Are You Ready and Set to Have a Baby?

Trying for a baby can be an incredibly exciting time. To have everything go as smoothly as possible for you and your partner, it is essential to understand that many factors can influence the process of conceiving naturally. If you are thinking about starting a family in 2021, it can help to understand all the elements that go into optimising fertility. Therefore, the health experts at Monash IVF have put together some information to begin your journey of understanding fertility.

Age

Your age can impact your ability to conceive naturally—a woman’s eggs age with her. Therefore, as a woman grows older, her fertility levels change. Her ability to conceive naturally may be significantly less at the age of 40, in comparison to the age of 20. However, the impact of age on fertility will differ from woman to woman. The woman’s genetic make-up and overall health will also be factors.

Lifestyle Changes

If you are trying to get pregnant, it is vital to consider some changes that you may need to make to your lifestyle. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, most conducive to conceiving naturally, we suggest:

• Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking illicit drugs
• Aim only to have 200mg of caffeinated beverages per day – equal to around 1 cup of coffee
• Eat a healthy diet – containing quality proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fat
  

Exercising and Maintaining a Healthy Weight

When you are trying to conceive, you want a healthy body that can create an ideal environment for a baby to grow in as well as a strong body that will help support its growth.

To ensure that everything is working optimally, to feel strong, energetic, and healthy do some exercise every day for at least 30 minutes, and the endorphins that come from being active will have you feeling great in no time. Exercise doesn’t need to cost anything! Frequent walks or cycling are just fine.

Being severely overweight or underweight can affect your chances of getting pregnant or put you and your baby at risk during pregnancy. See your GP to learn more about the healthiest weight for you.

Limiting Stress and Focusing on Your Wellbeing

Maintaining a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body. Medical experts are learning more about the adverse effects that stress can have on our overall wellbeing. If you are feeling more stressed than usual, take some time to reflect. If you are trying to get pregnant, it may be time to take one or two things off your plate. Talk to your GP about your stress levels and other things to help your overall wellbeing, like mental health management and sleep hygiene

Timed Intercourse

The ability to conceive naturally can be significantly aided by understanding ovulation and pinpointing your fertile window. To learn more about timed intercourse, please view the Timed Intercourse resources on our website.

Prenatal Vitamins

Prenatal vitamins can help ensure that your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to be in the best place possible to conceive naturally. Speak to your GP about your potential need to take:

• Folic Acid
• Iron
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Iodine

Your GP can advise you on the best dose and kind of vitamins for your unique needs.

Ready. Set. Baby! At Monash IVF

These fertility tips are just the beginning of oodles of information we are excited to share with you about fertility. The health experts from Monash IVF have created a unique program for those eager to learn about fertility, called Ready. Set. Baby! The information, put together by fertility specialists, will be sent to your inbox over 15 days.

To join the free program and get access to articles by reproductive health experts, go to the Ready. Set. Baby! Webpage now, and fill out the form.

We look forward to helping you begin your fertility journey!