(Collaborative post) People assume that becoming pregnant is easy. That is simply untrue. Not everyone can get pregnant straight away sometimes they need a little help. In my Top Tips to Promote Pregnancy post we look at things you can consider to help promote pregnancy. If you haven’t already you might like to consider reading my post Basics You Need to Know About Fertility.
There are numerous things you can do to help optimise your fertility.
Top Tips to Promote Pregnancy
Don’t Leave it Too Late
It goes without saying that the longer you wait before trying to conceive the more you run the risk of having problems doing so. Although many women over the age of 35 do not have problems carry a baby to term, there can be more risks as you get older. A pregnancy after the age of 40 is considered to be high risk. At this age, there are higher risks of miscarriage, birth defects, low birth weight, ectopic pregnancy and more.
Exercise and Maintain a Healthy Body Weight
Exercise has all sorts of health benefits from improving your mental health to improving how efficiently your body functions. This means it can increase your chances of conceiving. If you or your partner are overweight this can affect the health of the eggs and sperm. Being underweight can also reduce fertility. Being either underweight or overweight can also cause problems in pregnancy and also may affect your child’s health. strenuous exercise should be avoided as it may interfere with ovulation.
Cut Down/Out the Alcohol
Women are generally advised to abstain from drinking when trying to conceive. This is because there is an increased chance of miscarriage, premature birth, and learning disabilities, and behavioral problems as they get older. Alcohol has been linked to fertility issues in both men and women.
Stop Smoking
The chemicals found in cigarette smoke can lead to fertility problems. This is because they decrease sperm count and increase sperm abnormalities. They also affect the rate of egg loss in women reducing the window in which she can become pregnant.
Reduce or Cut out Caffeine
Although there is no proof saying we should cut out caffeine when trying to conceive it has been noted that those with a high caffeine intake may take longer to conceive and have a higher risk of miscarriage. It has been shown to reduce blood flow to the uterus which can in turn reduce the growth and development of the fetus.
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Supplements
Before I got pregnant I began taking a prenatal supplement. These are designed to help support the body with its nutritional requirements prior to pregnancy. I then took supplements throughout my pregnancy to help make sure both my baby and I got the nutrients we needed. One of the main nutrients in these is folic acid. This has been shown to help prevent the risk of birth defects.
When to Seek Help
If you have been trying over a year and have failed to become pregnant it’s probably about time to seek assistance. Initially, tests will be done to assess fertility in both partners. Some patients will consider looking into egg donation whereas in some cases looking for a surrogate or opting for adoption may be the only options still available.
I hope you found my Top Tips to Promote Pregnancy post interesting. Are there any other tips you think might be important? Which tip(s) do you feel are most important?
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Good advice for those able to plan a pregnancy. Plenty of tips here towards a healthy lifestyle.
Thanks Melanie. It’s good to be aware of things that can help when trying to get pregnant.
Thank you so much for sharing! Maintaining good health is so important when trying to get pregnant.
It can make a big difference.
Now fewer and fewer women want to become mothers, but in my opinion because they shy away from an idea, from an immense gift of life.
I suppose it depends on who you know. Most of the people I know either have children or hope to have them in the future.
Great tips, I never struggled with getting pregnant I struggled with maintaining a pregnancy but after 8 losses and lots of tests we finally got there. But looking after your body is key for anyone wanting to start a family
I’m so sorry to hear that. It can be very difficult when it doesn’t happen as we expect. So many people struggle, it’s something we should talk about more as it helps those going through difficulties get through it xxx
Brilliant tips. When we were trying for Olivia, I cut out alcohol and attempted to cut down on my caffeine intake too,.
That’s great to hear. Most women do go to the effort to try to cut down these things. Not everyone is aware of the risks and unfortunately, some don’t care as much as they should.
I found you can not assume anything with fertility. I thought it would take ages to get pregnant the first time after 10 years on the pill, but it took 2 months and then it took over 2 years the next time! Good tips. Mich x
Thanks Michelle. Glad to hear that it did happen even for you. We didn’t get pregnant as quickly as we hoped. It was worrying.
I think this is the one thing that does worry me if we do decide to have kids. Neither of us are ready yet, but time is ticking but if it’s meant to be it will happen x
The thing is you never know what will happen. It might not be an issue for you when you try.
I imagine quitting smoking is one of the most important things to achieve if you’re pregnant.
It can be, it’s highly addictive. I’m glad I never smoked.
Great tips, I know so many women that need to read your article. Pregnancy is certainly not easy for everyone.
It can be worrying when it doesn’t happen as quickly as you would expect.
It’s not always easy. My husband and I tried but were never lucky. In my heart of hearts, I still want to be a mother, but I’ve come to terms with my fate, as well. 🙂
I’m so sorry to hear that. It can be very hard for some to conceive and heartbreaking. Adoption is always an option. Just to note in a number of cases of people with polycystic ovaries, herbal medicine can be helpful. I saw a large wall covered in babies from parents that had been told they would never have children in the clinic where I took patients.
Great tips on ensuring a safe pregnancy. A lot of women wouldn’t think cutting back on certain things like caffeine could have such an impact but it’s great that you’ve covered it here. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Catherine. It is amazing how things we have in our daily lives would affect our ability to become pregnant.
Great tips, and so important to know too. Reducing caffeine is so important for fertility.
It really is. It’s amazing how many are not aware.
I hope I get the chance to get pregnant before I am 40 so these are great and handy tips for those thinking about it.
I hope it works out for you Anosa. Good luck x
Some truly great tips for those planning to get pregnant. I was told to take Folic Acid 3 months before I started family planning
Folic Acid is one of the supplements normally recommended. It can really help x
Yes, most people generally think it is easy to get pregnant–you simply decide to. But we probably all know people who were not able get pregnant .
These are some great tips for those looking to get pregnant. So many tips here for a healthy lifestyle. 🙂
They are tips many will look at when trying to be healthy generally which helps.
These are some great tips – it breaks my heart in many ways I’ll likely never have kids, but have to think of the life I would be able to offer them.
That’s such a shame Sarah. Adoption is an option that many look at as well as fostering. They can be a great way to have children in your home even if they’re not genetically yours.
Before I was pregnant with my first I used to think how wrong I was! I had awful spd throughout and was on crutches for the majority of my pregnancy. You’re always told though that any other pregnancies you have won’t always be the same, they were pretty correct in that it was worse, pregnant with twins, horrific morning sickness right up to the day I delivered and spd so bad I was in a wheelchair 🤣. I have so much empathy for women who struggle through pregnancy as there are times it gets you down so much and don’t know how much more you can take but it is so true that the moment you give birth all them feelings just disappear
These are all such great tops and important to take on board. We found it more difficult to conceive our second baby and I definitely think implementing some of the things mentioned here helped. x
Many mistakenly assume it’ll be easy until they try.
I feel very lucky that it took 4 months both times with mine but I was taking supplements, not drinking, exercising and eating healthy a long time before that to give myself the best chance possible. It’s just so different for everyone. Great tips.
It is different for all. Sounds like you were lucky there.
Having a baby is a special blessing and it makes sense to follow helpful advice such as this to do what you can to prepare. However don’t forget that you will probably know someone amongst friends and family who finds it difficult to get pregnant. When already struggling helpful advice can just seem like an extra pressure so be very gentle and supportive when passing on advice. In fact we have known couples where pregnancy follows when they stop trying. It would seem the stress of trying can be a hindrance by itself.