Reproductive Strategies
There are reproductive strategies that couples try in order to increase their chances of becoming pregnant.
Reproductive Strategies Include:
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
If you do not already eat healthy and exercise, start doing so. Replace junk foods, alcohol, caffeine and recreational drugs with foods that have high nutrients and are baby friendly. The best exercise is walking for 30 minutes, 5 times a week. Cease any smoking habits as it decreases fertility as well as oestrogen levels and ovulation.
Have regular sexual intercourse
Having sex on a regular basis increases chances of conceiving a baby.
Become familiar with your menstrual cycle
Women with regular 28-day cycles are able to predict their ovulation date by counting 14 days from the day their period should begin. Women with irregular cycles require ovulation kits to predict their most fertile period.
Have sexual intercourse before you ovulate
According to Clarice Weinberg, Ph.D., pregnancy rates peak a few days before a woman ovulates. Therefore it is suggested to have sexual intercourse on the day that you feel a hormonal surge as well as the following two days.
Your partner’s lifestyle affects your fertility and chances of providing sufficient sperm to fertilise your egg(s). Your partner should adopt a healthy lifestyle, such as eating proper foods, exercising and refrain from smoking, drinking excessively, and doing recreational drugs in order to have better quality sperm.
Correct your menstrual cycle
For women with irregular, unpredictable cycles, there are medications for correcting your cycle in order for you to predict when you may ovulate. After 10 days of taking this medication a blood test is taken and after 12 days, an ultrasound is conducted to see how many follicles have developed. If you develop a dominant follicle, there is a high chance that you may fall pregnant.
Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) blood test
This test can give insight into your egg reserve, to see how many fertile years you have left, however the test cannot give an indication on the quality of the eggs. This test can you help you decide whether you are eligible for artificial reproductive technology (ART).