Simple Ways to Boost Fertility

It can be a little scary once you start trying to have a baby, and the pregnancy doesn’t happen as quickly as you’d like. While fear is natural, it’s best to become informed on all the potential minor issues that could be affecting you and your partner’s fertility and the ways you can fix them, before jumping to conclusions.

Stop Drinking Caffeine

Doctors and health care providers have been on the fence for a while about the affects of caffeine on fertility, and on fetuses. While many studies have shown that caffeine intake has no bearing on your ability to conceive, others have differing results. One study, for example, showed that women who drank a high level of caffeine--more than 5 cups of coffee a day--ended up waiting the longest to become pregnant.

The March of Dimes recommends that women looking to conceive consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, roughly the amount in a 12 ounce coffee. Watch out for hidden caffeine in chocolate, some herbal drinks like yerba mate and gaurana, and over the counter medications.

Quit Hitting the Hot Tub

While spending some time in the sauna might help you and your partner’s love life, it also might be impacting his fertility. Some studies have shown that spending periods in the hot tub, sauna, or other places with elevated temperatures can lower a man’s sperm count.

Give Up Drugs

While it’s obvious that any woman hoping to conceive shouldn’t be drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and using recreational drugs, it can also be important for the male in the fertility equation. Certain recreational drugs like cocaine and marijuana have been shown to negatively affect sperm count, and to make sperm less likely to make it up the woman’s vagina to her uterus.

Go Missionary

Usually, the way in which you have sex has no actual bearing on your ability to conceive. However, if you’re a borderline case with no medical or physical impairments making you infertile, switching to the man-on-top missionary position can potentially help you overcome the odds.

Get New Undies

Sure, it’s a silly Seinfeld joke, but giving up those tighty whities is a legitimate way to increase sperm count. Switching to boxers helps keep the testicles away from the body, which can lower their temperature and help boost sperm production.

Switch Out Your Lube

Did you know that your drug store bottle of KY or Astroglide, once the best friend to your sex life, could potentially be hurting your conception efforts? Most lubricants slow the sperm down inside the vagina and impair their ability to fertilize the egg, thus reducing your fertility. Consider switching to a lube that is more friendly to conception, such as Pre-Seed.

Sources:

Conditions that affect fertility. (2011) Harvard Medical School.

Caffeine in Pregnancy. (2010) March of Dimes.