Reproductive health is something that many women seek to become experts in when it comes to trying to conceive a baby.
When you’re trying for a baby, it can seem like every month’s menstrual cycle and ovulation cycle is a roller coaster of emotion.
A woman’s fertile window is relatively small, and maximizing the chances of getting pregnant can be stressful and overwhelming.
In this article, we’ll talk about what you can do to help you get pregnant faster by improving your reproductive health.
We’ll also talk about issues of ovulatory infertility, what can be done about it, and how to increase ovulation naturally to improve your chances of getting pregnant.
How ovulation works
Once puberty begins for females, they start ovulating.
You are born with all of the eggs you will ever have, and it’s your job to do your best to stay healthy so that your eggs stay healthy in the hopes that one day, you will succeed in conceiving a baby.
For some women, their fertility issues are of no fault of their own.
For other women, simple steps can be taken after careful and thorough discussion with a doctor to put forth a plan to get healthier so that conception can occur.
However, the first step in all this is understanding fertility and ovulation.
Not all women are on a 28-day cycle
It’s a myth that all women follow a 28-day menstrual cycle, meaning they will ovulate around day 14.
If you are on a 28-day cycle, your fertile window will fall around days 11 through 14.
Sperm can live in the vaginal tract for up to five days after ejaculation, so there are other days in which unprotected sex can eventually lead to pregnancy, but tracking ovulation is the best plan for pinpointing the best time of the month.
Other women are not on this “standard” cycle, however. Some are on a 24-day cycle, while others can have a cycle as long as 35 days.
Because women are not all the same, it’s best to start tracking ovulation as soon as you think you may want to start trying to get pregnant.
You can get ovulation predictor kits, as well as ovulation tests over the counter at most stores, as well as online.
These test the levels of luteinizing hormone in your urine, indicating when you are ovulating.
You can also start taking your basal body temperature, which can detect ovulation and help you to track it.
How to increase ovulation naturally
When you decide to start trying for a baby, it can seem like nothing you are doing is working. You can time everything just right and track your ovulation, and still, months after starting to try in earnest; you’re still not pregnant.
You may wonder if your reproductive system is in working order or if you have healthy ovulation.
Some women even start to look into costly and time-consuming infertility treatment as an option.
While infertility treatments are an excellent solution for those who need them, most doctors advise that women try to help themselves to ovulate naturally by changing their lifestyle and taking prenatal vitamins with folic acid daily.
How to help your body ovulate
There are many ways to boost fertility by improving your health. It takes some time and determination, but with a few lifestyle changes, you can start to see improved fertility, an increase in energy, and a decrease in stress levels.
You can make the following lifestyle changes to help boost fertility.
1. Maintain a healthy weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is a great way to start on the road to increasing ovulation naturally.
Being drastically underweight or overweight can interfere with your menstrual cycle and result in light periods or no periods.
It can also interfere with the production of cervical mucus that helps the sperm to travel through the vagina to fertilize the egg that your body releases during ovulation.
Your body mass index should be in the healthy weight range, if possible. For some women, this means gaining weight; for others, it means losing weight.
Cardio exercises are a great way to get your blood pumping and keep your blood sugar and weight down.
Eating more healthy fats, frequent small meals, and not skipping meals are great ways to gain weight healthily.
Talk to your doctor about your body mass index and changes you can make to your diet or lifestyle to get on track to a healthy weight, increase your fertility, and have better cervical mucus and healthier periods.
Conversely, avoid becoming so obsessed with fitness that you get too much exercise. Profusely sweating can drain you of energy, as well as dehydrate you.
2. Engage in healthy eating and adopt a fertility diet
The foods that you eat can greatly affect the way your reproductive health works. Eating healthy foods is only part of the job, but it’s a great start.
Eating lots of foods that contain Omega-3 fatty acids, as well as folic acid, plant protein instead of animal protein, and fiber, can all give you beneficial results when it comes to ovulation.
Reducing or stopping alcohol consumption is also a great way to keep a healthy diet. Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated are incredibly important as well.
Trans fats are a big no-no to having a healthy diet, and eating small but frequent meals will help boost your metabolism so you don’t gain too much weight.
3. Don’t smoke
Smoking isn’t good for you to begin with, but it isn’t going to help you get pregnant. Also, smoking while pregnant increases your risk of congenital disabilities and miscarriage.
If you smoke cigarettes or use other tobacco products, talk to your doctor before starting to try in earnest to get pregnant about how to quit.
Many women can quit smoking successfully with the support of family, friends, support groups, and doctors.
4. Start taking prenatal vitamins
A prenatal vitamin that contains folic acid can help you to get pregnant and stay pregnant.
Prenatal vitamins also contain a lot of Vitamin D, which helps increase the production of sex cells for both women and men.
Nearly half of all women with an ovulatory disorder, infertility, or dysfunction have a Vitamin D deficiency.
You can also get more Vitamin D into your diet by consuming foods and drinks that have more of this substance, such as whole milk and other full-fat dairy products.
5. Decrease stress levels
Ovulation occurs for most women on the same days each month.
However, when you have an increase in stress, it can throw off your cycle, meaning that stress can negatively affect how well you can ovulate.
Combat stress by engaging in activities that are peaceful for you.
Get enough sleep and exercise, engage in physical activity that makes you feel good rather than feeling drained, and eat lots of leafy greens, whole grains, and vegetable protein to stay on top of your health.
Stress can lead to high blood pressure as well as irregular periods. Irregular periods mean irregular ovulation. All of this amounts to a hit on your overall health.
6. Have sex regularly
Remember that sex is supposed to be enjoyable.
Often, when you’re so focused on getting pregnant, it can mean that having sex with your partner becomes a chore, which can be stressful rather than something you enjoy doing.
Have intercourse regularly without birth control to increase your chances of conception, but do it under no pressure.
Enjoying yourself will help you to relax, which will help you to avoid issues that can lead to ovulatory infertility issues.
7. See a specialist
An obstetrician/gynecologist can help you pinpoint what needs to occur to have a better chance of getting pregnant.
Perhaps you must get healthier, ditch the cigarettes, or eat more full-fat yogurt and less processed foods.
Your healthcare provider is there to help you, and you need to put your trust in their hands and be open and honest about your concerns.
They can test your fertility, suggest fertility treatments if warranted, and even set up your partner to check his sperm quality and sperm count.
When your doctor is running tests for fertility, they will most likely check your follicle-stimulating hormone levels (FSH). A hormonal imbalance can throw off the production of the follicle-stimulating hormone, which is responsible for releasing an egg each month.
Fertility issues
Sometimes, you can maintain a healthy weight, have a pro-fertility diet in place, get plenty of sleep and physical activity each day, and do everything you can do on your own to enhance ovulation, and you still need more help.
Ovulatory infertility and ovulation issues are more common than many people realize.
Excess hormones, hormonal imbalances, increased or decreased estrogen levels, and more can all play a hand in how ovulation occurs for you, and you may not be able to do anything about it on your own.
Reproductive medicine
There are many resources and experts whose sole purpose is to help women and couples trying to conceive.
From issues with the fallopian tube, such as fallopian tube blockage, to hormone therapy, IVF, irregular ovulation, and more, help does exist.
Never be ashamed or afraid to ask for help. Struggling alone can lead to poor mental and emotional health; everyone deserves happiness and good mental health.
Increasing ovulation naturally
It can be a lot of work when you’re trying to get pregnant. From tracking and pinpointing your fertile window each month to ensuring you’re taking vitamins and eating good foods like fatty acids and plant foods, your health is important and worth maintaining in the journey of getting pregnant.
Before pregnancy, focus on your health. It’s the easiest way to reduce stress, increase your life expectancy, and achieve pregnancy.
Once you get pregnant, the focus will be on the baby’s health.