Planning on TTC in 2019? Follow these 5 Tips
Planning to start a family is an exciting time for many couples. But before starting on the path to parenthood, there are a few things a couple can do to improve their chances of success when trying to conceive – and that can help improve the outcomes for mom and baby when they achieve their goal. In their latest blog post, the fertility experts of IVF FLORIDA in South Florida suggest five tips to couples planning to conceive in 2019 to increase their chances of success.
1. Ditch Your Vices
Whether its cigarettes or alcohol, if you’re trying to conceive, it would be best to quit now. Heavy alcohol consumption has been tied to reduced fertility in women and men. Additionally, smoking has been shown to decrease a woman’s egg count and quality, as well as negatively impacting sperm quality in men. For women in particular, quitting smoking and giving up alcohol are important if they are planning to conceive – not only because it decreases a woman’s chances of conceiving, but can impact the health of her baby when she does get pregnant. If you are planning on trying to conceive this year, make sure to quit smoking and abstain from alcohol.
2. Get to a Healthy Weight
Being over or underweight is one of the most common causes of infertility in women. For women who are underweight, menstruation can become irregular or cease altogether. Women who are overweight may also experience irregular menstrual cycles, but even those that have normal menstrual cycles have been shown to have lower fertility rates than those who are a healthy weight.
For men, being overweight has also been linked to lower sperm counts, making it more difficult for them to impregnate their partner. So if you’re TTC this year, make sure you and your partner make strides to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
3. Get the Right Vitamins
Most women know about the need to take certain supplements once they are pregnant, but there are particular one’s they should start taking once they start trying to conceive. According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, women should begin taking folic acid once they start trying to conceive and throughout the course of their pregnancy to help prevent birth defects of the fetal brain and spine. Taking vitamins such a Vitamin C, D, and B-12 can also help improve outcomes for mom and baby.
4. Reassess Your Diet
While maintaining a healthy diet won’t guarantee that you’ll be able to successfully conceive, certain tweaks to your diets can help your chances. For example, women who consume full-fat dairy have been shown to have a lower incidence of ovulatory infertility than those who consume low-fat dairy. If you need to learn more about which dietary changes can help set you up for TTC success, speak to your doctor.
5. Get Checked Out
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine suggests that couples where the women is under 35 should seek fertility help after a year of trying to conceive without success, while women over 35 should seek fertility help after six months. But for women who are 40 or older should speak to a fertility specialist as soon as they decide they’d like to conceive. If you’ve been trying to conceive without success, contact the fertility specialists at IVF FLORIDA today to schedule a consultation.
There are a variety of things to you can do to help increase your chances of success when you’re trying to conceive, from making lifestyle changes to speaking with a specialists. If you want to learn more about what you can do to increase your chances of TTC success, contact us at 866.770.2681.
