Trying to get pregnant can be a long and hard process for couples, and everyone wants to increase their chances by different methods. The most favorable course of action would be to find natural ways to increase fertility and consume an ample amount of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, protein, etc.

What's Good for Your Reproductive System?

The research titled "Diet and lifestyle in the prevention of ovulatory disorder infertility” shows that making changes in your diet and lifestyle can increase your chances of fertility by 69%. This food-fertility relation might seem like a myth, but the following section will help you see how you can give your body that pre-pregnancy preparation it needs.

1. Change Your Diet

• Folic acid from food
  Besides taking supplements, folic acid can also be found in fortified whole grains, cereals, and vegetables. According to Elin Palinski-Wade who is a Registered Dietician, one has to be proactive about taking folic acid as it prevents major birth defects.
  
  

• Your daily dairy
  Dairy is an essential source of calcium and protein. It is recommended that some full-fat products should be included in your diet at least once a day as they increase chances of fertility by 27%.
  
  

• All sorts of seafood
  Your reproductive organs need an increase blood flow to regulate the hormones responsible for conceiving. Fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and herring contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can make this happen. Another surprising source of nutrients is seaweed, which enriches the organs responsible for fertility health. Oysters are famous aphrodisiacs that contain the nutrient required to make good quality eggs: zinc! Be sure to include these fertility foods for getting pregnant in your diet.
  
  

• Leafy greens
  Some famous libido-increasing foods for women are spinach, romaine, arugula, and broccoli. All of these leafy greens contain the very important element - folate - that improves ovulation. The deep color of yams suggests that they are full of vitamins that can prove very beneficial for reproductive systems.
  
  

• The magic beans
  Increasing your iron intake is important for prevention of anovulation, which produces unhealthy eggs. It decreases the risk of infertility by 40%. Beans are a great source of iron so consume them in abundance to take care of your ovaries.
  
  

• Choose fruits over junk food
  Instead of hurting your reproductive system by consuming sugary, fatty junk food, go for some sweet fruits like figs and berries. Figs are an important source of iron, and berries are full of antioxidants that prevent reproductive cell damage.
  
  

• Antioxidants
  Some well-known antioxidants are vitamin C, E, folate, beta-carotene, and lutein. Taking their supplements increases fertility by 23%, but there are foods and vegetables which can give you the same benefit: dark chocolate, pecan, walnuts, whole grains, sweet potatoes, etc.
  
  

• Protein
  Replacing animal meat with vegetable protein sources from beans, nuts, seeds, etc. can be good for ovarian health.

Try to follow all or some of these natural ways to increase fertility to aid your body to conceive. There are no side effects, and these foods are not heavy on the wallet, either.

2. Other Tips You Can Try

There are some lifestyle habits that can act as fertility busters, instead of boosters.

• Avoid smoking and drinking
  Smoking has adverse effects on male and female reproductive systems. It causes ovaries to age and premature depletion of eggs among women and reduced sperm count, misshapen sperm, and movability of sperm. Heavy drinking causes impotence in men and ovulation disorders in women, so drinking should be kept to a minimum.
  
  

• Watch caffeine
  It should be kept less than 200 or 300 milligrams per day for women trying to conceive. According to a report by The Fertility Society of Australia, caffeine affects the process of ovulation and corpus luteum due to changes hormone levels, but there is no direct evidence of the mechanism for how it affects fertility.
  
  

• Staying active, but nothing intense
  This is important for men and women both. Thirty minutes of cardio is good enough; going beyond that might be harmful.
  
  

• Relaxation
  Sleep schedule, relax and meditate because these minutes will help your reproductive hormones.
  
  

• Medication
  Prescription medicines should be taken with a doctor's permission as they may lead to lower fertility.
  
  

• Don't let your body get too hot
  This is important for men as it affects sperm production. Wearing loose underwear and avoiding places with high temperature like hot tubs, saunas, etc. should be helpful. And for women, if you note your basal temperature every morning, you can try to keep it stable as it affects fertility.
  
  

• Monitoring cervical mucus
  Keeping a track of your period and observing the color of cervical mucus as different colors suggest fertility levels. Tracking these body rhythms can help you conceive as they tell you at which time you are most fertile.
  
  

• Avoid soy
  It contains a well-known compound for increasing estrogen levels, which is not good for fertility.
  
  

• Avoid trans-fats
  Hydrogenated vegetable oil is found in margarine, fried foods, and processed and baked goods. All these can risk ovulatory infertility. Instead, consume fats from canola oil, nuts, avocados, flaxseed oil, olive oil, etc.
  
  

Your Body Needs Your Care

Now you know which foods to eat when trying to get pregnant fast, as well as what to avoid and the lifestyle changes you and your partner need to make before conceiving. It is a scary and huge decision, but having the right knowledge can help you achieve optimum fertility to reproduce.