4 Basics for Fertility
Take Prenatal Vitamins
It is a good idea to begin taking prenatal vitamins with folate acid (NOT folic acid because that is synthetic) even before you conceive. These vitamins help protect against birth defects such as spina bfida, and they do most of that work in the early part of pregnancy. Make sure they are a good quality, physician grade product.
Get To Know Your Cycle
Most women's bodies provide clues to their fertile period. Familiarize yourself with your body's routine. Typically, when a woman is ovulating (the prime time for conception), she will have vaginal discharge that is clear and stretchy, similar to the consistency of egg whites. This is the perfect medium for sperm to make their ideal journey, and intercourse during this time is morel ikely to lead to pregnancy.
Chart Your Basal Body Temperature
Another clue a woman's body will give around ovulation is a jump in basal body temp. You can track this by keeping a thermometer by your bed. Just after you wake in the morning, before you get out of bed or even sit up, take your temp and record the result. This works best if you try and wake up at the same time each morning. Your temperature before ovulation should range from 97.2 to around 97.7 degrees. After ovulation, however, hormonal changes cause it to spike between 0.4 and 1.0 degrees higher. It should remain elevated until your next period, or, if you become pregnant, throughout your pregnancy.
Take A Breather And Make Stress Relief A Priority
Any kind of stress can interfere with ovulation and the conception process. Find de-stressing activities that work for you, and make time for them as often as you can - as long as they are healthy, of course. Read good books, play games, take walks or relax with a glass of wine (though an abundance of alcohol is not recommended when trying to conceive, a glass one in a while is not harmful).
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