Increasing your chances of conceiving
If starting a family isn’t happening as quickly as you had expected, don’t give up hope. The average fertile couple has just a 20% chance of conceiving a healthy baby in any given month of unprotected sexual intercourse.
You can improve your chances of falling pregnant naturally in two ways:
1. Get to know your ovulation cycle ‘pregnancy window’, and have intercourse one or two days before ovulation. Also, regular intercourse, two or three times a week, will increase your chances further.
2. Look after your health; be sensible about your diet and lifestyle – and this goes for both partners.
Staying healthy as you prepare for pregnancy
Before you start trying for a baby, both you and your partner need to think about your lifestyle – in particular:
- Eat a healthy diet
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Stop smoking and any recreational drug use
- Drink alcohol in moderation
- Undertake plenty of regular exercise
For women, there are a few more things to remember:
- Take 500ug folic acid daily
- Take multi-vitamins for good general health
- Visit your GP for antenatal blood tests, including checks for rubella and chicken pox, blood group, Rh factor, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
- Review your current medications and check with your GP about any implications for pregnancy
- Understand your menstrual cycle
If this doesn’t work…
If you haven’t managed to conceive after 12 months (or 6 months if you’re 35 or older), you should seek medical advice from your GP or a Hunter IVF fertility specialist. But don’t worry – there are plenty of ways we can help you as you try to start a family.
To find out more, you can register for one of our free evening seminars...
Contact us to find out more about fertility treatments.
