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8 Ways to Boost Your Fertility
If you're like most couples who are trying to conceive, you want to get pregnant sooner rather than later.
Having intercourse as close as possible to ovulation can definitely help. But fertility experts say there are other ways men and women can boost their fertility. These simple measures can increase the chances that next month will be the month you'll squeal: "We're pregnant!"
Read on for the best suggestions culled from fertility specialists who often recommend these measures before turning to assisted reproduction.
Fabulous Folate
1. Her Fertility Booster: Weight Control
Being underweight or overweight can delay the time it takes a woman to conceive, research suggests.
Preconception weight is often an overlooked factor in fertility, says William Gibbons, MD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and president-elect of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. But research suggests keeping a healthy weight can help with conception. "I am not sure women think about it as an issue for their fertility," he says.
In one study, researchers evaluated the body mass index (BMI) of 2,112 pregnant women. A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered normal weight, 25-29.9 is overweight, and 30 or higher is obese.
Women in the study who had a pre-pregnancy BMI of 25-39 had a twofold increase in the time it took to get pregnant. A lower BMI is even worse, the researchers found. Having a BMI below 19 increased the time to conception fourfold. The study was published in Fertility and Sterility in 2004.
Gibbons tells women to stay at a healthy weight when trying to conceive.
2. His Fertility Booster: Protect Those Sperm
Over the years, researchers have investigated whether everyday exposures -- to such things as tight underwear, heated car seats, laptop computers, or cell phones -- may impair male fertility.
The idea that changing to looser underwear -- boxers instead of briefs -- will boost fertility by keeping genital temperatures down is now somewhat of an old wives' tale, says Dale McClure, MD, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. He is also a clinical professor of urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
Although earlier studies seemed to point to boxers as the better choice for preserving fertility, McClure says, ''some of the more scientific data in the past few years didn't show a major difference.''
What about exposing the testicles to other sources of heat? The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says controlling temperature doesn't play much of role in boosting fertility. But some doctors, including McClure, do recommend staying away from certain sources of heat. Sitting in a hot tub day after day, even if a man has no known fertility problems, should be avoided, McClure says.
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