10 Things Your Ob-Gyn Would Like You to Know About Fertility

If you are actively trying to get pregnant, you have to actually know when you’re ovulating, and the key to that is knowing your cycle.

On average, cycles are 28 days; however everyone has a different cycle length. Start keeping track on a calendar: Day 1 of bleeding is the start of your cycle and then count how many days until Day 1 of your next period — that is the number of days for your personal cycle. You are actually ovulating 14 days prior to your first day of bleeding.

Keeping track of your cycle is even more vital if your periods are irregular. “If, like many women, you don’t have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you can determine the length of your cycle and when you’re most likely to ovulate by keeping a menstrual calendar,” Mary Marnach, M.D. wrote for the Mayo Clinic.

You should be having sex starting 3 days before you ovulate and for 2 days after you ovulate. “Sperm lives 72 hours, while your egg lives 24 hours,” ob-gyn Dr. Tristan Emily Bickman told Mom.com. “You should have sex once a day or every other day, but definitely not more than once per day.”

As the Mayo Clinic emphasizes, have sex near the time of ovulation. If you and/or your partner find that this is not possible — or enjoyable — have have sex every 2 to 3 days startting as soon as possible after the end of your period to ensure that you’re targeting your most fertile period.

Planning for intercourse during ovulation can be tricky, but there are ways to find out when you’re ovulating, including taking your temperature, checking your cervical mucus and using an over-the-counter ovulation kit.

“Knowing when ovulation occurs is so empowering because it enables women to time their intimacy or sperm exposure during their peak fertile day,” Dr. Wendy Chang,board-certified reproductive endocrinologist, previously told Mom.com.

As indicated above, checking your cervical mucus can be helpful when predicting ovulation. Look for sticky and a heavier-than-usual consistency. “Cervical mucus varies throughout a natural menstrual cycle, based on a woman’s hormonal activity,” Chang said. “Mucus is usually scant right after menstruation, and then increases in amount. The rise in estrogen that precedes ovulation stimulates the production of profuse, clear, and stretchy mucus that facilitates sperm passage. So, detection of that mucus can be a helpful indicator of good estrogen secretion and impending ovulation.”

Women often assume that they are having a problem conceiving because of something going on within their body, but don’t forget to consider your partner’s fertility health, too. Dr. Bickman explained that infertility is 1/3 a female factor, 1/3 a male factor and 1/3 unexplained. Your doctor is there to help you and figure out any causes that might be preventing you from getting pregnant, so make sure you both get a checkup!

While moderate drinking (three to six drinks a week) is not believed to harm your chances of conceiving, recent studies show that anything more than that can impact your fertility.

“We found that heavy drinking during any phase of the menstrual cycle was significantly associated with a reduced probability of conception compared to non-drinkers,” Dr Kira Taylor, professor of epidemiology and population health at the University of Louisville School of Public Health, wrote for Science Daily.

Also note: Your partner’s drinking could affect his sperm count.

Talk to your doctor early about getting you started on a prenatal vitamin, and test for any deficiencies that can maybe be helped with supplements.

But it’s important to note that prenatal vitamins have nothing to do with conceiving. You should ideally be taking prenatal vitamins six months prior to conception, but their purpose is to help prevent against neural tube defects. The folic acid that prenatal vitamins contain do not actually help you get pregnant.

“In addition to diet changes, I’ve focused on finding supplements that are free of toxins and create a healthier environment for pregnancy,” mom of one Arden Cartrette previously told Mom.com.

Be mindful of what is going into your body in preparation for your upcoming pregnancy. “Eating a diet that ‘supports’ fertility includes whole foods, a healthy balance of lean protein, healthy fats, and fiber that can help boost your gut microbe, regulate hormones, and lower stress levels — all three are important to prep your body for pregnancy,” Jayne Williams, a certified integrative health and nutrition expert, told Glamour.

When to seek help with your fertility depends on your age, and possibly how many children you’d like to have. Dr. Bickman explained that if you are 40 years old and want more than one child, you should be seeing a doctor right away. On the flip side, if you are 22 years old and have been trying for a year without success, then it’s time to see your doctor. It never hurts to see your doctor for whatever concerns you might have regarding your fertility.

Obviously you’ll want to go off your birth control pill if you are trying to conceive. Many women seem to think that they need to go off their pill well in advance in order for it to “leave their system.” Not true. Dr. Bickman advises to go off the pill one month before trying to conceive in order to get your cycle back. However, you could definitely get pregnant immediately. The pill is actually out of your body in about one day!