At least 25% of couples in the UK planning a baby will have trouble conceiving, and more and more people are turning to fertility treatments to help them start a family. Before you panic, read our handy round up of what to eat and do to send your fertility (and your man’s…) through the roof.

Fertility Tips: What Foods Should I Eat To Help Me Get Pregnant?

Foods to Increase Fertility: A balanced diet. Contrary to popular belief, there are not many magical superfoods that will increase your fertility entirely on their own. But what will make you more fertile is sticking to a healthy, balanced diet. Eat at least 5 fruits and veggies a day, cut out unhealthy fats, salt, sugar and processed foods, drink at least 6 glasses of water a day and up your intake of healthy omega 3s found in oily fish like salmon and mackerel – but avoid fish high in mercury, such as swordfish and shark. You should also avoid eating liver and liver paté, which could be harmful to your baby if you do fall pregnant.

Foods to Increase Fertility: Ice cream! Scientists have found that eating ice cream and drinking full fat milk boosts fertility, while sticking to low fat dairy actually decreases your chances of getting pregnant! But before you tuck into an entire tub of Ben & Jerry’s, remember you’ll only reap the benefits if you keep up your normal healthy calorie intake. To read more, Click Here: Ice Cream Boosts Fertility.

Foods to Increase Fertility: Folic acid. One of the B vitamins, folic acid is vital for women’s fertility. Plus, it releases feel good chemicals in the brain, and helps prevent miscarriages and cot deaths later on. Experts advise that you take 400mg a day and continue taking it throughout pregnancy.

Foods to Increase Fertility: Iron. Not only will iron boost your fertility, but pregnant women often become anaemic due to depleted iron stores, so stock up on iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, red meat, pulses and cereals in preparation.

Foods to Increase Fertility: Zinc is vital for men’s fertility because it is found in high concentrations in the prostrate gland and semen. It helps improve sperm production, increases testosterone and is useful in treating premature ejaculation. You can get it from pulses like beans and chickpeas, nuts and seeds, and meat. The most zinc-rich foods you can eat are shellfish like mussels, prawns and oysters. The recommended daily allowance is 15mg, but huge quantities of zinc are toxic so as usual, always check with your GP first.

Fertility Information: Tips To Get Pregnant

Fertility Tips: Exercise! You should ideally have a BMI of between 20 and 25 as both underweight and overweight women experience reduced fertility. If you’re underweight, try to gain weight healthily by eating more protein rich food and good fats such as nuts and avocados rather than junk food. If you’re overweight, make the effort to eat a little less, sticking to healthier options, and start exercising regularly.
No matter what your BMI, exercise is a fabulous way to up your fertility. The absolute minimum is 30 minutes of moderate exercise – such as a brisk walk – 3 times a week. If time or energy is a problem, it’s ok to split the 30 minutes into shorter periods of exercise throughout the day.

Fertility Tips: Do it while you’re ovulating. Have sex when you’re most fertile - that’s when you’re ovulating, which is about 14 days before your period. You can work this out according to your monthly cycle if it’s regular, so for example, if your cycle lasts 28 days then you’ll ovulate around day 14. To cut out the guess work you can also use an ovulation prediction kit. It’s also best to have sex just once every two days, as this way you will ensure an optimum amount of sperm in the semen.

Boost Your Fertility: What Could Be Stopping Me Getting Pregnant?

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Caffeine. Too much caffeine decreases your chances of getting pregnant. Food Standards Guidelines suggest you should aim for less than 300 mg a day, which is the equivalent of 6 cups of tea or 3 cups of coffee – but remember, you also get caffeine in hot chocolate, cola, chocolate and more. If you feel addicted, wean yourself off it slowly by switching to caffeine free options.

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Smoking. Even second hand smoking slashes fertility for both women and men (it lowers sperm count dramatically) – and of course, continuing smoking once you do fall pregnant puts your baby at terrible risk. Speak to your GP about safe ways to give up. To read more about how smoking affects your baby, Click Here: Smoking Damages Fertility

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Alcohol. Not only will alcohol reduce your chances of getting pregnant, it could also be very dangerous for your baby if you do fall pregnant and are not yet aware of it – that’s why experts warn women trying for a baby not to exceed 4 units a week. To read more on how alcohol can affect a developing foetus, Click Here: Alcohol Decreases Fertility

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Prescription medication. Without realising it, your prescription drugs could be reducing your fertility. Discuss any medication you are taking with your GP, as many medications can affect your fertility or prove harmful to your baby.

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Recreational drugs. Drugs negatively affect fertility in a number of ways – for example, cocaine reduces sperm count and marijuana affects eggs and ovulation and can lead to lazy sperm. And of course, if you do get pregnant without realising it, there are considerable health risks on your baby.

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Stress. Easier said than done, but stress causes a range of physical health risks (read more), including infertility. It can even stop a woman’s menstrual cycle completely. Reduce your stress levels by talking things through and taking time to relax and have fun. Many people find it helps to practice relaxation techniques such as breathing, meditation or yoga – whatever works for you.

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Lubricants. Read the small print, as many lubricants contain spermicide, which obviously can harm sperm and slow down conception. In order for conception to occur, sperm must be able to penetrate into cervical mucus and proceed to the Fallopian tubes in adequate numbers. There is some evidence to suggest that lubricants such as KY can decrease the numbers of sperm penetrating the cervix and fertilizing the egg.

Avoid This to Improve Your Fertility: Hot baths and tight, restrictive underpants. If you’re a man, that is. These are two common culprits for lowered sperm count. Read more, Click Here.

Fertility Boosters: Tips to Increase Your Fertility

Many people claim these natural fertility boosting alternative options increase fertility, and they could just help you too:

Boost Your Fertility: Acupuncture. The ancient Oriental therapy that aims to improve the overall wellbeing of the patient, with many people claiming it has helped them reduce stress and cure back pain. Now, a recent scientific study has found that acupuncture can aid in the conception process. To read more, Click Here: Acupuncture Improves Fertility

Boost Your Fertility: Aromatherapy. Sage and rose oils are said to be aphrodisiacs and aid fertility.

Boost Your Fertility: Herbs. Many traditional beliefs about the properties of plants are still accepted today, and without the side effects of some synthetic drugs. For example, chasteberry is supposed to increase female fertility.

Boost Your Fertility: The missionary position. It’s not just an old wives’ tale; certain sexual positions really do improve your chances of conception. The best positions are ones which give the sperm a fighting chance – winners include the missionary position, especially with a pillow under your hips to help gravity do the job, side to side and doggy style, but unfortunately it’s best to avoid standing up and woman on top positions.

Boost Your Fertility: Ayurvedic medicine. It’s an ancient tradition that aims for a holistic approach to health issues, and many claim it’s helped them relieve stress and get pregnant. To read more, Click Here.

Are you trying to get pregnant? Or is someone you know worried about their fertility? Share your thoughts, views and experiences on fertility with other users using the Comment on this Article box below. Plus, to keep up to date with all the latest fertility health news and lots more health tips on diet, healthy eating and more, sign-up for the monthly KeeptheDoctorAway Newsletter below.