. It cleanses the body and removes toxins.
4. Eat garlic.
A clove of fresh, raw garlic every day before ovulation increases your chance of conceiving. It is also recommended for males. It is a good idea if both partners eat garlic at the same time.
5. Don’t be sleep deprived.
It’s important to get enough sleep when you’re trying to conceive. If you are falling short of this recommendation, try setting up a bedtime routine that includes a warm bath before bed and some downtime, like reading or journaling, rather than watching television.
6. Use stress-lowering methods.
Use mind-body relaxation techniques such as meditation, guided visualization, yoga, and even talk therapy to relieve stress. And since stress is known to interfere with fertility, any of these stress-busting methods may help you get in a baby-making frame of mind.
7. Look into hypnosis.
This can enhance fertility by promoting relaxation, which may help prime the body for babymaking — especially if stress or anxiety has been standing in the way of your pregnancy plans. Studies show that when women were hypnotized during IVF procedures (to reduce stress), their conception rates were dramatically improved.
8. Try acupuncture.
It can speed up conception by relaxing body and mind, and helps to balance hormonal issues, may improve blood supply to reproductive organs, regulate ovulation, and decrease stress, which may help increase your chances of getting pregnant. For men, it may increase sperm quality and count.
9. Reduce caffeine intake.
High caffeine intake can severely impair fertility.
10. Be active. Try gentle exercise 3-4 times/week, but avoid vigorous physical exercise.
Aim for a moderate exercise routine, about 30 minutes or more almost every day of the week. The intensity and duration of an exercise can have an impact on fertility. Stop or reduce the exercises that tend to over-heat or over-stress the body, like running, spinning etc.
11. Take multivitamins.
Multi-vitamins can help improve egg quality by increasing sperm motility. Vitamin C and E, in particular, may help with fertility and better semen quality.
12. Don’t drink alcohol.
While it is not known exactly how alcohol affects fertility in women, research shows that even drinking lightly can increase the time it takes to get pregnant.
13. Don’t smoke.
Stopping smoking can improve natural fertility. Some of the effects of smoking can be reversed within a year of quitting. Women who quit smoking before conception of pregnancy reduce the risk of their baby being born prematurely.
14. Avoid junk, preserved food.
Eat less fast food for better fertility, a study says. Women who eat fruits less than one to three times a month take a half month longer to become pregnant than those who consume fruits three or more times a day.
15. Lie on the bed as long as possible after intercourse.
There’s no actual evidence that laying down after intercourse increases pregnancy odds. But it can help keep the sperm going in the right direction by giving them some extra time.
16. Check with your doctor if you are taking any medication which can impair fertility.
Double-check with your family doctor to ensure your medication has no infertility side effects.
17. Be positive.
Erase worry from your mind. Worrying about not getting pregnant creates a negative impact on your body. Enjoy your time as a couple. “Unhappiness” puts a large stress on the woman’s body and acts as a barrier to conception.
18. Try innovative foods.
Try foods such as goji berries and kombucha drinks to boost your fertility. Goji berries are the highest-rated antioxidant food filled with nutritional value, including protein, minerals, and amino acids. Kombucha drinks are also filled with vitamins and are a natural detoxifier and health aid to support fertility.
19. Boost sperm count.
Hot baths, tight jeans, heavy metals, smoking and some chemicals can decrease sperm count and mobility. Make sure your man stays away from these factors.
20. Stop trying.
Trying to get pregnant can be a reason for depression and stress for couples. Sometimes when you stop “trying” to have a baby, you find yourself pregnant. It’s not always that simple, but for some people, the stress of sex for conception makes the act ineffective.
Written by: Tina I Ureten MD, RDMS, RDCS and Melissa Ureten
References:
Eat Less Fast Food for Better Fertility, Study Says
Working out When You’re Trying to Get Pregnant
10 Sex Myths Debunked When Trying to Conceive
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