The decision to start a family immediately brings to a couple’s mind questions about their fertility and how quickly they will be able to achieve a pregnancy through natural intercourse. This is not something that should be expected to happen right away — that is, during the first, second, or even third month after starting unprotected intercourse — given that the probability of conception is approximately 20% per menstrual cycle. According to the World Health Organization, the statistical timeframe within which a couple is expected to achieve pregnancy is one year.
However, a prerequisite for this is that the couple has regular and consistent sexual intercourse, twice a week, without the use of any contraceptive method. Statistics show that within a period of one to two years at most, the vast majority of couples (over 80%) will have conceived a child.
Let’s therefore remain optimistic and actively help ourselves and our partner to maximize our fertility as a couple by paying attention to the following points:
- We both take care of and improve our diet. We should both limit or completely quit habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and excessive caffeine intake, and avoid toxic factors that negatively affect the reproductive system of both men and women. These factors damage sperm — particularly their motility and production in the testes — as well as the sperm’s genetic material due to the production of harmful reactive oxygen species that create an unfavorable environment for spermatogenesis. For the same reasons, they damage the ovaries and the ability to produce healthy, viable eggs, leading women to menopause with your gynecologist 2–3 years earlier.
- We include essential vitamins and trace elements in our diet, such as A, C, E, D, zinc, selenium, and folic acid, and make it a habit to consume fresh fruits and vegetables, natural juices, and white meat instead of red, as well as fatty fish such as perch and salmon.
- We avoid exposure to toxic environmental factors such as ionizing radiation and high temperatures; placing laptops directly on the genital area; keeping mobile phones in the same area; and inhaling petroleum derivatives such as ketones and benzoic compounds, which are even found in some cosmetics.
- We monitor our body weight and incorporate mild physical activity into our daily routine. Body weight above or below the normal range has been associated, in women, with greater difficulty in achieving natural conception. This occurs in obese individuals due to hormonal dysregulation of reproductive hormones, and in underweight individuals due to the ovaries’ inability to produce viable eggs. Regular exercise helps increase muscle mass and reduce excess fat — particularly abdominal fat, which interferes with normal hormonal function.
- An annual gynecological examination is essential for women, even from a young age, to detect possible inflammations of the reproductive system — such as in the fallopian tubes, vagina, uterus, and cervix. Timely treatment of infections in both the woman and her sexual partner, which are often caused by sexually transmitted diseases, can “save” the fallopian tubes from blockage and prevent future infertility.
- Maintain regular sexual intercourse with your partner, especially during the days around ovulation. Studies have shown that both sperm quality and the couple’s reproductive potential improve not necessarily with daily intercourse, but with intercourse every 2–3 days regularly. It is also worth noting that the most fertile days for a woman are 3–4 days before ovulation, as well as during and immediately after ovulation.
Enjoy the process! Relieve stress and focus on the act of making love. One in four couples who are unable to conceive do not have any diagnosed biological or medical problem, apart from the insidious factor of stress. According to a recent study published in a reputable scientific journal, women with elevated levels of cortisol and alpha-amylase (two key biomarkers of stress) had 30% lower chances of becoming pregnant each month compared to women whose levels were normal. Engage in relaxation techniques with your partner and invest only in positive thinking.
