Hoping to fall pregnant in the near future? Ready to start your family?
At Grace Private we understand that falling pregnant is not always easy and can be a frustrating and heart-wrenching journey. While many couples may fall pregnant in the first 12 months, others find it more difficult.
Up to one in every six Australian couples face difficulties with fertility during their life.
Dr Tina Fleming and Dr Tania Widmer are Grace’s fertility specialists and with more than 20 years combined experience, they have helped countless couples realise their dream to become parents.
Both Dr Tina and Dr Tania strongly believe that managing your overall health and well-being is the first step to successful conception. At Grace, we treat the whole woman and know that being as healthy as possible is one of the best ways to boost fertility.
Here are a few tips to improve your chances of falling pregnant.
If you’re trying to conceive, you probably already know that you have the best chance of falling pregnant around and during ovulation.
Ovulation generally occurs between 12 to 15 days before your period is due, but can be slightly different for everyone. A woman’s most fertile period is three to four days either side of and during ovulation.
There are many over-the-counter tests available to find out when you’re ovulating, but you can also look out for the following signs yourself:
Tracking your ovulation and getting familiar with your cycle will not only give you an indication of the best time to conceive, but also help you recognise the signs and symptoms if you fall pregnant.
Trying to conceive? It’s time to stop smoking.
Smoking cigarettes can make it more difficult to fall pregnant. It can also lead to other complications during pregnancy including miscariage, ectopic pregnancies, placenta problems and preeclampsia.
If your partner smokes cigarettes, it’s time to butt them out too. Smoking can also affect his sperm quality and production.
It’s no surprise that eating well and maintaining a well-balanced diet is a great way to boost your fertility. It’s also important to maintain a healthy weight, as women who are overweight or obese can find it more difficult to fall pregnant. This goes for the men too, with obesity being associated with low sperm quality.
Avoid foods high in fats and added sugars and eat nutritious foods that ensure you are receiving all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body needs during conception.
When trying to conceive it’s also important to ensure your body has enough folate, vitamin D and Iodine. A multivitamin can help if you are worried about your vitamin intake levels.
For men, Zinc can help support healthy sperm function.
Of course, to boost your fertility it’s obvious you need to make love. At Grace, we recommend intercourse every two days over your fertile period.
It’s important to have enough sex, but not too much that if feels forced and you and your partner turn lovemaking into a chore.
We all know stress is generally bad for our bodies, so it makes sense that reducing stress can also help boost your fertility.
We know this can seem like a catch-22 situation, as often stress can be caused by failed attempts at falling pregnant. But stress can impact a woman’s menstrual cycle, making it more difficult to fall pregnant.
Ways you can manage stress in your life:
Is it taking too long?
If you’ve been doing ‘all of the above’ and have been trying to fall pregnant for more than 12 months, or six months if you’re over 35 years of age, it’s time to seek advice.
Dr Tina and Dr Tania are highly skilled gynaecologists which means they can explore many options to improve fertility. They are also accredited fertility specialists with our partner Monash IVF and we have several Monash fertility nurses working at Grace to further support our IVF patients.
Ask for a referral to ‘Grace’ next time you visit your GP.
