There are many simple things you can do to increase chances of conception. You can try the age old tips that your grandmother has given you and also the new tips your friends and physician give you. Listed below are few ways to increase conception:
1. Relax
There is a lot of science behind what your friends and family may knowingly or unknowingly suggest (e.g. enjoy protection free sex!). Relax and enjoy while you’re doing it. Don’t get too stressed out about getting pregnant. It’ll happen naturally. You don’t need to have hyper-scheduled sex at inconvenient times — it is actually counter-productive. Research shows that it happens most when you’re not trying too hard. So relax and keep taking those pre-natal vitamins.
2. Use an ovulation kit
Pay attention to your cycles. Learn the signs of ovulation from your grandmother or you can use an ovulation predictor kit. Make love when you’re most fertile. Men don’t push yourself too much, make a schedule of having sex once a day, every day. Men with a normal sperm count have sex just once a day. Some time is required between deployments for sperm to build up. Even though it only takes one sperm to fertilize an ovary, the numbers game always works.
3. Check your weight
Gaining weight, even to the slightest, can lower your chances of getting pregnant. Losing too much weight can too have the similar effects. The presence of too many fat cells can upset the hormonal balance which is required to ovulate and conceive. The same goes for your man’s fertility as well. Furthermore, weight issues can also harm your pregnancy and your future baby’s health. Many serious pregnancy complications include gestational diabetes and hypertension, and it’s likely that your unborn child too shall be obese and diabetic in the future.
4. Preconception diet
Eat a well-balanced, fertility-friendly diet consisting of lean meat or other lean protein, fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy etc. The term ‘balanced diet’ cannot be stressed on enough. Do not over eat any certain group of food. A good preconception diet is very much similar to a good pregnancy diet, except that it has to be low in calories or just sufficient in calories (varying from person to person). Take prenatal vitamin supplements alongside, better to start sooner during your preconception.
5. Ban caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
More than 200 mg of caffeine is bad for your conception. 200 mg is only 12 ounces of brewed coffee or two shots of espresso. So cut back hard on the caffeine. Too much alcohol is bad for your menstrual cycle, so limit drinking when you’re preparing for conception. And the same goes for the men during preconception, too much alcohol, more than two drinks, can lower testosterone levels and sperm count. Smoking can make conception harder and miscarriage more likely. So ban smoking completely.
6. Myths that don’t work
Douching was once considered an effective method to increase your chances of getting pregnant, but as of today we know it was nothing but a myth. Intercourse in the morning does not matter too much either. According to researches, a man’s sperm count is a bit higher in the morning, but it’s not significant and does not make a big difference.
7. A special tip
Some doctors advice this tip and recommend it to couples who have trying long and hard but are yet to succeed. The sperm reaches the cervix of the woman within a few seconds after ejaculation. For additional assistance to the sperm, lie flat and raise your legs to 30 degrees after intercourse. This assists the cervical mucus movement by relaxing the cervical muscles. If other conditions are met (e.g. sperm count and consistent cervical mucus), this method will boost your chances of getting pregnant.
