Around one in seven couples will struggle to conceive. This figure continues to rise when women turn 35. It can be heartbreaking when you keep desperately trying but you don’t fall pregnant. You might feel sad, anxious or even resentful. It’s a shock because when your younger you just assume it happens when you’re ready. I was fortunate to get pregnant very quickly but have seen first-hand the battles my friends have experienced on their journeys to conceive. If you are struggling to conceive the ten things below might give you a helping hand.

Fertility Supplements

An easy way to give your fertility a boost is using fertility supplements. Supplements can help with the egg quality and maturity and regular ovulation in women and sperm quality and motility in men. The two most common causes of infertility are lack of regular ovulation and poor quality semen, so it seems like fertility supplements can make a difference. Zita West offer a couples pack so you can ensure both of you are getting the supplements you need to improve your chances.

Quit Smoking

If you smoke, you reduce your chances of getting pregnant each month by a half. Passive smoking is thought to impact fertility too, so ideally everyone in your house should stop smoking too. Men who smoke will have a lower sperm count and inferior sperm quality. It is advised that you don’t start trying to get pregnant until you have stopped smoking for four months.

Healthy Weight

It can take twice as long to get pregnant if you are overweight. In women a healthy weight can improve issues with hormone balance, ovulation and menstruation. Men who are overweight have reduced sperm quality and count so its advisable that both the man and the women eat healthily and watch their weight. Equally you don’t want to be underweight (BMI under 18.5) which can also affect ovulation.

Stress

There have been studies that found that women with signs of stress (saliva had high levels of alpha-amylase) took 29% longer to get pregnant than those who didn’t. It is suggested that those trying to conceive try mindfulness activities, yoga and meditation. Yoga can be continued into pregnancy to keep mum’s to be calm.

Alcohol

A study has found that drinking as little as between one and five drinks a week can reduce the chances of conceiving.

Keep Cool

The man should keep his testicles cool by avoiding wearing tight underwear. Men will have better sperm quality if they avoid increasing the temperature of this area, so loose fitting boxers are the preferred option whilst trying to conceive.

Medicine Use

Some medicine you will need to control your medical conditions, so don’t feel guilty about taking those. However if you take any natural remedies it might be worth checking to see how they will impact your fertility or seeing if your doctor could change the medicine you need to take for ones that are more fertility friendly.

Visit Your Doctor

If after a year you are still struggling to conceive its worth visiting your doctor to explore physical reasons nothing is happening. You might need surgery to repair your fallopian tubes or remove scars in your womb.