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Before seeking medical help, remember some of the things you can do to enhance your own fertility potential.
Body weight, diet and exercise. Proper diet and exercise are important for optimal reproductive function and women who are significantly overweight or underweight can have difficulty getting pregnant. Although most of a woman's estrogen is manufactured in her ovaries, 30% is produced in fat cells. Because a normal hormonal balance is essential for the process of conception, it is not surprising that extreme weight levels, either high or low, can contribute to infertility. Body fat levels that are 10% to 15% above normal can contribute to infertility, with an overload of estrogen throwing off the reproductive cycle. Body fat levels 10% to 15% below normal can completely shut down the reproductive process, so that women with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia, or those who are on very low-calorie or restrictive diets are at risk, especially if their periods are irregular. Female athletes, marathon runners, dancers, and others who exercise very intensely may also find that their menstrual cycle is abnormal and their fertility is impaired.
Stop smoking. Cigarette smoking has been associated with a decreased sperm count in men. Women who smoke also take longer to conceive.
Stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol (beer and wine as well as hard liquor) intake in men has been associated with low sperm counts.
Review your medications. A number of medications, including some of those used to treat ulcer problems and high blood pressure, can influence a man's sperm count. If you are taking any medications, talk with your doctor about whether or not it can affect your fertility.
Many medications taken during early pregnancy can affect the fetus. It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are attempting to become pregnant before taking prescription medications or over the counter medications, such as aspirin, antihistamines, or diet pills.
Stop abusing drugs. Drugs such as marijuana and anabolic steroids decrease sperm counts. If you have used drugs, discuss this with your doctor. Both partners should stop using any illicit drugs if they want a healthy baby.
Limit your caffeine (tea, soft drinks and coffee) intake.
Frequency of intercourse. The simple rule is - as often as you like; but the more often you have sex, the better your chances. Thus, for couples who have sex only on weekends (often the price they pay for a heavy work schedule) the chance of having sex on the fertile preovulatory day is only one-third that of couples who have sex every other day - which means they may take three times as long to conceive. Many couples complain that they are too stressed out to have frequent sex. Here are some simple measures you can take to increase sexual frequency.
Timing of intercourse. Unlike animals, who know when to have sex in order to conceive (because the female is in "heat" or estrus when she ovulates), most couples have no idea when the woman ovulates. The window of opportunity during which a woman can get pregnant every month is called her "fertile phase" - and is about 4-5 days before ovulation occurs. Timing intercourse during the "fertile period" (before ovulation) is important and can be easily learnt. This is described in greater detail in Chapter. However, some couples are so anxious about having sex at exactly the right time that they may abstain for a whole week prior to the "ovulatory day " and often the doctor is the culprit in this overrigorous scheduling of sex. This overattention can be counterproductive (because of the anxiety and stress it generates) and is not advisable. As long as the sperm are going in the vagina, it makes no difference which day they go in , so you can have sex daily as well, if you so desire!
Position and technique of intercourse. Pigs are very efficient at conserving semen - the boar literally screws his penis into the vagina of the sow, obtaining a tight lock prior to ejaculation, to ensure that no semen leaks out. Humans do not have such well-designed mechanisms and perhaps this is because they are really not necessary. Leakage of semen after intercourse is completely normal. While many women worry that this means that they are not having sex properly or that their body is rejecting the sperm, actually leakage is a good sign it means that the semen is being correctly deposited in the vagina! Of course, you can only see what leaks out and not what goes in! Most doctors advise a male superior position; and also advise that the woman remain lying down for at least 5 minutes after sex; and not wash or douche afterwards. A number of products used for lubrication during intercourse, such as petroleum jelly or vaginal cream, have been shown to affect sperm quality. Therefore, these products should be avoided if you are trying to get pregnant (a suitable alternative is liquid paraffin).
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
