There’s a common misconception that infertility is somewhat common when actually that isn’t the case. In the US alone, 7.3 million women aged between 15 and 44 used infertility services between 2011 and 2016, with just 7.6 percent of women in the US being diagnosed as being infertile. What this shows is that although a large number of women accessed infertility services, a small percentage of those women were unable to get pregnant.
The fact is that there are millions of fertility-challenged couples across the US, and the wider world, but just because a couple is reproductively challenged, that doesn’t mean that they are infertile, because that’s rarely the case. Of course, if you are one of the couples finding it difficult to conceive a baby, it can be incredibly upsetting and stressful. However, it’s important to bear in mind that levels of infertility are at an all-time low due to modern medicine and increased fertility research.
If you and your partner are struggling to conceive, it’s important to stay calm and collected. Of course, staying calm is easier said than done when you’re not the one struggling to get pregnant, but it really can help. To help you navigate through the minefield that is infertility problems, below are some useful tips and pieces of advice.
Give it a year (unless you’re over 35)
There seems to be a misconception that you should get pregnant within the first three months of trying for a baby when actually that isn’t the case. Ask any fertility expert, and they will tell you the same thing - before seeking medical help, trying to conceive for a year is recommended. If you’re under 35, that is - for anyone over 35, it’s recommended that you try for six months and then consult the help of an expert.
Doctors recommend that the best way to get pregnant isn’t to have sex every single day, it’s to have sex every three days. In that way, the quality of the sperm is higher, which makes it more likely that you will fall pregnant with a healthy baby.
Track your ovulation
The best piece of advice from doctors about getting pregnant is also the simplest, and that is to track your ovulation. If you aren’t already doing that, it’s time to start doing so. There are various ways that you can do this, including using your cervical mucus and basal cell temperature, and inputting these two things into an app, such as ‘Flo’ can help you to track when you’re ovulating and when your best chance of getting pregnant is. Then there’s also ovulation tests that you can use to track your ovulation and determine when you’re ovulating.
Stop stressing
It’s a well-known fact that many women find that stress can impact their ovulation, and can cause them to miss a period, which is why it’s so important that when it comes to trying to conceive, that you try to remain calm and stop stressing. Worry about getting pregnant is only going to make it more likely that you struggle to conceive, so it’s important to find a way to de-stress.
The more you stress about your fertility, the harder you will find it to get pregnant, so it’s important to try and take a step back and learn to control your levels of stress. By doing so, you will increase your chances of being able to conceive, as when you aren’t stressed, your body is more likely to ovulate normally. Taking steps such as spending more time exercising and getting out of the house more, can help to reduce the levels of stress that you are under. Exercise is a known stress-reliever, but the best form of exercise is meditation-based exercise, such as yoga or pilates.
Use pre-pregnancy products
A lot of couples who struggled to conceive, swear by pre-pregnancy products. Wondering what pre-pregnancy products are? They’re products that are designed to increase your chance of getting pregnant and include things like taking specialist vitamins - both you and your partner - and using lubricants that are designed to make it easier for the sperm to reach the egg. There is a wide range of products that you can try; it’s just a case of determining which are the best options for you.
Change certain areas of your life
If you drink a lot of alcohol, it could be a good idea to cut back on the amount that you are drinking. As studies have shown that people that drink an excessive amount of alcohol are more likely to struggle to get pregnant, it’s important to cut down when you are trying for a baby.
If you smoke, you may also want to cut down the number of cigarettes that you are smoking each day, or quit altogether. The fact is that women who smoke are more prone to a wide range of health problems, including fertility problems like polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis, so if you are struggling to conceive it could be linked to your smoking habit.
Something that a lot of women find helpful when trying to conceive is eating a healthy and balanced diet. Studies have shown that many women that struggle to conceive find that swapping to eating a healthier and more balanced diet helpful when it comes to getting pregnant. It has also been noted in various studies that drinking higher amounts of water can be beneficial, so if you aren’t currently drinking high enough amounts of water, now could be the time to increase your water intake.
The fact is that while struggling to conceive is a fairly common problem; today infertility is not. Thanks to advancements in modern medicine and healthcare, infertility is at an all-time low. The most important thing when struggling to get pregnant is not to stress, because the more you stress, the harder you will find it to get pregnant.
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