Fertility. This is something most women never think about until that magical biological clock goes off inside them. After that, it is “babies on the brain.” We’ve all been there as women trying to conceive. For some, fertility is a non-issue as they are the type of women that get pregnant in a second. I have a friend like that. She jokes that you look at her, she gets pregnant.
However, other women struggle with their fertility, both in understanding it, and in studying it to time that small window of opportunity that opens up every month. It is true that good health, a relaxed attitude, and timing are usually the best predictors of a successful conception.
This is where the charts and the articles written on fertility can be of great use to women trying to increase their chances of conceiving successfully. It is true that some put undue pressure on the woman, either by her reading too much into it, or by the wording chosen. But most articles and information out there now are very sensitive and helpful.
It can be a blessing to have ideas on what to do to bring on something as amazing as preparing one’s body for childbirth. The important thing though, is for women to remember not to overly worry and prepare. Follow some health measures, and then letting nature take its course will usually do the trick. Here are 15 things women can do to increase their fertility:
15 Sleeping Well
“After a good night’s rest everything looks better.” My Mom used to say that (and still does). If a woman is sleeping soundly and calmly for at least seven hours a night, her body will definitively be able to handle other things that pop up in the day, negative or positive.
Excitement and nervousness can throw us off, but if we are taking care of our mental state of mind, this will help tremendously with everything else going on around us. Sleep will help a woman think more clearly, have a more positive attitude, look for solutions instead of problems, and just plain old feel better in her own skin.
This can only be done when her body is operating at one hundred percent capacity of energy, which is when she gets enough fabulous zzz’s at night. How can she do this? Find relaxing nocturnal activities to do before shut eye, like reading a book, having a warm cup of tea, or meditation or yoga.
14 Eating The Right Foods
Besides sleep, eating right is the next important thing a woman has to remember to do. Now I know it’s hard in that mid-afternoon slump, and most of us want to grab a bag of chips or cookies, (and once in awhile that’s ok). It’s just important that she remembers that overall a healthy diet of protein, grains, vegetables, and fruit is the way to go to feel and be at her best.
We think it is hard to eat right, but not really. Think right now about tasty healthy snacks: yogurt with fruit sprinkled on top, raw veggies with a low fat dip, a nice crunchy apple, or a very tasty and portable banana. Nuts and grains are another good option for portability. It’s important to have variety so it is less tempting to stray.
And always keep these easy foods on hand so there are no excuses for the junk food.
13 Exercise
What do they say about eating right and exercising? That’s right. It’s one of the best ways to stay in good health, and that is what a woman needs if she wants a successful conception to take place. Exercising does not have to mean hitting the gym every day for an hour, though if you can do, it’s great.
Regular healthy exercise can be one hour workouts three to four days a week doing anything from running, power walking, aerobics or any sport. When a body is fit, so is a mind. This is when everything works better together. Exercising will also help reduce stress which is a culprit in a lot of medical issues.
Make sure to balance cardio with weights, and strength training. If a woman doesn’t have time to join a gym, there are free weights and machines she could buy for the house. There are also elastic band workouts. Do a search online and there will be many options.
12 Charting Their Cycle And Measuring Mucus
Yes, gross. I know. But this is a very good to determine one’s fertility cycle, by charting when she gets a period and the ovulation time before, which is prime baby making time!
It is far from glamorous and sometimes difficult to pinpoint if a woman does not have a regular cycle, but once she knows when she is ovulating, then she has the direct couple of days’ window to know when conception has the greatest chance of happening. After that, comes the fun part.
Getting down to business with her partner and working on making that baby! A woman’s gynecologist would be the best one to set her up with the charts and explain everything. However, there is also a lot of information on this online that she could read up on and learn on her own. First things first, she should get a full medical checkup to make sure all is well with her then proceed with the charting.
11 Decreasing Or Eliminating Stressors From Personal Life
This is easier said than done, but is so important. With stress in our personal life, how can we expect to be able to relax enough to a) have intercourse and b) enjoy it. There is not a chance, unless we are prepared to remove the things and people that make us feel depressed, scared, and nervous.
There are always choices we could make about eliminating some things from our lives (or sadly sometimes people), that only cause us grief. This is important to do at all times of our lives, but particularly when undertaking something like conception, which is a complicated and hard thing on a woman’s body.
She needs to be completely calm and healthy in all ways. She should never be afraid to do what she needs to do to stay healthy. Good friendships and family relationships that make her laugh and feel at her best are the ones to keep. Negative or toxic relationships that make her questions her worth, her intelligence, and depress her in general, should go.
10 Decreasing Or Eliminating Stressors From A Job
This one is easy yet difficult if she does not have another job lined up, and money is tight. However, similar to toxic people, a toxic job is bad on all fronts for a woman, whether she is trying to conceive or not. Work is where we all spend most of our time.
If we can’t enjoy it and feel like we are positively contributing, it is time to get out and find something better. On the other hand, sometimes it is a matter of a toxic colleague or department. Perhaps she could speak to human resources, outside counselling, and find a way to handle her stressful feelings in order to relaxed and feel good on the job.
The important thing to remember is she and only she can control her happiness and feelings. No one can control the thoughts and feelings of another person. With a positive mindset, she will be better equipped to handle all kinds of things at work and better able to conceive at home.
9 Dating And Epontaneity
Date nights. Remember those? Before a woman gets into a committed relationship, dating is all fun and games and is spontaneous. This is something that changes once she and her partner settle into a stable monogamous relationship. It’s comforting, but sometimes can become boring and stifling.
That is when spontaneity and dates need to be brought back in. This injects a little bit of fun back into what made her and her partner fall in love in the first place. When dating once a week or a few times a month starts happening, conversation and laughter starts happening.
When partners relax, magic happens and the chemistry that brought them together happens. Then it’s lights, camera, action! Great sex is coming her way, which is, of course, what is needed for baby to come her way! Women are known to be more interested in sex after bonding and talking. So get up and book those dates now ladies!
8 Not Putting Pressure On Themselves Or Partners
On the other hand, don’t schedule dates and “sex nights” in order to conceive. Putting that kind of pressure on oneself and one’s partner will surely backfire. My partner and I fell into that trap at one point, and guess what, baby only entered the picture when I stopped doing that.
The trick is not to think “I am going out on date to have sex to make this baby,” but rather “I am going out on a date to remember what an amazing partner I have and how attracted I am to him.” He will sense the genuine wish to connect a well, and not just for his sperm count. A man and woman are far more than their body parts connecting.
They are whole beings who fell in love, and deserve the chance to fall in love with one another again and again. That is what will create life.
7 Seeking Therapy For Emotional Issues
Seeking therapy is always a good thing. Let’s face it. Most women have supportive family and friends, (and she should definitively speak to sympathetic friends), but they may be reluctant to share innermost fears they have. A therapist is an anonymous third party who has no emotional ties invested in the person seeking his/her services.
The therapist will be neutral and honest in their responses, and could also provide great tools to help the woman de stress or else another way to look at the problem (s) she is facing in her life, whether they are regarding personal issues on her life or on becoming a mother.
Like a good diet and exercise, this can only help a woman become more in touch with leading a healthier and happier life, which will help her most likely conceive all that much sooner. She will also fare better as a future Mom if she has good tools at her disposal to use.
6 Stay At A Healthy Weight
Being overweight or underweight can affect fertility in a big way, so maintaining a healthy weight is an essential ingredient for helping to successful conceive. A healthy weight is whatever weight is in the woman’s height range. This is also affected by her bone structure, so a smaller to medium boned woman’s ideal weight will be different than a larger boned woman’s.
If she has any doubts it’s best to consult her medical practitioner for advice. However, the weight charts available in most doctors’ offices and online are still a good general weight guide. A healthy body can handle the extra stress of housing another human body and building up that human being while it is being housed.
All she needs to do to stay healthy is follow what has been outlined so far in taking good overall care of her mental, physical and spiritual well-being. Avoiding stress, exercising regularly, and eating well will help a woman’s body be at its best for other things.
5 Quit Smoking
This is obviously one which most women would not think twice about, however as smoking is a strong addiction. It is sometimes hard to quit even when she knows she has to. She can reach out to her medical practitioner for a good stop smoking program and support group to help her break this dangerous addiction.
There is no shame in admitting she needs help, especially with smoking which is something that people commonly struggle with. It is worth it to go through the process of quitting smoking and being smoke free for several months, and then going for a full checkup to rule out any additional health issues.
This way she can get help for those too, if there are any problems. Then, afterwards, she can go for a full medical checkup to make sure her body is in the best possible health for baby making.
4 Avoid Lubricants
Lubricants may make sex more pleasurable and easier in some ways, but can actually decrease the potency of her partner’s sperm count, which would affect a woman’s ability to conceive. The higher the sperm count, meaning the more sperm come in contact with a woman’s egg, the higher the possibility of conception taking place.
Of course, this is not always the case, but a woman and man want all the odds on their side, right? Letting nature takes its course with proceeding “au naturel” with everything around intercourse, will help tremendously with the whole baby making process.
If the woman and man are relaxed and taking good care of themselves, nature will be doing all that work for natural lubrication in order to make potential baby become closer to being a reality. Couples should not beat themselves up if they did use lubricants in the past, only that it is best to avoid them when trying the next time to conceive.
3 No Douching
Again, this is similar to lubricants. Douching is something that is fine when not baby making, but is something that could alter the whole chemistry down there where egg and sperm meet and potentially hit it off to make a baby!
Nature has its own way of bringing human beings to life, and it is important as men and women we do our best to try and not tamper with that body chemistry and set up as much as we possibly can. If a woman has been doing douching, it will not necessarily harm her, but can impede the progress of sperm meeting the eggs and make conception more difficult.
Regular washing in the nether regions as well as regular feminine hygiene should be fine for optimum health and baby making possibilities. It’s important that a woman does not beat herself up if she did not know this, but takes the advice and moves forward letting nature once again take its course in this area.
2 Have More Intimacy
Now, this doesn’t mean being intimate four times a day to the point of exhaustion just to make that baby. That will only tire out the partners, and put stress and strain on something that is supposed to be beautiful, relaxing and enjoyable for the both partners. They will begin to feel it is like work, not something beautiful that they can share together.
The way being more intimate could be good is that it simply will increase the couple’s chance of conception as more eggs and sperm unite together. Of course, this is all pending on the woman and man having both received clean bills of physical health after undergoing medical checkups.
If they are optimally at their highest peak of fertility, the chances of conception are great, and the possibility of becoming parents gets higher and higher. A woman and man will also feel better that they are doing all they can to make this dream of theirs come true.
1 Seek Fertility Help
This is something many couples wait too long to consider doing. It is important if a woman is over thirty-five years old, that she consult a fertility specialist if she and her partner have had no luck in conceiving after six months of actively trying. It is also important that both partners get fully evaluated and tested to make sure egg and sperm count are healthy and operating normally.
Depending on the results of the tests, the couple will have many options suggested to them to try and conceive naturally. Should this not be possible, the doctor will offer them other possibilities and things they could try. This fertility team will be completely dedicated to helping couples conceive a child if it is at all possible.
The couple will also benefit from having this support available, in addition to family and friends who have most likely been supporting them all along.
These are just a few of the things a woman can do to increase their fertility. There are countless others. The most important thing for her to remember is that if she takes care of herself, and her partner does the same for himself, the rest will take care of itself. They will most likely be welcoming in a beautiful baby in the near future.