5 Natural Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

So you and your significant other have decided that the time is right to turn this pair into a threesome. Congratulations on taking the first step towards creating a new family! The decision to have a baby is complicated and nerve-wracking, and as much as you want it you’ll never feel completely ready. But once you’ve chosen to go down that path you probably want to see results quickly. Older women can get especially nervous about having a baby, as conception gets trickier. There’s a wide range of issues that could slow down the speed at which you get pregnant, and of course it’s not always within your control. Many women choose a medical solution, with a series of drug treatments or pills designed to increase fertility. But if you’re concerned about the long-term impact of those choices a ‘green’ approach may be more palatable. Here are five natural ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

This first one is entirely within your control, which makes it quite appealing. Basically, there is an optimal body weight for conception, and if you are decently under or over your optimal weight, getting pregnant can take much longer than you would like. According to several recent studies, a correlation was found between an abnormal BMI, or body mass index, and trouble getting pregnant. And being underweight is far worse than being overweight. In general, women in the normal weight range have a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9. If your BMI is lower than 19 it can actually take you four times as long to get pregnant.

If you want to get pregnant, you should also lay off of certain beverages, specifically alcohol and coffee. If you drink around five cups of coffee a day, chances are you are decreasing your natural fertility level. Soda, tea or any other caffeine source can also be detrimental. Studies that involve alcohol aren’t as clear cut, but moderation seems to be the way to maintain your fertility levels. Basically, avoid having more than two alcoholic drinks a day.

So what can you do to actually increase your chances? As you continue trying to get pregnant, stress may become an issue. So start a regimen of relaxation techniques to increase your chances. This could include yoga, meditation or any sort of deep breathing practice that removes stress from your life. Stress is well known to impact fertility. In fact, women who suffer from depression could see their chances of conception cut in half.

Another great natural option is acupuncture. This Chinese medical technique is thousands of years old, and basically involves tapping tiny needles into various energy and pressure points across your body. The goal is to smooth out any energetic roadblocks, improving the flow of ‘chi’ through your body. A more esoteric answer is that it improves blood flow and impacts the health and vitality of the nervous system. Acupuncture can improve and regulate your ovulation, increase the creation of hormones and minimize stress. There’s no hard and fast guarantee it will work, but it will certainly have beneficial effects in any case.

Finally, try to slow things down. All signs point to stress being very detrimental to the process, but remember that the man is involved as well. Sperm is constantly renewing, but the more frequently a man has sex, the lower his sperm count may be at any given time. So unless you plan on using a cryo bank, keep the intercourse to around four times a week. And don’t forget to enjoy the attempts. That may not improve your chances of getting pregnant, but it will certainly leave you smiling more often than not.