What does it mean to be fertile?

Some may believe that you are fertile just because you have a menstrual cycle and you are ovulating, but there is more to fertility than a menstrual cycle and ovulation.

To be fertile means that you are ovulating, as well as producing cervical fluid that nourishes sperm for conception.

So what helps in being fertile?

1. Healthy Weight

Weight is an important factor in fertility. Being overweight or underweight can be a cause for fertility issues in both men and women. When you are at a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) for your height, you increase your chances for conception. You can check your BMI by entering it on many of the BMI calculators online or having it calculated by your primary health care physician.

A healthy BMI range is between 18.5 and 24.9. If you are overweight or underweight, it can disrupt your menstrual cycle and ovulation, therefore decreasing your chances of conceiving. In addition, being in a healthy weight range reduces your chances of miscarriage.

If you are underweight or overweight, it will be helpful to work to get within a healthy BMI range. This should not be done using drastic efforts like crash dieting or eating in excess. You should work steadily to increase or decrease your body weight.

If you are overweight, focus on eating more organic foods that are closer to nature and doing light exercise. If you are underweight, focus on adding more meals or increasing your caloric intake.

Becoming More Fertile Through Natural Methods

Becoming more fertile through natural methods includes monitoring what you put in your body and avoiding those foods and habits that are “pregnancy inhibitors”. But it will also be important that you practice effective natural fertility options. Lisa Olson has created a website dedicated to natural ways to increase fertility. You will find her story inspiring, as she has struggled with fertility issues for a number of years and was finally able to get pregnant with 2 healthy children. You can find out what she learned about infertility here, Pregnancy Miracle.

2. Healthy Lifestyle

Another thing that can help in being fertile is a healthy lifestyle.

You may not be conceiving because you are eating a diet that lacks the vital nutrients and minerals that are important to fertility and conception.

If you want to get pregnant, you should eat a diet that is balanced and full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and beverages such as plenty of water and tea.

Heavily processed foods should be slowly removed from your diet. Caffeinated beverages such as coffee should be eliminated from the diet as caffeine especially coffee can slash chances of conception by as much as fifty percent.

Alcohol should be eliminated from the diet as well, as this can cause fertility to be inhibited.

Here are a few foods that help with becoming more fertile:

Yams – Yams are rich in antioxidants. They have been linked to fertility promotion. They are believed to stimulate the ovaries to release an egg. They are most helpful during the first half of the cycle, but not after ovulation. Yams have been found effective in treating endometriosis and poor cervical fluid.

Whole Grains – Whole grains are high in vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps to maintain estrogen/progesterone balance and normal prolactin levels. Elevated prolactin levels interfere with ovulation. Whole grains also have vitamin E which is believed to increase sperm count and help with endometriosis.

For Men:

Cruciferous Vegetables – Cruciferous vegetables are those vegetables that are in the cabbage family. These include brussel sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, collards, cauliflower, broccoli and kale to name a few. Cruciferous vegetables are high in vitamin C which can improve sperm motility, viability, and count.

3. Check for Allergies

You should also be checked for food allergies as food allergies such as gluten can cause temporary sterility. This temporary sterility however can be reversed once the allergen is removed from the diet. Be sure to check with your physician to get an allergy test to see if allergens may be a reason you are not conceiving.

4. Exercise Regularly

Exercise is believed to help boost fertility. Researchers have found that a moderate exercise program (about 30 minutes daily) can help you become more fertile.  Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight, it also helps relieve stress. An unhealthy body weight and stress can hinder fertility. Exercise also keeps the body in a healthy condition, and can aide in removing toxins from the body. A healthy body is more conducive to conceiving a child.

So what are three things you can do to be more fertile?

5. Proper Rest

One thing you can do to be more fertile is make sure you get a good night’s sleep.

Getting proper rest, especially at night helps keep the hormonal system regulated. It has been found that women who don’t sleep properly and not at night have a higher risk of reproductive issues including infertility.

6. Vitamins

Another thing that you can do to be more fertile is add a daily multivitamin to your daily regime. A female multivitamin has extra vitamins that may be hard to get in your daily food intake of a woman. Studies have found that a multivitamin can increase rates of fertility by at least twenty five percent.

7. Yoga

Lastly, try yoga. Yoga has been found to help with fertility. Yoga relieves stress and is relaxing. Certain yoga poses can also nourish the pelvic organs by massaging them and increasing blood flow and circulation within them.

If you want to become more fertile, I would also suggest Lisa Olson’s website on achieving pregnancy naturally, Pregnancy Miracle.