Starting a Family: Getting That Baby On Board
Settling down and having a family is something that most of us plan to do at some point in our lives. A baby can complete a family, bond you and your partner forever and bring more love and joy into your heart than you ever thought possible. But trying for a baby can be a major source of stress too. If you don’t fall pregnant right away, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and think either you or your partner is infertile or believe it will just never happen for you. Ninety-five percent of couples fall pregnant naturally within two years, so in many cases, it really isn’t any reason to be alarmed if you’ve not conceived right away. There are some things you can try in the meantime to boost your odds.
Improve Your General Health
When you and your partner are both in good health generally, you improve your chances of getting pregnant naturally. If weight is an issue, embarking on a health weight loss program can be enough to regulate a woman’s cycle and make falling pregnant easier. Certain foods have been shown to be good for fertility and can help with both the make and female partner. Cut back on the things you know aren’t good for you- processed foods, saturated fat, alcohol, cigarettes and late nights. You sleep cycle actually has more of an impact than you might realize. Research has shown that women who work alternating day and night shifts have up to eighty percent more fertility issues than those working just days. Our bodies are finely tuned machines, disrupting something as important as sleep affects your hormones and menstrual cycle. In turn, this can lead to problems falling pregnant. Sites like reproductivewellness.com have more information on this.
Reduce Contaminants and Pesticides
When you think of dangerous chemicals like pesticides and herbicides, you might pass it off as being an occupational risk for people like farmers. But actually, we’re more in contact with these toxins than you might think. Drinking unfiltered water and non-organic produce can all lead them to build up in your system, which is bad news for health in general but especially if you’re trying for a baby. These chemicals can lead to low sperm count in men, inhibit ovarian function in women. It’s something to be aware of if you’re hoping to fall pregnant, thankfully drinking filtered water and buying organic can reduce your exposure.
Consider Alternatives
For a small percentage of couples, a little extra help is needed to conceive a baby. Thanks to modern medicine, you do have options here so don’t give up hope. IVF is many couples first choice, this is because it allows you to have a baby which is genetically both yours and your partners. The egg and sperm are fertilized manually in the lab, and the embryo is returned to the uterus. However, there are cases where this won’t be a possibility. If the female partner has no eggs or has had a hysterectomy, then surrogacy could be an option. Here the surrogate uses her own egg which is fertilized by the male partner’s sperm. Once the baby has been delivered, it’s legally adopted by you and your partner. If the female partner has eggs, but the male has a low sperm count or has had a vasectomy, you could consider using a sperm donor. Finally, if the other options are suitable or you decide against them, you could consider adoption. You’re still able to complete your family and raise a child, but have the added bonus of giving a wonderful life to a child that hasn’t (or might not have) had to the best start in life.
