If you’re eager to add to your family, a few lifestyle changes may support your attempts. Many factors figure into infertility, including some that are out of your control. But, certain healthy habits can help make your chance of conceiving more likely.
When you combine these healthy habits with the expert guidance and treatments provided by our team at California Center for Reproductive Health, you support your fertility and your ability to get pregnant.
Why lifestyle and healthy habits help improve fertility
Your hormone levels respond to your lifestyle. Not prioritizing sleep, being under stress, working long hours, and eating poorly can all negatively affect your fertility. Healthy habits can promote a more relaxed state, which means more balanced hormones and potentially easier conception.
A healthy, wholesome diet
A generally healthy diet includes whole grains, lean proteins, and dairy. Make that dairy full-fat, as research shows that consuming whole-milk products may discourage anovulation (the failure to release an egg each month.) Women who drank 1 cup of whole milk daily cut their risk of anovulation by more than half.
Prioritizing antioxidants from colorful, fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats from nuts, fatty fish, and avocados also optimizes your body.
Antioxidants help reduce inflammation caused by free radicals, which harm sperm and eggs. Healthy fats, particularly omega-3s, also reduce inflammation and protect the integrity of eggs and sperm.
You also benefit from consuming foods rich in folic acid, a B vitamin that helps protect a growing baby’s spine and brain. Leafy greens, fruits, and dried beans are good sources.
If you have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that’s causing problems with ovulation, cut back on your carbohydrate intake. Eat 45% or fewer of your calories from foods like rice, bread, and sugars. Managing your carbs when you have PCOS helps you maintain a healthy weight, encourages fat loss, reduces insulin levels, and improves menstrual regularity.
Maintain a healthy weight because being overweight or underweight can negatively affect fertility.
As far as alcohol, an occasional glass of wine is fine, but keep alcohol intake at a moderate level.
Prioritize sleep
Insufficient sleep can negatively affect fertility. Aim for a consistent bedtime and wake-up time that allow you to get about 8 hours of slumber per night. Adopt healthy sleep hygiene rituals such as:
- A bedtime ritual to help you wind down
- Minimal screen time before bed
- A cool, dark room
When you get proper sleep, you balance your circadian rhythms.
Stay physically active
Moving your body keeps it healthy. A daily exercise routine helps reduce stress and strengthens your muscles. Exercising too much, like several hours per day or training for a long endurance event, can interfere with fertility. Talk to us about what is a reasonable level for you.
Quit smoking
It should go without saying that if you’re trying to conceive, quit the tobacco. We can help.
If you still struggle to conceive even when following a healthy lifestyle, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office. We offer some of the most cutting-edge fertility treatments to help you expand your family.
Call one of our California Center for Reproductive Health offices in Encino, Valencia, or West Hollywood, or reach out via this website. Our doctors and staff can offer guidance about adopting these healthy habits and help you achieve your goal of a healthy pregnancy.
