Top 10 Fertility Tips for Conceiving

1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle! Be the best version of yourself. This includes moderate exercise most days of the week and a varied diet including proteins, carbs and fats.
2. Find a BMI calculator online and try to keep your BMI in the normal range. This optimizes pregnancy rates and decreases the risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
3. Take a prenatal and/or multivitamin. There is more folic acid in a prenatal vitamin than in a regular daily multivitamin. Folic acid is very important for fetal neurologic development, and too little can be associated with birth defects.
4. Avoid or limit the things we know are not good for us. Smoking reduces ovarian reserve and is associated with early menopause, and can affect DNA in both eggs and sperm. Alcohol can be consumed in moderation, but not illicit drugs. Too much caffeine can be associated with higher miscarriage rates.
5. Get chronic conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes under control. Poorly controlled diabetes can cause birth defects, and high blood pressure can affect the placenta and fetal growth. Both can worsen during pregnancy, and it’s important that your primary care doctors use medications that can be safely continued in pregnancy.
6. Know your menstrual cycle – and when to seek help. Most women ovulate around 14 days before their next period (on day 14 for a 28-day cycle, around day 16 for a 30-day cycle, and so on). If you don’t get regular cycles, don’t wait to see if they’ll become regular. Get help!
7. If your cycles are regular and predictable, over-the-counter ovulation predictor kits are available online or at most big-box stores. Intercourse every one to three days for the week leading up to ovulation can maximize the chances of sperm being there at the right time.
8. Don’t lose yourself (or berate yourself) in the tracking! While OPKs or temperature charts work great for some women, lots of women find them difficult and anxiety-provoking, and they are highly sensitive to things like water intake, bad sleep, illness, being up at night, and other factors. Our San Antonio fertility clinic has many ways of assessing ovulation, so leave the worrying to us.
9. Men should avoid excessive exposure to heat or chemicals, but generally should follow the same advice as above with regard to diet, weight, vices and managing chronic medical conditions.
10. Know when to reach out to a fertility specialist. Call us if you’re younger than 35 and have been trying for more than a year, if you’re 35 or older and have been trying for six months, or anytime your story doesn’t fit the regular picture (for example, irregular cycles every few months, known sperm problems, same-sex couple needing eggs or sperm).

Contact our office if you have concerns about your fertility. Get on the right path with the best fertility specialists in San Antonio.