Everything Pregnant

Ways to boost your fertility naturally

• Keep those little men nice and cool. Sperms thrive in cooler temperature. The optimal sperm production temperature is between 35-36C, 1-2C below core body temperature. That is why they hang outside the body, not inside.

•  Go to the beach and soak up some sunshine whenever you can. The increase of vitamin D from soaking up the sun helps to boost his and her fertility. Vitamin D increases levels of sex hormones in female which helps to regulate menstruation. It also helps boosting sperm count.

• Dairy fat helps the ovaries to work well. Studies show that consuming at least one serving of full-fat dairy products a day can reduce infertility by up to 25%.

• Smoking cigarettes reduces sperm counts by 50% or more and causes 30% infertility rate in women. Cigarette smoking also prevents an embryo from implanting in the uterus. So, think before you smoke if you are trying to conceive.

• Get to know your body. Take notes of your period and work out when is ovulation when you are most fertile. Pay attention to your body changes during ovulation, your breast becomes more tender, you might get abdominal cramps and increased vaginal discharge.

• Have more fun and happy sex. Statistically, you have 15% chance of conceiving if you have sex once a week compare to 50% for couples having sex 3-4 times a week. Regular sex keeps healthy sperm production. Sperms quality declines as it retains in the body for more than three days.

• Understand your BMI. Women rely on regular menstruation cycle for successful conception. Body fat produces oestrogen which confuses our body's ovulation cycle. Stay within the normal range of BMI could increase your chances of conception by far. Being too thin also affects fertility. Fertilization is more likely to take place in a healthy environment than an under or overweight one.

• Insulin causes infertility. Watch what you eat, stay away from refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, rice, etc. 

• Increase your daily intake in omega-3. Omega-3 can be found in salmon, meat and milk that comes from pasture-fed animals, omega-3 enriched dairy products, soybeans, walnuts, flax, all sorts of beans, sustainable seafood but watch out for the mercury level, etc.

• Reduce your caffeine intake. Studies show that caffeine may reduce the the activity of the Fallopian tube muscles, which carry the eggs from the ovaries.

• Stay away from over-the-counter drugs. Paracetamol and ibuprofen may suppress prostaglandins, hormones that help release eggs into the Fallopian tube. Consult your GP before taking any drugs if you are trying to conceive.

• Keep your body hydrated at all time. Fluid, especially water strengthens your womb lining and maintains strong blood supply. A hydrated cervix is more sperm friendly than a dehydrated one which makes sperms sluggish. Water also helps sperm production.