There are a variety of factors affecting infertility, some of which are within your control. The more individuals and couples do to optimize fertility naturally, the more successful they’ll be when they’re ready to conceive at home or via fertility treatments.

A Reminder About Age and Fertility: Before we go into how to boost fertility chances at home, we must emphasize the connection between age and fertility rates. If you want to have a family without fertility treatments, getting pregnant sooner than you might have wanted to is your best bet. If you plan to get pregnant in your late 30s to early 40s, it’s worth freezing your eggs before turning 35 to optimize IVF success when you’re ready.

Boost Fertility Chances At Home

According to WHO, one in every six people is affected by infertility worldwide. One-third of those are female, one-third are male, and the other third are due to combined factors or an unexplained infertility diagnosis.

Since male and female infertility factors affect fertility equally, men and women must take responsibility for living a fertility-friendly lifestyle if they want to have children.

Here are things you can do to optimize fertility naturally.

1. Make fertility-friendly lifestyle choices

The things you eat, drink, and participate in (or not) significantly impact physical health and hormone balance (endocrine health), affecting fertility. If you’re planning to get pregnant:

• Stop smoking (including vaping).
• Limit any exposure to second-hand smoke (including vaping).
• Eliminate recreational drug use.
• Practice stress management (in addition to boosting fertility chances, stress management practices come in super handy once you’re a parent!)
• Eat pesticide/herbicide-free foods. Many of the chemicals and “fertilizers” used to grow “conventional” foods affect hormone balance and contribute to lower-than-normal sperm count.
• Manage your body weight to the best of your ability (people who are underweight or obese have higher infertility rates).
• Use eco-friendly health, beauty, and cleaning products.
• Exercise regularly.
• Establish healthy sleep habits.

Fertility-friendly lifestyle choices support everything listed below.

2. Address any irregularities in reproductive health.

Patients ignore some of the most common symptoms of potential infertility problems because they think that “normal for them” is “normal in general” – and that’s not always the case.

Schedule an appointment to discuss any irregularities pertaining to the reproductive system. This includes:

• Irregular periods
• Periods that are longer or have physical symptoms that cause significant discomfort (which could be a sign of endometriosis, fibroids, or cysts.
• Multiple miscarriages
• Difficulty getting or sustaining an erection.
• Premature ejaculation.
• A history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which can cause scarring, adhesions, and other complications that affect conception and pregnancy. If you’re in a non-monogamous relationship or still single, be diligent about using condoms and get tested for STIs annually.

The sooner potential infertility factors are identified, the better choices you can make about future fertility.

3. Manage existing health conditions

Any existing medical or health condition can negatively impact conception or pregnancy. If you have an existing medication condition such as diabetes, an autoimmune disorder, or hypertension, speak to your doctor about whether it is known to affect fertility. If so, learn how to increase your chances of getting pregnant when you’re ready to start a family.

4. Know how to time conception at home for your ovulation window

Accurately timing when to have sex to conceive is one of the best things you can do to maximize fertility chances at home based on your personal “fertility window.” Every woman’s ovulation cycle is different. So, step one is to learn when you ovulate. After a few months of tracking your menstrual cycle, you’ll know what day you’re most likely to ovulate.

Since sperm live for anywhere from three to seven+ days in the female reproductive tract, have sex every day** or every other day for the handful of days leading up to ovulation – as well as the day you ovulate. This is the best way to ensure there is plenty of sperm when the egg arrives. Accurately timing when to have sex to conceive is one of the best things you can do to boost fertility chances at home.

**If your partner knows he has a low sperm count, it’s better to have sex every other day to boost the number of sperm per ejaculation.

5. Get fertility testing as soon as it makes sense

Not getting pregnant the first few months is no cause for concern. That’s perfectly normal. However, after a certain point, it’s time to schedule a consult with a fertility specialist to get accurate fertility testing results.

• Before turning 36, it can take a healthy couple as long as 12 months of consecutive “trying” before they conceive.
• Couples 36 to 38 years old should give it six months.
• Women who are older than 38 should time intercourse for fertility three months in a row before

The sooner you seek infertility support (if needed), the sooner we can get to the bottom of things and customize your fertility treatment plan accordingly.

Not Getting Pregnant? Schedule a Fertility Consultation at RRC

The Reproductive Resource Center is one of the best fertility centers in the country, and is considered the #1 fertility treatment center in our region. We prioritize accurate testing results so that we can personalize treatments for each and every patient.

If you’re not getting pregnant and suspect infertility is the cause, schedule a consultation. We’ll listen to your story, ensure you get the testing you need, and do everything possible to make your family-building dreams come true.