If you are thinking of starting a family, these are a few tips to help you boost your fertility and conceive with more ease. Before you begin trying, you and your partner should consider having a general check-up, general blood tests including fasting glucose and a sexual health screen to make sure all is well before starting a family.  Here are a few lifestyle tips to help you improve your chances – some are more fun than others:

1. Healthy weight – it is important to try to be a healthy weight. Being under or overweight has been found to delay conception.

2. Reduce alcohol and coffee – some research suggests that women who drink two alcoholic beverages a day reduce their fertility by 60%. That’s very significant. Moderate caffeine intake is fine but minimising both of these kinds of drinks will help.

3. If you smoke, stop it! Dr Ali Shakir at our Harley Street branch can help with hypnotherapy or see your GP for other ways to quit.

4. Get busy at the right time – there is a “fertility window”, six days that end at the first day of ovulation. Get busy…

5. Have LOTS of sex – it is a myth that “saving up” sperm helps to improve conception. After a week, although sperm count goes up a little, motility decreases. Daily intercourse produces the highest pregnancy rate but having sex every other day is almost as good and less stressful.

6. Choose lubes carefully – avoid most manufactured lubricants and stick to natural lubes such as canola and peanut oils. Or just take your time and increase foreplay… Water-based manufactured lubricants, including those without spermicide, can reduce sperm motility by 60 – 100%!