Your hormones play a huge role in influencing fertility. When you have healthy levels of progesterone, estrogen and testosterone, you are less likely to have problems conceiving or getting pregnant. In addition, proper hormonal balance keeps your body healthy, happy and ready to welcome a child.
Keep yourself clean
This may seem obvious, but if you have dirty fingernails, dirty hands, unwashed hair, or worse yet – no underwear – you’re going to make a mess. You can avoid any chance of having an infection by just keeping yourself clean. If you’ve been working hard while pregnant, your body is probably covered in sweat. Make sure to wash your hands after handling anything dirty and before eating.
Eat well and go out less
It’s really tempting to stay home and binge eat while pregnant. But you know what? Binge eating makes you gain weight faster, which makes you more tired and stressed. And who wants to come down with gestational diabetes? So try to limit how much junk food you consume and spend some time outside hiking, running errands, and getting some fresh air.
Get Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep at night helps women reduce their risk of infertility. Studies show that women who get eight hours of sleep each night are 60 percent less likely than those who slept seven hours per night to experience infertility. If you’re struggling to fall asleep, try taking 5 milligrams of melatonin before bedtime. You can find it at Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart.
Drink water
Try to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. As you move towards your due date, you might start needing to pee more often, especially at night. That’s okay though! Just remember to drink plenty of water and cut back on caffeine (which dehydrates you).
Talk to your doctor about your diet
If you’re trying to lose weight during pregnancy, talk to your doctor about whether or not you should change your diet. Studies have shown that diets rich in vegetables and low-fat dairy products can reduce birth defects in babies born to mothers who suffer from certain conditions. Your doctor can then give you advice on what foods and drinks to avoid and help you find healthier alternatives.
Avoid smoking
Smoking cigarettes actually increases the risk of miscarriage. A study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that women who smoked were twice as likely to miscarry compared to women who didn’t smoke. Of course, you need to be careful; cigarettes aren’t the only thing that could negatively affect your chances of carrying to term. Stay away from alcohol, drugs, and harsh chemicals like cleaning products, pesticides, and household cleaners. These things can cause harm to your fetus.
Be active
Exercise is probably the single best thing you can do to improve fertility. If you have been inactive for months and then decide to get pregnant, you might not be able to tell if something is wrong until it’s too late. Exercising daily helps maintain healthy hormones, blood pressure and glucose levels, all of which play roles in conception. And even after you conceive, exercise is good for both mom and baby—it increases muscle mass and is linked to lower rates of miscarriage and birth defects.
Take prenatal vitamins
Even though you’re doing everything right now, you still want to protect your unborn child. Taking daily prenatal vitamins is a great way to ensure you’re covering the bases. Prenatal vitamins are designed to cover all of the nutritional requirements that your baby needs to develop.
Many women think they don’t need extra nutrition during their period, but research shows otherwise. Taking multivitamin supplements containing folic acid, iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin B12 and DHA reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects like spina bifida, and certain heart conditions.
Don’t Stress Out
Stress affects not just our physical bodies, but also our emotional and mental state. Stress can cause hormonal changes and affect our immune systems. Try to keep yourself calm and positive when trying to achieve your goal of becoming pregnant.
Avoid Alcohol, Drugs and Chemicals
Pregnant women should avoid alcohol, drugs and chemicals since they may harm a developing fetus.
Exercise Regularly
Eating well and exercising regularly help to regulate hormone production and improve blood flow throughout the reproductive system. Good nutrition helps your body produce the best possible environment for conception to occur. A healthy diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy products and nuts.
Avoid caffeine
Caffeine speeds up brain activity, making it harder to focus. So make sure you’re consuming caffeinated drinks only during the time when you need them most — when you’re ovulating.
Practice safe sex
Sexually transmitted infections can cause premature births, stillbirths and infertility. Make sure you use protection correctly and consistently and talk to your partner about safer sex practices.Using condoms prevents STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and unwanted pregnancy. Most importantly, using protection from the beginning of sex reduces the risks of becoming pregnant.
