I’m often asked to give tips for trying to conceive, of course this all depends on the individual couple and their specific needs, but as a general rule these are the best tips for trying to conceive
1. Track your period (Menstrual Cycle)
Keeping track of the length of your menstrual cycle is incredibly important as it can tell you all about the health of your hormones and be an early indicator as to whether you may need help sooner when trying to conceive. Day 1 is the first day you see blood.
A regular cycle length means that your period comes roughly the same number of days apart from month to month. For example, every 28-29 days.
An irregular cycle may come erratically, and cycle length varies from month to month. This may be an indication that you are not ovulating or a sign of PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). This may take some time to fix and may make it difficult to pin down the best conceive time, so it is important to seek help as soon as you realise your cycle isn’t normal. If this scares you, just know that you can get pregnant with polycystic ovaries – I’m proof of that, you just need the right help.
2. Learn when you ovulate
Ovulation is the release of an egg from your ovary. It happens approximately in the middle of your menstrual cycle but ovulation can vary from cycle to cycle and woman to woman as demonstrated in this recent study. This is the reason it is important not to rely on the calendar dates that most fertility apps use to tell you when you are going to ovulate if you are trying to conceive.
There are many ways to learn when you ovulate. You can use ovulation predictor kits (which tell you ovulation is coming within the next 36 hours) or you can keep track of the changes within your body. Look for changes to the mucus that comes out of your vagina. It will change from being creamy to being clear like raw-egg white. This is a tell-tale sign it is about to happen, and this marks the best conceive time. Taking your temperature confirms ovulation has taken place and marks the start of the second phase of your cycle the “Luteal Phase”.
3. Know the lifespan of sperm and eggs
Know that the egg can only be fertilised for 12-24 hours after ovulation
This is why it is incredibly important to have sperm waiting for the egg to be released prior to ovulation when trying to conceive. Sperm can live anywhere between 2 and 5 days.
4. Have sex when you see your mucus change – this is the fertile window
Now you know how long sperm live for, you can stop having sex three times a day! Sex every other day is a perfect amount when trying to conceive.
5. Ensure you’re taking a practitioner recommended prenatal supplement
This means not the usual high street variety, but something that has the best quality ingredients and no fillers or binders added. Look for capsules rather than tablets. The best quality you can afford is recommended when trying to conceive and you should take it for at least four months prior to any conception attempts. This is a bare-minimum and often you will need additional supplements to improve your chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy, especially if you want to increase your chance of getting pregnant at 40 and older.
6. Get your partner to have a semen analysis
The saddest thing I see in my clinic almost as a weekly occurrence is a woman struggling to conceive. She is overwhelmed, exhausted and has tried literally everything to conceive for many years. The first thing I do is suggest a male fertility test and often find out that the man has major issues with his sperm. This is incredibly common, more than 30% of cases of infertility are male related, and 30% female related, the rest are a combination of both. A simple semen analysis earlier on when trying to conceive is all it takes to save many years of the emotional hardship of infertility and allows couples to have their babies sooner. Semen issues can usually be rectified with good supplements, lifestyle changes and good diet.
7. Know your chances of conceiving each month based on your age
If you go into trying to conceive with the expectation you were led to believe in your sex-education classes in high school, you will be met with disappointment. It is actually very hard to get pregnant, especially as we get older. By understanding this, it can take the emotional pressure off of the process.
For example, when trying to conceive in you early 30’s the chance of getting pregnant is only 15% each month and the chance of getting pregnant at 40 or over is reduced to less than 5% each cycle.
8. Know that genetic quality of your eggs declines with age
The main reason it takes time when you are trying to conceive as you get older is due to the percentage of genetically normal eggs left in your ovaries. In your early 30’s this level is around 43% and declines to only 10% in your 40’s. Understanding this level and working with a natural fertility specialist will ensure you are doing all you can to optimise your chances of getting pregnant at 39 and beyond.
9. Eat like you were pregnant
Include a diet rich in vegetables, good fats and quality protein BEFORE you are trying to conceive. These foods form the building blocks of your hormones and nourish every cell of your body including those in your ovaries. Organic, free-range and wild is best.
10. Clean up your environment
The obvious fertility killers are smoking, alcohol and caffeine, however air pollution and everyday chemicals that you are exposed to in your life can harm your fertility. Go natural with your cleaning, body care and haircare products well before you are going to try to conceive.