Increase your chances of getting pregnant

New Delhi: Around 15-20% of our young reproductive age couples in the contemporary times are infertile due to several reasons. The incidence is in the rise, with the most common factors being PCOS, endometriosis and male infertility. 40% of the time, the root cause of infertility is male infertility.

Late marriages, unhealthy eating and sleeping habits, junk food and erratic lifestyles are adding to this burden making pregnancy difficult in such a scenario. Mostly considered as an urban issue, infertility is no longer an urban phenomenon and has instead widened its reach in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities too.

According to a recent research conducted on rising infertility among Indian couples, it was found that 10-15 per cent of the married couples in India face infertility and a whopping 27.5 million couples who want to conceive suffer from infertility.

The research further highlights that only 45 per cent of couples who visit a doctor while they are trying to conceive and only 1 per cent of infertile couples seek treatment. Furthermore, 55 per cent of Indian women are not aware about ovulation tracking products like fertility monitors.

In a bid to assist those couples who are ready to have a baby, here are a few tips for those which they should follow before they meet an infertility specialist.

• Track your periods: It is important to know when you are ovulating. For example – If your cycle is 28 days, you are likely to ovulate on day 14. If your cycles are longer like 32 days your ovulation may be around the 18th Day (14 days before next period).  If the cycle is shorter, like 24days then one can expect ovulation on the 10th day. Therefore, it becomes important that intercourse should happen during ovulation.
• Achieve and maintain healthy weight: Both underweight and overweight individuals can have irregular periods which can alter ovulation due to excess production of certain hormones like estrogen and insulin.
• Avoiding unhealthy practices: Alcohol, drugs and cigarettes are a big No! For women who wish to get pregnant. In men, increased abuse of such harmful products can affect the sperm mortality, viability and count.
• Eat and sleep on time: Add plenty of good proteins, vegetables and fruits on to your diet. Drink 10-12 glasses of water every day. Water helps in flushing toxins out of body. Sleeping on time and catching up 6-8 hours of undisturbed sleep can keep your hormones in good control.
• Stress: Long working hours, erratic timings and professional stress are some of the issues leading ti increased stress among urban populace. Although stress is unavoidable, managing it in a way that it does not affect the health is important. Increased stress often reduces the chances of conceiving; hence it becomes necessary for one to manage stress for a healthier pregnancy.
• Taking prenatal vitamins: It is always better to stack on  folic acid tablets one month prior to planning can prevent your baby from developing neural tube defects.
• Get intimate with partner: This is an important part for getting pregnant. Instead of having sex only during ovulation which can increase stress in both partners, regular sex can be stress reliever and also help your ovulation cycle regulated. 50% rise in pregnancy has been observed in couples having sex 3-4 times a week. It also helps in constant production of new sperms which are healthy.
• An appointment with fertility expert: If you have tried everything for 1 year (6 months if you are older than 35 years), then there should be no shame in asking for advice. If help is asked early and with the right doctor, things can be solved easily and early.
• Never lose hope: Sometimes, after several visits to hospitals, clinics and doctors, one may feel depressed and lose hope. At such times, individuals may think that the easiest way out is to stop and walk away from trying. However, one should remember that hope lasts as long as one is trying for something. When you stop trying your only chance dies. So don’t give up hope no matter what.

It is important for one to remember that there's a way through it whatever that path is. The path may be different for each person, but there is a path and it is not hopeless however it ends. It is necessary that couples believe in themselves and know that there is always sunshine tomorrow.

*Disclaimer: The article has been contributed by Dr Deepthi Bawa, Consultant – Reproductive Medicine & IVF, Aster CMI Hospital. The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and views appearing in this article do not reflect the views of Deccan Chronicle and Deccan Chronicle does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.