What Have You Done to Boost Fertility?

"The best way to boost fertility is to be healthy! And that goes for men and women! What do I mean? Especially for women, being as close to your ideal body weight is ideal — women who are significantly overweight or underweight tend not to ovulate well, and good ovulation is essential to getting pregnant."

— Mary Jane Minkin, MD; clinical professor in the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine

"I tried Clomid and a few ovulation-tracking devices, but it didn't work for me because I didn't have enough hormones in my body to support a pregnancy. I ended up seeing Penny from Acuinternal and started hormone-balancing and [taking] Opal Sun Chinese herbs. Within three sessions, I was pregnant."

— Veena Crownholm, mom of 2

"I psychologically developed the need to found a family. Mind over body worked in this situation."

— Donna Bloss, mom of 4

"I started having weekly acupuncture sessions, stopped drinking coffee, and changed my diet to include more proteins. I was also taking multivitamins."

— Monica Greco, mom of 2

"As I was on the cusp of turning 35 and was working 80 hours a week with my three restaurants in Colorado, I knew I needed to do something to preserve my fertility. Egg freezing with CCRM Fertility, a global leader in fertility treatment with some of the highest success rates in the country, seemed like the best option for me.

"As most people know, we have no control over how our lives will transpire. I would have NEVER guessed I would have been 42 years old when I met my now husband. Because he had kids already, we had to navigate the process delicately, which meant getting married at 44 and then eventually embarking on the fertility journey at age 45.

"Now that I’m pregnant, 10 years after I froze my eggs, I am so proud of myself for making that decision at age 35. I had no idea the path my life would take, and had I not frozen my eggs I would most likely never have been able to get pregnant with my own genetics."

— Jenny Hayes Edwards, pregnant with her first child

• Eat healthy.
• Stay active.
• Relax and not stress.
• Cut back on alcohol.
• Track my fertile period.
• Take fertility-boosting prenatal vitamins.
• Don’t make sex a chore.

— Marissa LaBuz, mom of 2

"I tried everything! I must say right now that none of it worked for me. It was a hopeful as well as frustrating decade trying to fix my 'mystery' problem that kept me from getting pregnant. The things I tried were acupuncture, eating healthy, and not drinking alcohol. I also tried putting my legs up after sex, having sex every other day, having sex while on my period, and praying.

"I prayed at every church we visited, and I particularly remember a promise I made in one church in the middle of Sardinia, Italy. In a remote, ancient church overlooking a beautiful lake, my partner and I walked into his silent church with pictures and notes of miracles and prayers answered on the walls. I prayed quietly and promised this solitary space and godly statues that I would come back to the church if I had a child.

"Two years later, after I gave birth to Lorenzo, we looked for the church all day not remembering the name of it. We finally did find it. We actually returned another time after that to baptize our son, Lorenzo. Next step is to add a picture and plaque to the walls of the church in order to encourage others to have faith and keep trying."

— Diana Restrepo, mom of 1

"It's important to be in your best possible health when trying to conceive, so I ensure I get enough physical activity and eat a balanced diet. I also take [antioxidant] CoQ10 and a prenatal vitamin with DHA."

— Halle Tecco, founder of Natalist and mom of 1

"To boost my fertility, especially during fertility treatment cycles, I've paid closer attention to the foods that I ate and tried to eliminate dairy and gluten when I could, as well as trying more whole foods and less processed foods. In addition to diet changes, I've focused on finding supplements that are free of toxins and create a healthier environment for pregnancy."

— Arden Cartrette, mom of 1