You’re at peak fertility in your 20s

Biologically speaking, you’re most likely to get pregnant in your 20s. When you’re trying to conceive in your 20s, on average, there’s about a 20% to 25% chance you will get pregnant in any given month. This decade is also when your eggs are at their highest quality, so you’re at peak fertility in your 20s. Of course, some women still struggle with fertility in their 20s, for reasons ranging from tubal issues to low sperm counts in their partners. There are many ways our San Antonio fertility doctors, Erika Munch and Susan Hudson, can help you get pregnant.

Now is the time to develop good health habits to boost fertility in your 20s

If you are trying to conceive on your own, we suggest that you take a daily dose of folic acid (400 mcg), time intercourse to coincide with ovulation, and embrace healthy habits and lifestyle changes to boost your fertility.

One of the best ways to boost fertility in your 20s is to make good choices about diet and weight. It’s important to eat a nutritious diet when you’re trying to conceive, which means avoiding excessive processed foods and getting a variety of antioxidants and nutrients from produce, protein and grains.

It can be difficult to get pregnant if you’re either very underweight or very overweight. This is why it’s important to maintain a normal body mass index (BMI) and exercise in moderation, as strenuous, high-impact regimens may disrupt your menstrual cycle.

Another good way to increase fertility in your 20s is to limit or avoid vices that can be toxic to a pregnancy. This includes quitting smoking, limiting alcohol and caffeine, and avoiding risky sexual behaviors that could lead to a sexually transmitted disease. Our fertility specialists often counsel on optimizing natural fertility to achieve a healthy pregnancy.

If you’re struggling to get pregnant, our San Antonio fertility doctors can help

Women in their 20s should see a fertility doctor if they’re unable to get pregnant after trying for one year. But if there are known issues beforehand, you don’t have to wait a full year.

Our San Antonio fertility doctors recommend seeking help immediately if you know you have irregular periods, a family history of early menopause, a history of sexually transmitted disease or endometriosis, or known medical problems that could affect fertility in either you or your partner. In cases like these, early interventions can make all the difference in boosting fertility in your 20s.

There are a wide variety of fertility treatment options for people in their 20s

If you need assistance getting pregnant in your 20s, we are here to help. We offer highly successful fertility treatments, including intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

• IUI involves placing washed, activated sperm directly into the uterus, close to the fallopian tubes, to give the best sperm a “head start.”
• IVF involves removing the eggs and exposing them to the highest-quality sperm, in an IVF lab, and then transferring an embryo (fertilized egg) back into the uterus.

Male factors are present in half of couples seeking help for infertility, so expect to have your male partner tested as well. A simple and pain-free semen analysis screens for problems with morphology (shape), motility (movement) and sperm count, among other factors. After we review the semen analysis findings, our fertility specialists will either recommend treatment at our San Antonio fertility center, or make a referral to a local urologist if additional evaluation is needed.

Not everyone wants their fertility in their 20s – save it for the future with fertility preservation

If you know you want to have a family someday, but aren’t ready to get pregnant in your 20s, you might consider fertility preservation now, while your eggs are in prime condition. Our full service San Antonio fertility center, in conjunction with our IVF lab partner, can help preserve your fertility by freezing eggs, sperm or embryos.

Egg freezing was initially developed to offer women an opportunity to preserve their fertility before their eggs were potentially damaged by chemo, radiation or treatment for another serious chronic illness, such as cancer. As success rates improved over the years, the REI field was able to also offer it to women who want to electively preserve their fertility for any other number of reasons, called planned oocyte cryopreservation. These cycles are now very common, and are sometimes encouraged by employers who know that their employees desire a family after their career path has been established. Some companies even cover the cost.

Contact our San Antonio fertility center for help in optimizing your fertility in your 20s and beyond. We have individualized treatments that address the unique needs of women throughout their reproductive years.