If you're trying to conceive, it can be reassuring to remember that every person's fertility journey is unique, and that no single method can guarantee a pregnancy. We know it can be disheartening and struggling to get pregnant can be an anxious, upsetting and stressful time. This can be especially difficult when you're desperately doing everything "by the book" to conceive naturally - like timing intercourse to fall within your fertile window and eating all the pregnancy foods that MumsNet tells you to eat.

In this article, we'll offer some suggestions on how best to maximise your chances of conception. We'll outline the small adjustments you can make that might help with your overall health as this often has an impact on your reproductive health too. If you've been struggling to conceive for a few months, without any success, get in touch with your GP or gynaecologist who might suggest certain tests to check your fertility. If you're a Fertifa patient, our in-house clinical team of fertility experts can offer advice, treatment, diagnostics and support.

Prioritise a healthy lifestyle

There are certain lifestyle changes and habits that can help your chances of conception. These include:

Maintaining a balanced diet

Including a variety of nutrient-rich healthy foods, such as fruits (particularly citrus fruits), vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your diet can help regulate hormones and improve your reproductive health as a whole. 

Foods rich in iron, such as green beans and lean meats, are thought to prevent irregular cycles of mensuration in women who are prone to this. Every person is different though, so what works for someone else might not work for you.

We do advise avoiding certain food groups. This includes sugar-rich food and drink, processed meat, saturated fats and caffeine can reduce sperm count and lower quality. Try to limit your caffeine intake to two cups of coffee a day.

Regular exercise is important too. Maintaining a healthy weight can promote healthy sperm production in men, help women prepare their body for pregnancy, and maintain regular menstrual cycles too.

We also suggest that people trying to conceive avoid smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and illicit drugs. Both smoking and drinking can have a big impact egg and sperm quality, so consider cutting back or stopping when trying to conceive. 

Understand your menstrual cycle

Get to know your body

Time to familiarise yourself with your body and your menstrual cycle. This is to help you identify your most fertile days. Ovulation typically occurs around the middle of the cycle, so tracking your menstrual cycle and using methods such as basal body temperature charting or ovulation predictor kits can help determine the best timing for intercourse.

Have regular and timed intercourse

This is where the fun begins! Kind of. To maximise your chances of conceiving, aim to have regular sexual intercourse throughout your cycle and every other day around the time of ovulation.

Focusing on the days leading up to and during ovulation can be particularly beneficial. Having sex during the "fertile window", which opens five days before ovulation and closes on the day of it,  will allow sperm to travel up the fallopian tubes and wait for the egg.

If you are unsure when you are ovulating, you can use an ovulation calculator to notify you when you are your most fertile. You can find ovulation calculators online, from companies such as The Bump, bBabyCenter and Tommy's. 

Take supplements and vitamins

Folic acid intake is thought to be helpful. You can find folic acid in supplements or certain foods such as kale, brocolli, bananas, spinach and oranges. Folic acid promotes ovulation, supports early embryo survival and helps prevent birth defects (such as neural tube defects) in the child. Fertility Specialist William Ledger has stated that folic acid is 'most important' when trying for a baby.

Diets rich in vitamin B can also prevent neural tube defects. Pork, poultry, peanuts, beans and bananas are all foods rich in vitamin B.

Don't be afraid to get professional help

Book in an appointment or consultation with a healthcare professional if you've been actively trying to conceive for a long time without success. They can evaluate your health, offer personalised advice, and perform any necessary tests to identify potential underlying factors that may be affecting your fertility. They may also be able to prescribe you valuable supplements, such as prenatal vitamins. This is something we can help with at Fertifa too. Get in touch via the app if you're a Fertifa patient looking for support.

Remember, trying to conceive can be emotionally draining and exhausting to go through. Try to stay positive, but don't put pressure on yourself. We always recommend communicating openly with your partner and leaning on support from friends, family, or support groups.

But the jury's out on

Adopting certain sex positions, such as laying on your back with your legs in the air after sex: Although semen can leak from the vagina following sex, the sperm cells move rapidly into the cervix, and so the leakage is just seminal fluid. Fertility Specialist Ledger has said that this is a myth, and that having sex just before the time of ovulation is a more important consideration than particular sexual positions.

Dietary supplements for the male partner is also something the jury's out on. Unless the man has specific health problems, dietary supplements will not affect his fertility.

Remember, each person's fertility journey is unique, and it's important to be kind to yourself throughout the process. If you're concerned or have specific questions, consulting with a healthcare professional, fertility specialist or Fertifa patient advisor is always a good idea. Wishing you the very best on your path to parenthood 💜