The desire for a child can encourage many women to make better choices. They are better informed about the food, drinks and medicines they consume, and try to exercise better. If a woman wants to improve her fertility, paying more attention to her body is a good start. But what else can women do to maximise their chances of conceiving?
The most important advice for a woman who wants to get pregnant is to know her body well, and especially her cycle. It is important to know how long her cycles are in order to better synchronise the contact.
The following tips can help you conceive, provided that neither you nor your partner have a fertility problem. If you do however, you may want to look at IVF. This can assist many couples who would like to conceive.
Monitor your ovulation strictly
Women with a regular cycle usually ovulate two weeks before their period. It is more difficult to predict ovulation in women with unstable cycles, but it usually occurs 12 to 16 days before the next period begins.
There are several methods for women to calculate what their most fertile days are. There are special tests you can buy that can help you predict when you will ovulate by checking the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the urine, a hormone that increases during ovulation. The next three days after a positive result are the most fertile.
Another way is by controlling body temperature. Immediately after ovulation, the body temperature rises by 0.3 degrees Celsius, so the woman is more fertile for two to three days before this rise. The procedure can be time consuming, as the woman is required to record her temperature daily for at least three cycles.
Finally, another way is to control the cervical mucus. Before ovulation, when the woman is more fertile, the amount of cervical mucus increases, and it becomes thinner, cleaner, but also slippery, to help the sperm move more easily to the egg. If you are wanting to inseminate at home, you must be aware of this.
Try to balance your weight
Excess weight reduces the chances of pregnancy. A woman with a Body Mass Index greater than 35 takes twice as long to become pregnant, and a woman with a Body Mass Index below 19 may need four times as much. Excess fat produces more oestrogen, which can hinder ovulation, which is never good! If a woman loses 5-10% of her body fat before she begins trying to conceive, her chances of getting pregnant naturally increase.
Finally, in women who are thinner and weigh much less, this too can cause a problem. Calculating your BMI could assist with this.
Organise your family and work environment
Try to make your environment as safe as possible and keep away any exposure to pesticides or chemicals that may be used at work can hinder fertility. It is equally important to get on top of your stress.
It’s important to find ways to relax the body and mind. It’s time to start taking time for you and winding down as often as possible.
Feature image credit: Alexis Muñoz / Pixabay
