Sometimes when wanting to get pregnant, there are several lifestyle choices that may inhibit pregnancy. Although, it may be difficult to determine the cause of your problems conceiving, there are few common pregnancy inhibitors that should be discussed.

Eating Habits

This is by far one of the most common reasons a woman may have problems getting pregnant. Monitoring the foods and ingredients you eat plays a vital role in conception. Many pregnancy problems are caused by dietary issues.

It is best to eat a whole foods, organic diet when trying to conceive. A good fertility diet includes, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, leafy greens and lean protein. Other foods that have been shown to help with fertility include yams, garlic, tofu and black soybeans. You should also drink plenty of water as water cleanses the body.

As much as you should add good fertility foods to your diet, you should also avoid those pregnancy inhibitors.

Are You Having Problems Getting Pregnant?

While doing research for this website, I ran into a website by Lisa Olson. She shares how she struggled with infertility for a number of years before getting pregnant with her 2 healthy children at the age of 43.  She is now a nutritionist and a fertility consultant. If you have been having problems getting pregnant, I recommend reading through her site also. You can find her website here, Pregnancy Miracle.

Foods/Ingredients You Should Avoid:

Aspartame – Aspartame is used in many sweeteners. You can find it in a lot of “diet” or “sugar-free” foods, including diet drink mixes, frozen desserts, and soft drinks. It has been found to prevent ovulation.

Cooking Oils – Be on the look out for oils that cause you to be less fertile. Cottonseed oil found in many processed foods has been linked to decreased fertility. Instead opt for olive oil or sesame seed oil.

Caffeine – This doesn’t just include your daily latte. It will be helpful to eliminate soda and even chocolate. Caffeine has been linked to delayed conception in fertile women. It can decrease your chances of conception by up to 50%.

Alcohol – Consuming alcohol has been shown to inhibit ovulation through increased prolactin (a hormone) levels.

Smoking – Smoking can affect hormone production in women. Smoking can inhibit ovulation, damage the fallopian tubes, and increases the risk of miscarriage. Cessation of smoking can reverse the damage.

Ovulation Tracking Errors

If you are having problems with getting pregnant, you should also make sure that you are tracking your ovulation accurately. There are a few ways you can do this effectively. It is best to choose 2 or 3 methods to track ovulation so you have a better chance at determining your fertility window.

Charting Your Menstrual Cycle – This involves writing down your menstrual cycle monthly. Ovulation usually occurs two weeks before the start of your next period in fertile women.

Monitoring Your Cervical Mucus – If you are charting your cervical mucus, it will be helpful to have sex during your most fertile days when your cervical mucus has a raw egg white consistency.

Chart Your Basal Body Temperature – You can also chart ovulation by checking your basal body temperature (BBT). You will have to do this for a couple of months to notice a pattern. You should then have intercourse on those days where your temperature is the lowest. Using a basal thermometer is best.

Use An Ovulation Predictor Kit – Ovulation Predictor Kits are helpful and can detect ovulation up to a couple of days in advance.

Healthy Weight

If you are trying to get pregnant, being at a healthy weight will help. You should check your Body Mass Index (BMI) to be sure you fall within the healthy range of 18.5 and 24.9, this is determined by height. If you are in the healthy range you are more likely to conceive. If you fall outside of the healthy range and are underweight or overweight, you can reduce your chances of conception up to 40%.

A Note On Exercise:

Exercise is a healthy choice that can help you get pregnant, however over-exercise can impede fertility.

Too much exercise can inhibit or stop ovulation, and can also stop or cause irregular menstrual cycles. Moderate exercise of  thirty minutes a day is helpful in maintaining ovulation and regulating your menstrual cycle.

Other Conditions That Impede Pregnancy

This is not an exhaustive list, but includes some common conditions that can inhibit pregnancy.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) – This is a condition in which small cysts grow on the ovaries that lead to hormone imbalances.

Endometriosis – This is a condition which causes the tissue that lines the uterus to grow outside of the uterus.

Celiac Disease – Celiac disease is an autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the small intestine.

Cervical Fluid – Some women’s cervical fluid may be too acidic for sperm to survive. This can prevent conception.

Estrogen/Progesterone Balance – Estrogen and Progesterone levels need to be balance during your menstrual cycle.

Hypothyrodism – Hypothyrodism can cause elevated prolactin levels, which can decrease ovulation.

Are you having problems getting pregnant? If you want to learn techniques to get pregnant naturally, despite having problems in the past, I recommend Lisa Olson’s website, Pregnancy Miracle.