How you can improve your own chances

Whether you are trying to get pregnant without our help, or just want to improve your chances of conception, there are a number of things you can do:

• Have a healthy balanced diet and take reasonable exercise– being overweight has been shown to have negative impact on fertility. You can seek more advice on this from us or your GP.
• Do not smoke– not only might this reduce your chances of conception but either parent smoking can have effects on your unborn child.
• Avoid excess alcohol.
• Be aware of what date you might ovulate though in general we would recommend trying to have intercourse at least twice per week which should mean that you will always have intercourse during the fertile period.
• Avoid the use of vaginal lubricants such as KY jelly, Durex Play  or Astroglide which are toxic to sperm and will reduce your chances of conception.
• Women should take folic acid tablets in preparation for pregnancy to reduce the risk of your child having developmental problems. Some women require a higher dose of folic acid (5mg). Women with a body mass index of 30 or above, epilepsy, diabetes or malabsorption conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease require this dose.

Obviously many people will fulfil all of the above and still have difficulty getting pregnant. If you have been trying for a pregnancy and not succeeding, then this is the stage when you should seek further help and advice.