When planning to have a baby, you can improve your chances of conception by paying attention to your health and lifestyle. Here are a few pointers that could help you along the way...

Cultivate a healthy Lifestyle

• Eat a varied diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, protein-rich food such as fish, poultry or pulses, and whole grains
• Avoid smoking, or cut down if you find it impossible to give up
• Limit alcohol intake
• Exercise regularly - aim for three 20-minute sessions each week. Try walking, swimming or cycling
• Get adequate rest and relaxation
• Avoid high stress levels

Find the Right Time for "Baby-making"
Ovulation is the best time for 'baby-making'. If you have a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation is most likely to occur mid-cycle, around day 14. But if your cycle length varies a great deal, it could make calculating the mid-point quite difficult.

Fortunately, there are other natural changes in a woman's body which could help you calculate your 'fertile' pre-ovulation days and increase your chances of conceiving. So if you have an irregular cycle, the following methods could work for you:

• Check your Cervical Mucus - The cells lining the cervix produce mucus - whose consistency keeps changing as your hormone levels change throughout your monthly cycle. The mucus is thick and sticky during the early part of the cycle and it blocks the cervix - making it difficult for sperm to get through. Most women are not even aware of any mucus at this time. But as ovulation approaches, the mucus thins and becomes clear, allowing easy passage of sperm through the cervix. After ovulation, the mucus thickens once again.

  So, observe your mucus for a couple of months and have intercourse when the mucus is thin.

• Check your Basal Body Temperature - A woman's basal body temperature rises slightly by around 0.2°C right after ovulation and keeps at this higher level until menstruation begins. As 'basal' means 'the temperature of the body at rest', you will need to take your temperature when you wake, before going to the bathroom, having a cup of tea or any other activity as this can cause your temperature to climb. You will have to take your temperature every morning and record it on a special chart.

  Ideally, you could have sex on the days just before your temperature begins to rise.

• Get an Ovulation Predictor Kit - This works by measuring the changing levels of hormones in your body and predicting the 'best' time for intercourse. Ovulation Predictor Kits are available online and at leading drug stores in India.

But above all, remember to have frequent sex. Most infertility experts feel that infrequent sex at the best time of the cycle is one of the most common causes of infertility.

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