Natural Ways to Boost Your Fertility and Help You Conceive

Having a baby can be one of the most exciting times in a couple's life but if you are having problems conceiving, life can become fraught with complications and worry. Added to all this, medications and fertility treatments can be expensive and may make sex seem like a chore. During the last twenty years fertility problems have increased dramatically and it is estimated that 25 per cent of couples planning a baby may have trouble conceiving. Some problems can be related to medical factors but in 30 per cent of cases there is no specific medical issue apparent.

Natural Approach to Boosting Fertility

This is where a natural approach to boosting fertility could be of benefit. Couples who are trying to conceive might want to consider how their lifestyle, health, diet and even their spiritual and emotional well-being can impact their fertility If you're thinking about getting pregnant, just a few simple lifestyle changes can help boost your chances of conceiving.

Watch Your Diet When Trying to Conceive

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and protein products will help boost your energy, keep you healthy and provide the nutrients needed to keep your reproductive system functioning properly. Women should replace high sugar snacks with fresh fruit and increase their intake of zinc which is found in fish, nuts and seeds.

Add Vitamin B6 which is essential for the formation of sex hormones to your diet through peppers, asparagus, chicken, eggs, lentils and brown rice. It has also been found that a deficiency of magnesium can be associated with female infertility. Think about increasing your intake of green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. Men who are hoping to improve their sperm health might increase their intake of foods rich in zinc such as fish, nuts, turkey, salmon, lamb, pork and pumpkin seeds and avoid exposure to food toxins by eating organic fruit, vegetables and meat.

Think of Your Weight When Trying to Conceive

Women who are overweight are likely to produce extra amounts of oestrogen which can influence menstruation, ovulation and conception in a negative way. There is also increased chance of polycystic ovaries, the symptoms of which include irregular cycles, cysts of the ovaries and heavy and painful periods. Professionals recommend that overweight women who are trying for a baby should try to lower their BMI by losing weight, preferably at least six months before trying to conceive. Equally women who are underweight can have irregular menstrual cycles and if severely underweight, cycles can stop completely. Healthy weight gain with a nutritious diet is recommended for underweight women hoping to restore their fertility.

 Here are Some Simple Dos and Don'ts to Naturally Increase Your Fertility: Do ...

Do Avoid Lubricants Chemicals in lubricants have been found to lessen sperm mobility thus decreasing the numbers of sperm penetrating the cervix and being able to participate in fertilisation. If you need to use an additional lubricant, try egg whites as this can have the opposite affect and encourages sperm mobility.

Do Reduce Exposure to Stress Stress can interfere with both the maturation of an egg and the ovulation process in women. Problems such as impotence and difficulty with ejaculation can be the result of emotional tension in men. If your job and lifestyle puts you under a lot of pressure, try to set aside some time each week to relax, enjoy family activities and hobbies. Yoga is also a great way to reduce stress and get fertility-friendly.

As well as relaxing you, yoga helps improve flexibility, balances hormones and increases blood flow to reproductive organs. Do Let Your Partner Sleep! Practice may make perfect but do let your partner sleep. A full night's sleep can increase a man's sperm count and semen volume as well as helping to keep him feeling healthy and relaxed. Sleep deprivation has also been found to cause infertility in women. Without sufficient sleep, the body's endocrine system starts to malfunction. Since this system plays an important role in regulating ovulation, your ability to conceive will drastically decrease.

Burning the candle at both ends could therefore have a big impact on whether or not you can conceive. Do Exercise Regularly Women trying for a baby can encourage regular ovulation and normal hormone levels through exercise but keep it within sensible limits. Exercise too much and this can eat up body fat that helps to produce oestrogen. Thirty minutes a day walking, cycling or swimming can increase chances of conception.

Cardiovascular exercise will help get the blood circulating and flowing through the reproductive system, encouraging regular ovulation. Exercise is good for men too but again don't overdo it in the gym. Intense activity can heat up the testicles which might lower sperm count.

Do Think of Your Environment Have you thought about checking your home, workplace and regular surroundings for toxins and chemicals that may affect your fertility levels? These chemicals can mimic the hormones in your body creating hormonal imbalance. You should avoid: *

 Chemical dust, pesticides, fertilisers and solvents

* Electromagnetic emissions from computer, microwaves and cell phones

* Chemicals used in printing industries

* Exhaust fumes

* Paint containing lead

* Chemicals in household products, disinfectants and air fresheners.

Do Wear Loose Clothing It has been found that tight clothes may affect fertility in both women and men. Loose clothing such as boxers instead of briefs may help if a man is at risk of having testes at a higher than normal temperature and if his lifestyle involves prolonged sitting.

Do Take a Cold Shower Men should take a five minute cold shower before intercourse as cold water will stimulate blood flow and might increase sperm motility.

Do Have Regular Sex! Not only is having sex essential for getting pregnant, it boosts your immune system and having sex regularly can improve sperm quality and boost your chances of getting pregnant.

Do Stay Positive A positive attitude will help your mental and emotional health. Be sure you have plenty other interests and don't spend every minute of the day worrying about conceiving. The more relaxed you are the more likely it is to happen.

Do Take Your Vitamins Women should be taking a good prenatal vitamin and men should be taking vitamins C, E and Zinc. Vitamin E might help protect sperm-cell membranes. Zinc deficiency has been linked to low sperm counts and has also been implicated in miscarriage.

Do Make Love in the Afternoon According to the experts a couple's most fertile time is between 5 pm and 7 pm. The number and quality of sperm varies throughout the day, peaking in late afternoon. It has also been found that women are most likely to ovulate between 3 pm and 7 pm so some researchers suggest couples leave work early for a baby-making rendezvous!

Do Try Accupuncture Accupuncture can be used to improve the flow of chi (positive energy) through your body and create the harmony necessary for conception. Do Use herbs and supplements Herbs such as Dong Quai, Nettle Leaves, Black Cohosh, Damiania, Chasteberry and Ginsseng can increase ovulation, balance hormones and promote fertility by improving sperm production and promoting ovulation.

Do Try Meditation Meditation helps to put you in a more positive frame of mind and reduces stress. Relaxation may also enhance proteins within the uterine lining that are involved in implantation. Stress reduction can help increase blood flow to the uterus which also affects conception.

Do Use Feng Shui Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of working with the environment to help promote positive energy that can help health and fertility. When trying to conceive avoid any major or minor home renovations. Try to keep your home as calm as possible and make sure there's nothing blocking your front door as this blocks your flow of reproductive energy according to Feng Shui. Also don't disturb the energy around your bed by sweeping or dusting around and under your bed while you are ovulating.

Do Have Sex the Day Before Ovulation To increase your chance of conceiving, have sex prior to ovulation. Sperm need about 12 hours in the uterus before they can fertilise the egg. Calculate and study your menstrual cycle to determine the time when you are highly fertile and be sure to make love frequently within that fertility window.

Don't ...

Don't Drink Coffee but Do Drink More Tea Women should try to cut out coffee altogether. More than 300 milligrams of caffeine per day can reduce fertility by almost one third. Women who drink at least two cups of tea per day nearly double their odds of conceiving. Don't Drink Low Fat Milk or Eat Low Fat Dairy Products It has been found that a diet rich in low-fat dairy food can make it harder for some women to conceive. In contrast, eating full fat dairy foods including ice cream can cut the risk of this type of infertility.

Don't Eat Peas and Spinach! A natural chemical in peas (m-xylohydroquinone) can stop you from getting pregnant. Some cultures use these foods for contraceptive purposes!

Don't Take Hot Baths Both men and women should avoid having too hot baths, saunas and sitting in the hot tub. High temperatures can have an adverse effect on early pregnancy and sperm is known to develop best in cool surroundings.

Don't Drink Alcohol, Don't Smoke, Don't Take Recreational Drugs and Check your Prescription Medicines Even just one or two cigarettes a day can hamper your efforts to get pregnant. To enhance fertility, if you smoke, it would be best to quit altogether. Excessive alcohol drinking has been found to reduce fertility levels, increase production of abnormal sperm as well as cause liver damage. Alcohol can also cause nervous tension due to the over production of certain hormones thus lowering the chances of conceiving.

Certain prescription medicines such as antidepressants have been found to effect the reproductive system such as in lowered sperm count, menstrual irregularities and loss of libido. Recreational drugs such as heroine, marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy have all been found to have a negative effect on fertility in both men and women.

Don't Try so Hard Trying too hard to become pregnant will put you both under a lot of stress and stress can impact your fertility. Don't get Straight Up After Intercourse Women should remain lying for up to 30 minutes after making love, with a small pillow under their back to elevate hips to try to keep any extra semen from leaking out of you.

Don't Douche Douching introduces bacteria to the vagina and is linked to pelvic inflammatory disease. Douching also washes away all the good cervical fluid making penetration more difficult while douching after intercourse washes away the sperm, reducing your chance of conception.

Don't Let Sex Become a Chore Making love should be special, relaxing and enjoyable.

Don't let your desire to conceive get in the way of enjoying sex with your partner. A new study has found that the better the quality of love making the greater the chances are, of conception! If all your efforts to enhance your fertility still don't work, don't hesitate to see your doctor. A physical check up can help rule out any physiological problems that might be keeping you from getting pregnant.