Conceiving a baby is easier said than done. While some may get lucky on their first attempt, others may have to be patient and try harder, for longer. Nevertheless, making a few compromises and healthy lifestyle choices can go a long way in boosting your chances of conception. Here are a few conception tips to help you get pregnant as fast as you can.

WHAT TO DO

Eat Healthy
A nutritious diet goes a long way in helping you conceive; the sooner you start eating healthy, the higher your chances of getting pregnant. So pack your platter with fruits, vegetables and whole grain foods – as these will nourish your body and boost your flagging energy levels. Not eating a nutritious diet can lead to irregular periods, making it difficult for you to predict your ovulation period.

Take Folic Acid
Sometimes even though you’re following a nutritious diet, you may not be getting the required quantity of nutrients. Experts believe that even when you’re eating healthy, you need the extra dose of nutrients to boost fertility. Most experts recommend taking folic acid supplement in the pregnancy planning stage itself. It not only increases your chance of conception considerably but also safeguards the developing baby against spinal and neural birth defects. Including fruits and dark-green leafy vegetables (both rich in folate) in your daily diet, can improve your iron levels significantly.

Drink Plenty Of Water
Water is the body’s temperature regulator and lubricant. Research shows that increased levels of moisture in the body helps regulate the overall body temperature and thus, the conditions for conceiving greatly improves.

Monitor Ovulation
Keep track of your ovulation pattern by maintaining a menstrual calendar. This will help you to pin down your fertile days and improve your chances of getting pregnant high.

Most often, ovulation occurs midway through your menstrual cycle, considering it’s a regular 28 day cycle. Healthy young couples have a 20 percent chance of getting pregnant! And this is quite high, considering that the ovulation period lasts only for 24 hours, and sometimes up to 48 hours.

Related Article: Know Your Ovulation Cycle

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.

Related Article: Pregnancy Symptoms Before a Missed Period

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.

Relax In Bed
Stay in bed for a while after you make love, and avoid jumping up and running to the bathroom right after you make love. Lying down (for at least 5 minutes) after you make love increases the chances of the sperm meeting the egg.

Keep Sex Fun
You could use rooms other than the bedroom or schedule your baby making rendezvous for an odd time of day – to maintain the fun and excitement. Remember, you won’t be able to keep up the baby making pace for very long if sex starts feeling like a chore.

Related Article: Best Sex Positions for Conception

Make Love As Often As You Can
Frequent lovemaking during your fertile period (the five days leading up to ovulation) most often results in pregnancy. Making love at least every 48 hours during this period, will ensure that there’s a fresh supply of sperm waiting in the fallopian tube.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Cut Down On Caffeine
if you’re trying to conceive, you may have to make a compromise on your favourite cuppa. Too many cups of coffee (more than 3 cups per day) could contribute to fertility problems. Caffeine is also believed to restrict the growth of the developing baby by constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the uterus. So cut down on the number of cups or switch to de-caf.

Don’t Smoke
The ill effects of tobacco on our health don’t need to be stressed. And, it’s no surprise that it can impair fertility too. Tobacco affects cervical mucus, which can prevent sperm from reaching the egg. Smoking may also increase the risk of miscarriage and deprive your developing baby of oxygen and nutrients. If you are finding it hard to quit smoking, you could approach your health care provider to help you quit before conception.

Don’t Use Lubricants
Sometimes, unsuccessful pregnancies and fertility problems can be an impact of sprays and lubricants, which can hinder conception.

Vaginal sprays and scented tampons (which can cause a PH imbalance in the vagina) – do not provide a friendly environment for the sperms to survive . Artificial lubricants, vegetable oils, glycerin and saliva too can kill sperm. Douching also alters the normal acidity of the vagina and may wash away the cervical mucus that is needed to transport the sperm.

Related Article: How Nature Can Help Increase Fertility

Don’t Stress
Studies have indicated that people who lead stressful lives , or have high stress  jobs have find it hard to conceive. Stress causes the body to release hormones that could slow down the fertility cycle,. So it helps to be stress-free when you are trying to conceive.