Do you want to have a child? Then you will surely not have missed that it is not a given that you will get pregnant on the first attempt. This has everything to do with your cycle, your and your partner's health and your hormones. How can you increase your fertility?
Getting pregnant
Did you know that you have about a 20% chance of getting pregnant every month when you and your partner are “healthy” and you are trying to get pregnant. It is therefore not surprising that you should take into account that it can take an average of a year before you get pregnant. But what has a direct impact on your desire to become pregnant? What can you and your partner take into account to make your chances of pregnancy as large as possible?
This is quite simple. I hear you thinking, quite simple? Because it can be extremely frustrating when you get a negative result on your pregnancy test time and time again. So let's start at the beginning and assume that you and your partner have no health complaints/ limitations. There are 7 components that play a crucial role in this. I would like to discuss these points with you.
1. Menstrual cycle
A normal regular cycle is the best basis when you want to have a child. By a normal regular cycle we mean a cycle preferably ranging between 24 and 32 days. A menstruation that lasts at most 5 days, with normal bleeding, not too heavy and moderate cramps. You also experience few mental complaints just before your menstruation starts.
If you do not experience a regular cycle, get very heavy bleeding with severe abdominal cramps during your menstruation and/or experience mental complaints just before your menstruation starts, then it is advisable to first address your cycle. Of course, it is possible to still get pregnant when you experience one of these complaints. But you not only increase the chance of getting pregnant with a normal regular cycle, it also has health benefits for your pregnancy and baby.
If you would like to know how to make your cycle as optimal as possible, you can always contact me. I will also start to cover this in one of the following blogs.
2. Nutrition
Nutrition plays a crucial role in the human body. Unfortunately, in modern times it has become increasingly difficult to consume ‘healthy’ and especially nutritious meals. It is much easier and often also cheaper to go for unhealthy food. Unfortunately, our body is also sensitive to sugars and carbohydrates, which makes our urge for them much higher than for healthy food.
However, fortunately you see more and more awareness emerging about our diet. Eating healthier is not only important for a ‘slim’ body, it is especially also good to support our health and well-being. To make all your cells and thus organs function as optimally as possible, they need an enormous amount of nutrientsand, which form the fuel of all cells. And these nutrientswe do not find in a one-sided diet, or in takeaway meals.
It is therefore important to make sure that you eat 3 NUTRITIOUS meals per day. Make sure the meals contain lots of vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds and seeds. Make sure you eat organic food. Eat varied, avoid sugars and fast carbohydrates and drink enough water. Also try to eat as few snacks as possible. If you eat little things all day long regularly, your body is constantly ‘on’ and will get little time to recover and it will be harder to get waste productsout of the body.
3. Exercise
Everyone who exercises regularly will agree with me that exercise gives energy. By exercising consistently and getting your body moving, you activate your cells and it can better absorb nutrientsand remove waste products.
Especially strength training is very important for promoting your fertility. This has everything to do with the production of testosterone. The hormone that is indispensable in the male AND female body when you want to get pregnant. I will tell you more about this later.
4. Lifestyle
What does your daily lifestyle look like? Do you work irregularly? Do you get enough rest? Do you often do fun things with friends? Do you have nice family around you? Do you smoke? Do you drink excessively alcohol? These are all questions that have a direct impact on your hormone status and thus on your fertility.
Everyone knows that smoking and drinking too much alcohol is unhealthy. But also too little sleep, irregularities in your life, the lack of fun moments and nice people around you has an impact on your hormones. Therefore, make sure you have nice people around you, that make you happy. Often these dear ones are friendships on one hand, and that is exactly completely fine. Value your family and friends around you and make time for them to make beautiful memories with them.
In addition, do not forget to get enough rest. An average of 8 hours of sleep per day is needed to let your body recover from all influences and waste productsduring the day. If it is possible with your work, then it is especially good for you to live with regularity. For example, if you are a morning person, go to bed on time in the evening and get up nice and early in the morning. It is not for nothing that it is always said that ‘Rest and Regularity’ is good for you, so listen to this too.
5. Mindset
Your mindset is almost half the work. Your body is controlled by your brain. Do you not feel good? Are you stressed? Do you think you cannot do something? Then you will often see that you attract the negative. The belief in yourself and (in this situation) in your body, activates all the ‘positive’ hormones. Your endorphin system is activated, allowing your body to function better and thus healthier.
Have you and your partner wanted to have a child for a while? Then try to keep the trust. It is not for nothing that I started this blog with the information that everyone has about a 20% chance per month to get pregnant (when the body is ‘healthy’ and the man and woman live ‘healthy’). Would you buy a lottery ticket if you have a 20% chance of your jackpot? I WOULD! The chance that you win this within 2 years once is pretty big, right?
6. Supplement
Unfortunately, consuming only varied food is no longer enough to get all the important vitamins and minerals that your body needs to be able to function as optimally as possible. A lot has changed in our agriculture in recent times. Because of this, our food no longer contains as many vitamins and minerals as tens of years ago. Unfortunately, this is not conducive to the quality of our food and even has a negative effect on our health.
Because of this, you cannot avoid supplementing your food with the right nutritional supplements nowadays. There are currently several nutritional supplements on the market. But there are only a few that are really ‘good’ and do indeed have an effect on your cell function.
Therefore, pay close attention to which nutritional supplements you purchase. Also the right combination of vitamins and minerals play a crucial role. More about this later! So stay tuned..
7. Sexual intercourse
And of course, not to forget, the act itself! When you have sexual intercourse, it has an impact on the chance of fertilization. Having sex every day is not conducive to the quality of the sperm. It is therefore good to get your cycle in view and recognize it, so that you know when you will approximately get your ovulation. Make sure the act is nice and romantic. Do not make it a ‘must’, with the pressure to get pregnant. The more you are focused on that with your thoughts, the less your body adapts to let the sperm swim through the thick mucous membrane in the vagina and uterus.
If it is the moment to make an attempt for the fertilization of the ovulation, then make it a romantic evening. Light candles, buy new lingerie, take a warm bath/shower together beforehand and make it a nice moment together.
So all these components have a direct impact on your hormones. As long as your hormones are not in balance, it can be that your body makes sure that no fertilization will take place OR that a pregnancy cannot develop further.
Do you and your partner have a desire for pregnancy and want extra guidance? Or more specific advice about your fertility? Then feel free to contact me.
