Want to become pregnant? This week, Dr Larisa corda, a consultant gynaecologist and Ask The Gynaecologist series weekly contributor, shares 12 tips to improve fertility.

Everyone is looking for the magic formula when it comes to trying to conceive a child. In reality, there’s no one solution that works for everyone. In order to improve fertility, it is important to consider several factors. These factors should work together in order to make both you and your partner as healthy as possible. This will include working on your body and relationship with yourself and your partner, as well as, most importantly, your mind.

Tip #1: Choose organic products

If you eat organically, and in season, then the produce will be less likely to contain hormones, pesticides and chemicals.

It’s important to be strict with what you put inside yourself, as this can literally influence what you conceive. All of these can have harmful and serious effects on your body, but, as epigenetic studies show, they can also be harmful to your baby’s development and health in later life.

The best way to eat is in its natural and most nutritious state. This means choosing organic food and not overprocessing it. It also means eating seasonal, colourful fruits and vegetables.

Tip #2: Quit smoking, and reduce alcohol consumption

You must stop smoking if you are planning to have a child. This includes e-cigarettes (though the evidence is still not conclusive). Smoking can damage the lining in the womb and the eggs and sperm. This can have a negative impact on your child’s health, as well as cause complications during pregnancy.

It is best to avoid alcohol altogether or at least limit it to a minimum. However, a few glasses of wine are unlikely to harm you and can help relieve stress.

The liver is responsible for the majority of toxins in the body. The liver can be overloaded with alcohol and cigarette toxins. This means that it cannot do its other main job, which is to remove any hormones or substances in your body.

A liver that is incapable of detoxing may also cause an excess of oestrogen and lower levels of progesterone in the body, which are not conducive to a healthy pregnancy.

Tip #3: Get a handle on your stress

It is vital to your fertility that you reduce stress and avoid caffeine, which is a stress-activator. Ironically, inability to conceive is one of the most stressful things a person can face.

There is no direct link between stress and reduced fertility, but there are many factors that can affect this. A lot of research has shown that too much stress triggers the sympathetic response or the fight or flight response. This leads to elevated levels of cortisol as well as a constant state of alertness.

It can also lead to a decrease in libido, sleep problems, and high blood pressure. People may resort to unhealthy lifestyles to cope with this, like smoking, drinking alcohol or eating too much sweet food.

When your body is under stress, it will not want to be pregnant because it is more concerned with protecting you than creating a new life.

All of these things can help. Acupuncture and reflexology are also beneficial.

Tip #4: Make your bedroom into a sanctuary to enjoy a peaceful sleep

It is essential to get enough sleep to maintain your mental, physical and emotional health. All of these factors affect your fertility.

It is important to ensure that the room you sleep in is dark and free of clutter. You should also avoid using electrical devices like TVs or mobile phones prior to bedtime.

Use beautiful candles, preferably with lavender scent, in the bedroom. You can also add a hand cream and a pillow spray made from natural ingredients.

Sleep is important for fertility, as it helps you to stay lean, trim and helps combat stress.

Check your gut health

In the context of immunity, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the microbiome in our bodies is important to our health, fertility and overall wellbeing, and also influences the immunity and health of our babies.

Consider taking a supplement, and eating more fermented food, such as sauerkraut. It is especially good in the winter. Many people refer to your gut as a second brain because many of the same substances that are made in the brain can also be found in the gut. This includes serotonin. This is essential for our sense of well-being, and so it’s important to look after the microbiome.

Click here for our doctor’s guide on how to improve your gut health if you suffer from IBS or gut problems.

Tip #6: Choose natural contraception

You should be aware that long-term contraceptives, especially the oral contraceptive pills, can cause deficiency in vitamins and minerals your body needs for optimal fertility. This is an even greater reason to eat healthily and take multivitamin supplements.

The oral contraceptive can also cause hormonal imbalances that take time to correct and return to optimum levels.

You can also discuss natural methods of contraception with your doctor.

Exercise is a must!

Regular exercise will improve circulation in your reproductive organs, and help maintain a healthy mind and body. While exercise can reduce stress, too much activity or being overly vigorous can have the opposite effect and increase stress levels.

You will also be able to maintain a healthy weight, which is important for fertility. This will reduce the chances of miscarriage. This is the time to prepare your body for pregnancy by creating and toning it.

Exercise also allows you to spend more time outdoors, soaking in Vitamin D. This will improve the fertility of both men and woman. Exercise also increases levels of serotonin, which can help to stave off depression. It also suppresses appetite and allows us to make better food choices.

Choose an activity that you enjoy, whether it’s jogging, walking, swimming or working out at the gym.

Tip #8: Have more sex

You need to have sex frequently and during your entire cycle. The fertile window can be important for optimising the chances of fertilization and the egg being exposed to the male sperm. But people can get too stressed out and focussed on this period and sex becomes a military operation instead of a pleasure.

The sperm will still be available for fertilisation of the egg if you have sex at least three times per week. Sperm can live in the reproductive tract up to a few days. Recent studies suggest that conventional advice to abstain for a few day intervals is overly cautious and that sperm may improve with more frequent sex.

Be spontaneous and enjoy your sex. Orgasm can help with fertilisation, and sex before ovulation has been shown to boost immunity which makes it more likely that a pregnancy will occur.

Tip #9 Take a multivitamin

Multivitamins are a great way to boost your health and fertility. But they cannot replace a healthy diet.

Men can benefit from a supplement that is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C, zinc, selenium and garlic.

Women should choose a supplement that contains the necessary doses of folate, vitamin D, iodine, and other minerals and vitamins for conception and healthy pregnancy.

A clinical trial of 58 women revealed that those women who took prenatal multivitamins had a greater chance of getting pregnant.

The results of this randomised controlled clinical trial published in the Reproductive BioMedicine Online show that women having fertility treatment have significantly higher pregnancy rates when taking a specific conception multivitamin formula, Pregnacare-Conception Vitabiotics, compared with those taking folic acid alone.

Women taking multivitamin supplements were able to conceive in significantly less time.

Nearly 70 percent (66.6%) of women who took multivitamins became pregnant, compared to almost 40 percent (39.2%) of women who took folic acid.

The continuing pregnancy rate (confirmation that a pregnancy is viable with a heartbeat detected on ultrasound after 12 weeks) was 60% in the women taking the prenatal multivitamins supplement, compared to 25% in the group receiving folic acids.

Trials also revealed that women who took the multivitamin supplement were able to conceive in significantly less time than women only taking folic acid. (Try Vitabiotics Pregnacare-conception)

Omega 3 fats can be beneficial for men and women, as they affect the brain development and IQ of babies. If you are not eating oily fish twice a week then try supplements.

Check out the NHS Guidelines on fish and shellfish during pregnancy. Some oily fish aren’t as healthy as others due to their high mercury levels.

Tip #10 Be on the lookout for environmental contaminants

Take note of the harmful elements that can affect our environment. These include the water you drink, the cleaning products we use, the cosmetics we apply to our skin and the plastic we cover our food with.

The combined surface area of the organs can absorb toxins through the skin or gut, or even inhale them. Whatever is absorbed will end up in the bloodstream and harm the hormones that regulate fertility as well as eggs and sperm.

Every day, the average woman inhales over 120 toxins. This can be from anything she uses to clean herself or the air that she breathes. We cannot avoid the pollution we are exposed to outside. But we can address it in our homes and with what we use on our bodies.

Make small changes that will reduce the amount of chemicals you expose your body to. This includes cleaning products, plastics, and pollution. This will lower your toxic load, which is the total amount of harmful toxins that you are exposed to.

Use products as they are in their natural state. Just like food, this will have a positive impact on your health and that of your baby.

Recent studies have shown that toxins that affect sperm DNA are passed to the offspring. This effect has been linked with obesity and other health problems in children.

Tip #11 Get rid of the negative people in your life

It is said that the five people with whom we spend the majority of our time will become us. So choose people who are nourishing and joyful, who care about you, and who take the time to get to know you.

Toxic friendships are just as harmful as toxic environments. Toxic relationships are equally harmful.

Tip #12: Start a daily ritual

Invest in rituals and daily habits that will bring you comfort and joy. Enjoy a warm drink or mug of tea before going to bed or while reading a good book.

Matcha tea contains an amino acid called L’theanine which can reduce anxiety and stress.

Make bathing a nightly ritual. Add Epsom salts and natural oils to your bath water.

Be aware that hard water can affect a variety of health conditions including cardiovascular and reproductive health. To help prevent limescale and other problems, it is wise to invest in a water softener.