About 15% of couples have some issues with fertility, which makes conception and parenthood challenging. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible, far from it. Those of you who wish to become parents and have been trying to conceive for a while unsuccessfully should come for preconception counseling at University Park OB/GYN, Florida. These preconception counseling sessions can provide you with tailored instructions on what to do and what habits to change in order to better your pregnancy chances. That said, it should be clear that everything you do (and don’t do) can affect fertility. Keep reading to get familiar with plenty of proven tips for getting pregnant.
10 Tips to Get Pregnant – and Healthy
If you want to learn how to get pregnant fast, your diet is one of the biggest changes you’ll have to make. While dietary change can help to conceive, don’t forget that stressing too much about everything, especially conception, can only make the road to parenthood more difficult.
- Consume Antioxidant-Rich Food
Fruits, veggies, nuts, and grains contain beneficial amounts of antioxidants such as lutein, beta carotene, folate, zinc, vitamins C and E, etc., that can help conceive. Antioxidants can fight off free radicals that can otherwise damage the egg cells and sperm.
- Eat Healthy Fats
There’s some confusion about what kind of fat needs to be consumed for health benefits. When you’re trying to conceive, it would be best to enrich your meals with foods such as avocados, nuts, fish, eggs, and dark chocolate. These foods contain healthy fats that improve one’s health and fertility. Also, if you can eat dairy, always opt for high-fat options rather than low-fat ones.
On the other hand, avoid foods containing trans fats, namely fried and processed foods, baked goods, and junk food in general. They can mess up insulin sensitivity, thus affecting fertility poorly as well.
- Be Careful with Carbs
In general, only 45% of daily calorie intake should come from carbs. This is especially true for women suffering from PCOS trying to conceive. However, it’s not just the amount of carbs that can make a difference, but the type of carbs as well.
Refined carbs can raise insulin levels in the blood, consequently lowering the production of reproductive hormones. That said, it would be best to avoid the so-called refined carbs as much as possible. These include white rice, bread, pasta, and sugary drinks and foods.
- Introduce More Fiber
Among the diet-related tips to get pregnant, eating more fiber is definitely the most recommended one. Basically, more fiber can expel excess hormones like estrogen and maintain regular blood sugar levels, which boost pregnancy chances.
The best sources of fiber can be found in foods like fruits and veggies, whole grain oats, and beans. The recommended daily fiber intake for women is 25 grams and 31 grams for men.
- Diversify Protein Intake
Protein is absolutely essential for one’s health and proper functioning. However, it’s important to note that protein can be found in many vegetables and doesn’t have to be only sourced from animals.
Of course, you can still eat meat, but switching things up a bit and choosing vegetable-sourced proteins such as nuts, beans, lentils, and seeds more often can actually help to conceive by minimizing ovulatory infertility.
- Reduce Caffeine Consumption
While it’s not quite clear what’s the exact link between caffeine and pregnancy, it’s been reported that some women who consumed a lot of caffeine every day took longer to get pregnant. Now, limiting your favorite coffee beverage to one cup a day may not be the ideal way in terms of how to get pregnant fast for you, but it might be worth it.
- Cut Down Alcohol
Similar to caffeine, it’s been reported that some women took longer to conceive while drinking alcohol regularly. In general, high alcohol intake is definitely a bad choice for future parenthood, but there’s no definite proof that moderate consumption could affect fertility.
- Take the Right Supplements
Taking multivitamins regularly, especially those containing folate, is often among the go-to tips for getting pregnant. However, it’s crucial to check the right supplement and dosage with your doctor.
There are also different options when it comes to natural supplements. For instance, maca is said to improve fertility and sperm quality. Bee pollen is thought to better overall immunity and fertility, while bee propolis can improve one’s chances of getting pregnant while suffering from endometriosis. Also, royal jelly is packed with vitamins and nutrients and seems to have the ability to improve reproductive health. Of course, more research is still necessary to claim that taking these natural supplements can become one of the proven tips for getting pregnant.
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
If you want to learn how to get pregnant fast, you have to focus on your weight. Being either overweight or underweight can cause problems with fertility. The amount of body fat is connected to the overall menstrual function. For instance, obesity can slow down the menstrual process and ovulation. It can also lead to impaired egg development.
Regardless of whether you have to lose or gain weight, you should seek professional help to ensure the best results. Maintaining an optimal weight for your body type is one proven tip to getting pregnant rather fast and having a healthy pregnancy.
- Stop Stressing About It
It’s only natural that you wish to see results and become a parent as soon as possible, but stressing about it will not help. When we feel stressed, our bodies also undergo hormonal changes. And as the levels of stress hormone rise, the chances of conception drop.
This doesn’t only go for stress related to pregnancy, but stress in your daily life as well. Make sure to take some time for yourself whenever you need it. But if you find that you can’t seem to cope with anxiety and worry, or fear that you might be even getting depressed, make sure to visit a professional and talk things out to clear your mind.
Nothing can beat proper nutrition to better your chances of getting pregnant, not to mention getting healthier overall. Changing your lifestyle and kicking some bad habits such as eating junk food and drinking too much alcohol can definitely help prepare your body for pregnancy. As mentioned, there’s no need to let the stress consume you as it will only make things harder. You can learn a lot about the best pregnancy-friendly practices that are specifically true for you when you attend preconception counseling. We invite you to contact us at University Park OB/GYN if you hope to get pregnant soon. Of course, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about your reproductive health.
