Women

There are several areas where women can improve their fertility too. Some of these are similar to the advice for men.

1. Alcohol
Alcohol should be taken in moderation, and certainly avoided during pregnancy. In the first three months abstinence is especially important as it can affect the growth of the baby as well as its intellectual development.

2. Quit smoking
Smoking can reduce your fertility, and there is also increasing evidence that there is a higher chance of your baby suffering cot death if you or your partner smokes. Smoking during pregnancy is also linked to reduced growth of your baby and an increased chance of the baby being born prematurely.

I would strongly suggest seeking support from your GP to give up smoking, ideally in advance of trying to become pregnant. Nicotine replacement therapy over a course of three months can be really effective.

3. Diet
A healthy balanced diet will help your fertility as well as your general health. In addition I suggest you speak to your nurse or GP about a list of foods you should avoid during pregnancy like liver, soft cheeses, any uncooked meats and vitamin A. Surgeries usually provide a leaflet listing the foods to steer clear of.

4. Review existing medical conditions
The pre-pregnancy counselling is an excellent time to review any pre-existing conditions to maximise your fertility and chance of a successful pregnancy. If you are diabetic, ensuring good blood glucose control before getting pregnant is important. If you have asthma then you should ensure you have this controlled as your asthma can be affected by your pregnancy.

5. Medications
There are medications you can buy over the counter, which may affect your fertility and pregnancy. You should always consult the pharmacist if you are, or are trying to become, pregnant.

6. Timing
You can maximise your chance of conceiving by targeting your ovulation time. Typically this occurs between day 11 and day 15 of your cycle, where day one is the first day of your period. This does assume that your cycles are regular. Some women's cycles vary but your GP should be able to help you calculate your most fertile period. Alternatively you can buy packs at the chemist which help you predict your ovulation by measuring your body temperature, which rises as you ovulate.

If you are planning a pregnancy I suggest checking your Rubella status with your GP and to start taking a vitamin called Folic Acid, which you can buy over the counter. This has been shown to reduce the risk of your baby developing spina bifida defects.

Seeking GP's advice

If you haven't been successful after trying for a year you may want to discuss possible causes with your doctor. Typically this involves a series of blood tests for women and a sperm count for men.

The good news - six out of seven couples are perfectly fertile so, along with the advice above, the best thing you can do to maximise your chance of a pregnancy is to enjoy sex at least three times per week!

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Content last updated: 24/08/2005

About our doctor

As a GP, Dr Natheera Indrasenan realised she was seeing more and more patients with panic attacks, phobias, anxiety, low self-esteem and depression which could have been prevented if they were taught preventative skills. As a result she became passionate about teaching people preventative strategies using Neurolinguistic programming and Coaching skills to manage stress and to be more motivated and confident in their lives.

Dr Indrasenan now trains doctors in using these techniques with their patients, for themselves (doctors often have their own stresses to cope with!) and also members of the general public.

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