I prefer to see the couple months sometimes even a year before they start trying to have a baby. The ultimate goal is to boost their fertility on all levels. There are many pieces to the puzzle of fertility. Getting an egg and a sperm to connect at the right moment is not as easy as it appears.
There is only a 25% chance (or less) that this will happen each month. Many things have to be in alignment to ensure things happen in the right order. Now, we all know that one person, let’s call her Myrtle, who seems to have perfected the pregnancy thing…”I just look at my partner and I get pregnant”. That is annoying to hear, I know. Myrtle has a biological head start which I will discuss below but you can certainly catch up to her and level the field.
There are a combination of issues that together can reduce a couple’s chances of conceiving. The obvious ones are:
- Age
- Diet and lifestyle
- Weight
- Stress
- Chronic illness
- Having sex at the right time
However, for my practice the factors at play that I look more into are the ones that many doctors tend to overlook or not give too much weight. For my patients these questions make all the difference and is the foundation of boosting fertility:
- Are the eggs and sperm good quality — Most important stage of all
- Is the sperm able to fertilise the egg?
- Are hormones happily balanced?
- Is Sperm count optimal?
- Is uterine lining good?
- Are you able to get pregnant but not stay pregnant?
- Is Ovulation occurring? WHEN? and do you observe fertile cervical fluid? — This is where Myrtle could have her head start.
In the end not only will you improve your health and increase your chances of having a baby but you have just ensured the HEALTH of your baby is maximised. This is the reason I recommend starting care 6-12 months before you want to get pregnant. Preconception care can make all the difference whether or not you are struggling to get pregnant or carrying baby to term. Sometimes all it takes is a small change to get all the pieces aligned.
How about you? What is your story? Did you have a difficult time getting pregnant? Are your struggling to conceive? What has made all the difference for you?
