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5 Little-known Factors that Could Affect your Fertility

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If you are looking to get pregnant, consider these things about your health. Following some of these suggestions may help you get pregnant more easily.

Create and maintain an ideal weight.

Women, when you are at your ideal weight, when you are in the ideal weight range according to the body mass index (BMI) you are twice as likely to get pregnant than if you are overweight or obese. And you are four times as likely to conceive than if you are underweight.

Being at a proper weight also reduces your risks of complications like gestational diabetes, so it improves the quality of health while pregnant.

Choose your menus wisely.

The lower the glycemic load, the better the fertility index. The glycemic load is a more accurate measure than just looking at the glycemic index. Glycemic load takes into account portion size, and measures how fast a food is converted into glucose or sugar in the blood.

Women that eat highly processed food, junk foods, pastries, bread and pastas will have a high gycemic load. The more complex the carbohydrate the more slowly it turns to glucose in the blood. These foods contain fiber in the food and digest slowly, causing a slower release of blood glucose. Women who eat these types of foods will have a low glycemic load.

The Nurses’ Health Study found women with the highest glycemic load in their diets were 92 percent more likely to have ovulatory infertility than women in the lowest category.

Women in the highest glycemic load category ate diets high in processed and refined carbohydrates, junkfood, sodas, cold cereals, white rice, potatoes. Another finding was that women who ate diets high in trans fatty acids also had problems with ovulation.

Women who had the highest intake of animal protein (115 grams per day -- almost 2 times the amount required by the Institute of Medicine) had a 39 percent higher chance of ovulatory infertility than the group that ate less protein.

Stay away from pesticides and harmful chemicals.

Make sure to eat organic foods when possible. When you are choosing lotions and potions for your skin, consider options that are free of pesticides and harmful chemicals. Stay away from harsh cleaning agents that can affect fertility, as well.

Be moderate in drinking beverages.

Don’t drink two or more alcoholic beverages per day. If you decide to give up alcohol before you get pregnant, that is fine too.

Again, consider moderation and drink one to two cups of coffee per day. Too much coffee -- more than 5 cups per day -- can lower fertility because of the high amounts of caffeine.

The more sex after ovulation, the better.

The first six days after ovulation are the best times to have enjoyable and healthy sex with your partner. Make sure if you're having more sex and you are using lubricants that you are not using lubricants with spermicide in them. They can decrease sperm's ability to swim by 60-100 percent.

When you want to live healthy and conceive healthy, consider these five facts. They can help you get pregnant.

Don’t forget to relax and enjoy the process. It is meant to be fun!

Live Vibrantly,
Dr. Dae

Dr. Dae's website: www.healthydaes.org

Dr. Dae's Bio:

Dr. Daemon Jones is your diabetes reversal, hormones, metabolism and weight loss expert. Dr. Dae is a naturopathic doctor who treats patients all over the country using Skype and phone visits. Visit her or schedule a free consultation at her website www.HealthyDaes.org/

Sources:

Chavarro, Jorge, Walter Willett, and P. J. Skerrett. The fertility diet: groundbreaking research reveals natural ways to boost ovulation & improve your chances of getting pregnant. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Print.

"Female fertility: Why lifestyle choices count - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/female-fertility/MY01095

Feature, Kathleen. "8 Ways to Boost Your Fertility." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/8-ways-to-boost-your-fertility

Reviewed April 2, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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