What helps Fertility?

flis21

Hi All,

Hubby and I have been trying for a baby for a while, but it is not happening. I am now trying to lose weight, as that is supposed to help. Any other suggestions for things we can do to help improve our chances of falling pregnant?

Thanks all,
Flis

heather38

eat more fruit/veggies, no ciggies/alcohol, get enough sleep
but most important of all STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!! the more you worry that you're not getting pregnant the more stressed you'll be and the less likely you'll be of falling pregnant.
oh and enjoy the practice coz it'll be a while after you've had kids before you get any again!!

Delilah

Dont have sex every day. having sex too frequently lowers the sperm count. Recommended frequency is every two/ three days. I found that even though i was on fertility drugs it didn't happen for me til i lost a stone in weight and had given up alcohol for a month (totally) beforehand. And as annoying as friends and family with their own children can be saying relax - don't think too much about it, they are right. Also don't leave it too long to get checked if it doesn't happen for you, someone i know waited 7 years before seeing a doctor!!

Nenen

How long have you been trying for and how old are you? Depending upon your age you should go to your GP if you have been trying for more than a year to eighteen months (sooner rather than later if you are over 35).

A couple of tips:
1) Your partner should be wearing loose boxers rather than tight underpants (keeps testicles the slightly lower temperature necessary for male fertility).
2) If you are trying to lose a bit of weight under NO circumstances do crash diets... make sure you get a balanced diet of around 1500 calories per day and only aim to lose about 0.5 - 1 pound per week. Take a good multi-vitamin/mineral and folic acid supplement specifically designed for women pre-pregnancy (i.e. does not have too much Vitamin A).

3) Have a look at the info on the Wellbeing of Women website (WOW) especially this online booklet on preparing for pregancy:

http://www.wellbeing.org.uk/docs/pdf/Preparing%20for%20Pregnancy_22032005.pdf

The WoW booklet says that "On average, a couple having regular sexual
intercourse will take around four to six months to conceive (that is, to get pregnant). Ninety out of 100 couples conceive within 18 months"


People always tell you to relax and stop trying so hard but I know from bitter experience it's really difficult! We waited almost three years for me to get pregnant first time round (many years ago now). We were despairing and finally got referred to the fertility clinic. Then dh got the opportunity to do a year post-grad training meaning he would be on a grant (those were the days!) and we couldn't afford for me to get pregnant while he was studying. We were so convinced that it would take months to get a clinic appointment and that I wouldn't get pregnant that year anyway that he started the course in the September.... by December I was pregnant!!!!:D (without any treatment either... just had our initial appointment). According to our doctor at the fertility clinic it is very common for couples to get pregnant while waiting for initial appointment (it takes the pressure off somehow)

Totally stuffed us financially of course... dh on a small grant, me on maternity pay, struggling to pay our mortgage on half a salary between us by the time ds made his appearance. However, he was such a wanted baby we really didn't care about the money and struggled through somehow. Within four years I had three children under five! So my advice would be to apply for a promotion, book an exotic holiday or something that means it would be really inconvenient to have a baby... then s*d's law being what it is you'll get pregnant!!!

Hope that made you smile... but I really don't want to imply that I don't understand or empathise with your feelings. I can vividly remember the pain I went through while trying to conceive... every month feeling so dreadful when my period finally came. If it's any consolation I was overweight too and really struggled to lose weight with the stress of trying to conceive. I did manage to make my diet far more healthy but didn't actually manage to lose any weight pre-pregnancy though.

I'm sending you lots of positive vibes... and wish you all the luck in the world

SmileyHappyBeing

Pre seed. me and my ex used it and fell first attempt, unfortunatly had a mc but ive read loads of good things about it on pregnancy forums etc... google it and see what you think.. good luck x

alison6692

Hiya

I have just found out I am pregnant after 16 months of trying.

Arrggghhhh to all those people who say don't think about it and try and stay relaxed - its sooo hard.

I would go to your GP get some bloods to confirm you are ovulating then next would get hubby's sperm count checked.

Do you know when you ovulate? Are taking basal temperature? Using test strips? There is a whole new world out there that I had to find out about - try confeti or hitched chat rooms for lot more advice.

I used cheapy OPK's from ebay !

HTH

Alison x

Dizzydee

A friend of mine had been trying to get pregnant for some time. She couldn't stop thinking about it. It was on her mind constantly. But she started to think she would never conceive. She avoided her friends who had babies because it made her sad. She was advised to think differently about getting pregnant, and to start seeing them again. She started cuddling her friends babies, and instead of avoiding mother and baby shops, went round Mothercare looking at baby clothes, prams etc. She alo visited a Homeopath.

Two months later she found she was pregnant!

I believe that by thinking in a possitive way, it changed her hormones, and she was then able to concieve.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Becles

Just relax and have lots of fun when you want it. It is hard but it works.

People follow body temps, mucus and all sorts, but sometimes when your body says the time is right, you might not feel like sex - you might have had a bad day at work, feel under the weather, or a whole host of other things. Sex then becomes mechanical as you feel forced to try, and not enjoyable rather than what it should be.

We also visited Knaresborough on a short break, and we went to Mother Shiptons Cave. http://www.mothershiptonscave.com/main.htm I put my hand in her wishing well and wished for a baby, and I concieved that month :eek:

Slapps

don't know if u have tried this but it might help!!

http://www.babycenter.com/calculators/ovulation/

and good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Claudie

flis21 wrote: »

Hi All,

Hubby and I have been trying for a baby for a while, but it is not happening. I am now trying to lose weight, as that is supposed to help. Any other suggestions for things we can do to help improve our chances of falling pregnant?

Thanks all,
Flis

Hi Flis

It took me many years to get pregnant and we tried everything and anything and all the old wives tales. One of the things I found most helpful was the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (it is on Amazon).

The book is written in plain English and explains everything you need to know about ovulation, conception etc but it is very easy reading and very easy to understand. I have said before on the forum that I really think the book should be used as a text in school - I learned so much I was embarrassed and I was in my mid 30's when I first read it.

It turned out the delay in my getting pregnant was due to a physical cause and all the positive thinking in the world wouldn't of helped (and I am a pretty positive half full glass kinda person). I would suggest get armed with the facts but have fun as well.

Good luck.

Meant to ask how long have you been trying? If you are in your 30's trying to conceive for a year is considered "normal" by most GP's - if you are in your late 30's and you have been trying 6-12 months it may be worth seeing your GP to start some preliminary checks as the process can take such a long time. If you haven't been trying that long (it may seem like forever) keep trying and best of luck!

quietheart

http://www.marilynglenville.com/infertility.htm

loads of good advice here. it's down as infertility here but it's just great pre-conception advice. i got pregnant naturally following her advice despite being told ivf wouldn't even work.
it's really hard to be told not to think about it, it was the first thing i thought of every morning and the last thing i thought of every night for years. this wasn't a choice it was just at the front of my world all the time.
best of luck, you'll get there.
pm anytime.