Living in a chaotic situation is one of the biggest reasons for infertility. It leads to stress, which in turn, causes many diseases, even the inability to conceive.
Intercourse close to ovulation increases the chances to conceive. But if experts are to be believed, making a few lifestyle changes can help you in boosting your fertility. These ways include:
Managing the right weight
Whether it is about being underweight or overweight, both situations delay a woman’s fertility process. Hence, it is important to maintain an ideal body weight that can further boost your fertility process. Eating healthy and at the right time can greatly contribute to your body weight.
Tips for healthy sperms
According to the experts, men should protect their genitals from sources of heat. This may include frequent hot shower baths, keeping laptops on thighs and any direct exposure to heat. It is also recommended that instead of wearing briefs, men should wear boxers as it provides breathing space to their private area.
The beverages
Consuming excess alcohol or even coffee can damage a woman’s fertility. Health experts opine that drinking more than 5 cups of coffee a day can lower your chances of fertility. Also, intake of excess alcohol can compromise your fertility. Moderation is the right key to stay fit and healthy.
Smoking is injurious to your sperm health
Cigarette smoking whether done by women or men can lower your chances of fertility. In women, smoking can affect the production of eggs and in men, it can reduce the production of sperms. And what worse is that smoking during pregnancy can increase the chances of miscarriage.
THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO HAVE SEX
Commonly referred to as ‘fertile window’, is the time when you should have sex. This is the best time to conceive as it increases the chances of fertility. You should keep a track of your ovulation cycle as intercourse during this period have a fairly high chances of getting pregnant. Ideally, ovulation is the period 14 days before the due date of your menstrual cycle. If you have sex two days before or on the day you ovulate, the chances of getting pregnant increase.
What is Ovulation?
When the egg is released from the ovaries, it is fertilised by a sperm and gets implanted in the uterus. This is the process that makes a woman pregnant.
How can I know that I am ovulating?
As mentioned, your ovulation period is 14 days before your menstrual cycle. You can also use the Ovulation calculator to know the right time of your ovulation. Ovulation calculator is helpful when your menstrual cycle has the same number of days every month. Tracking the ovulation symptoms that include cervical mucus, basal body temperature (BBT) is also helpful to know your ovulation period.
Cervical mucus is the vaginal discharge. You may experience an increase in vaginal discharge three to four days before the ovulation period. It can remain during and immediately after ovulation and the texture is clear and stretchy.
BBT is your lowest body temperature in a 24-hour cycle. To know the ovulation period, you have to record your body’s temperature every morning. The day after you ovulate, there will be a slight increase in your body’s temperature which will be somewhere around 0.5 to 1.0 degree Fahrenheit. This increase in your body’s temperature will last until your next menstrual cycle.
Studies also say that around the ovulation period, many women experience mild cramps around their abdominal area and sometimes even backache.
What happens when you have sex right after your period?
There prevails a misconception that there are lower chances of getting pregnant when you have sex right after your period. Indeed, the chances are low but sperms can live in the body for at least seven days. This means that if naturally, your menstrual cycle is short, you may get pregnant soon after your period’s end.
What happens when you have sex during periods?
This messy business is pleasurable for some and a few avoid having sex during periods. The natural lubrication makes intercourse more exciting. It should be noted that even during periods, there are chances of getting certain infection such as HIV and STDs. Thus, it is important to have safe sex even during the menstruation cycle.
When it comes to conceiving, the chances are fairly low. But again, if you have intercourse towards the end of your period cycle, you may ovulate.
Foods that help in increasing your fertility
There are certain foods that increase the chances of your fertility. Their fertility foods include:
Almonds: Almonds contain vitamin E and this antioxidant protect DNA in eggs as well as in sperms. Almonds also help in producing more sperms.
Bananas: Loaded with vitamin B6, eating a banana as a mid-morning snack helps in regulating hormones and in the developments of eggs and sperms.
Tomatoes: Packed with lycopene, tomatoes boost sperm health.
Garlic: You may not like it eating raw, adding it to your vegetables is a great way to consume garlic. As it contains allicin, it boosts the blood circulation in sexual organs and protects sperm health.
Citrus fruits: Adding citrus foods to your diet is another way to increase your fertility rate. These vitamin C enriched fruits improve sperm and egg quality.
Eggs: Eggs are rich in vitamin D, which in turn, enhances conception ability in women.
Sunflower seeds: These ‘super seeds are packed with zinc and this is the most important nutrient that enhances fertility in men and women.
Carrots: Carrots are the ideal vegetable that enhances the chances of your conception. Adding carrots in your diet help in improves the performance of your sperms.
Dark chocolate: Another reason to eat a square of your favourite dark chocolate. As it contains amino acid, it doubles your sperm count. The antioxidant content in dark chocolate fight against free radicals which help in protecting against free radicals and improves male fertility.
Avoid these foods if you want to increase the chances of conception
So, if you are trying to conceive, steer clear of excess alcohol, foods that contain high glycemic index such as sugar and rice, low-fat dairy products as they may produce androgens which can interrupt your menstrual cycle and may affect your fertility. You should also avoid the intake of trans. Here we have mentioned a list of foods that you should avoid in order to increase the chances of your contraception:
Fish (with high mercury content): Consuming high-mercury fish can damage the fetus. You should avoid having bigeye tuna, swordfish etc. And before consuming any seafood, do not forget to check the mercury content.
Trans fat: Foods such as chips, microwaved popcorns, fried foods should be avoided. They cause inflammation and insulin resistance, which in turn, impact fertility.
Foods with high-glycemic-index: Another set of foods that should be avoided to increase contraception chances are high-glycemic foods. These foods increase your blood sugar level, which can cause inflammation and may hinder the ovulation process.
Soda: A few studies claim that even diet and regular soda beverages hamper fertility. As this increases blood-sugar level, again they can cause inflammation and may change metabolism.
Alcohol: Consuming alcohol in excess should definitely be avoided. It not only impedes your fertility but also has hazardous effects on your health.
Raw animal products: If you are trying to conceive, you must say no to raw animal products. Raw meat, eggs and seafood have salmonella and coliform bacteria that may impact the fetus. Have cooked animal meat and that too after consulting your gynaecologist.
