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How Can I Improve My Chances of Getting Pregnant?

Struggling with fertility can be a complex and emotionally challenging journey for many. Understanding what influences reproductive health and using that knowledge to make informed lifestyle choices can help increase your chances of conceiving.

There are many effective strategies to boost your fertility and increase the chances of conception for those trying to start or expand their families. From lifestyle adjustments to medical insights, we'll cover a range of tips for both men and women aimed at optimizing your reproductive health and improving the likelihood of pregnancy.

Improving Fertility Tips for Men

Optimizing sperm health is essential for increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy. Here are some detailed strategies to enhance male fertility and improve sperm quality:

• ‍Prioritize Nutrient-Rich Foods: A well-balanced diet is important for overall health, including reproductive function. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your meals. These nutrient-rich foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support sperm production and motility. ‍
• Focus on Antioxidants: Antioxidants help protect sperm from oxidative stress and DNA damage that naturally occurs as you age. Include foods rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C (found in citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers), vitamin E (found in nuts, seeds, and leafy greens), and selenium (found in Brazil nuts, fish, and eggs) in your diet. ‍
• Maintain a Healthy Weight: Obesity can negatively impact sperm quality and fertility. Aim to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through regular exercise and a balanced diet. This can improve hormone levels, sperm count, and motility, and in turn, increase the likelihood of conception. ‍
• Avoid Harmful Substances: Habits like smoking, alcohol consumption, and recreational drug use can have detrimental effects on sperm health. Quitting smoking and moderating alcohol intake can significantly improve sperm quality and reproductive function. Exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants can also damage sperm health, so it’s important to take steps to avoid or mitigate their impact through protective measures.
• ‍Practice Stress Management: Chronic stress can affect hormone levels and sperm production. Incorporate stress-reduction techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises into your daily routine. Engaging in your hobbies, spending time outdoors, and prioritizing relaxation can also help alleviate stress and support overall well-being.
• Consider Supplements: In some cases, taking supplements may be beneficial for improving sperm health. Talk to your doctor about options such as folate supplements, which can help improve sperm count and motility.
• Maintain Testicular Health: Taking care of your testicular health is essential for optimal sperm production. Avoid prolonged exposure to high temperatures, such as hot baths, saunas, or tight-fitting underwear, which can impair sperm production. Practice good hygiene and conduct regular self-examinations to detect any abnormalities or changes in your testicles.

Improving Fertility Tips for Women

Women play a pivotal role in the conception process, and maintaining your reproductive health is essential for increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy. Here are some ways you can take care of your body to help your journey:

• ‍Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight: A healthy weight is important when you are trying to conceive, as both obesity and being underweight can negatively impact your fertility. Aim to achieve a balanced weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise. Consult with a doctor or registered dietitian to develop a personalized plan that supports hormonal balance and fertility. ‍
• Focus on Balanced Nutrition: Sticking to a balanced diet rich in essential nutrients is important for supporting your reproductive health. Include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your meals. Incorporate foods high in antioxidants, such as berries, leafy greens, and nuts, to protect your eggs from oxidative damage and support your overall fertility.
• Monitor and Track Menstrual Cycles: Understanding your menstrual cycle and identifying the fertile window can help optimize the timing for conception. Utilize methods like body temperature charting, ovulation predictor kits, or smartphone apps to track ovulation and figure out your most fertile days. Having unprotected sex during this fertile window maximizes your chances of successful conception.
• Manage Stress Levels: Chronic stress can impact your fertility by affecting hormonal balance and ovulation, making it more difficult to conceive. Finding stress-reduction techniques you can use in your daily routine, such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and deep breathing exercises, can help lower your baseline stress levels. Prioritize self-care activities that promote relaxation and emotional well-being.
• Support Hormonal Balance: Hormonal imbalances can interfere with ovulation and the regularity of your period, affecting fertility. Consider lifestyle changes that support hormonal balance, such as limiting exposure to chemicals – such as BPAs, phthalates, and parabens – found in certain plastics, cosmetics, and household products. Consult with a healthcare provider to address any underlying hormonal issues and explore treatment options if necessary.
• Avoid Tobacco and Limit Alcohol Intake: Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can negatively impact fertility and reduce the chances of successful conception. Quitting smoking and moderating alcohol intake can improve reproductive health and support hormonal balance. Avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke is also important.

By implementing these strategies and making positive lifestyle changes, you can boost your reproductive health and increase your chances of successful conception. Remember that optimizing fertility is a collaborative effort between partners, and open communication and support are key throughout the fertility journey.

Emotional Well-Being During Infertility: Supportive Strategies and Resources

Coping with fertility struggles can be emotionally taxing for individuals and couples alike. The journey to parenthood is often filled with uncertainty, disappointment, and stress, making it essential to prioritize emotional well-being and seek support during this time.

• ‍Acknowledge and Validate Your Feelings: It's normal to experience a range of emotions when facing fertility challenges, including sadness, frustration, anger, and anxiety. Allow yourself to acknowledge and validate these feelings without judgment. Recognize that it's okay to grieve the loss of the vision you had for starting or expanding your family. ‍
• Communicate Openly with Your Loved Ones: Open communication is essential for navigating the challenges of infertility if you are navigating it with a partner. Share your thoughts, feelings, and concerns with your partner openly and honestly. Create a safe space where you can express your emotions without fear of judgment or criticism. Together, you can support each other through the ups and downs of the fertility journey. ‍
• Seek Support from Friends and Family: Lean on your support network of friends and family members. Share your journey with trusted loved ones who can offer emotional support, encouragement, and a listening ear. Having a supportive network can provide comfort and strength during difficult times. ‍
• Join Support Groups or Online Communities: Connecting with others who are going through similar experiences can be incredibly empowering. Consider joining a local support group for individuals or couples dealing with infertility, or participate in online communities and forums where you can share experiences, ask questions, and offer support to others. Connecting with peers who understand the challenges firsthand can provide validation, encouragement, and a sense of belonging. ‍
• Consider Professional Counseling: Seeking support from a qualified therapist or counselor who specializes in infertility can be invaluable. Therapy offers a safe and confidential space to explore your emotions, learn coping strategies, and develop resilience in the face of adversity. A trained therapist can help you navigate the complexities of infertility, process difficult emotions, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. ‍
• Practice Self-Care and Stress Management: Taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally is crucial during the fertility journey. Prioritize self-care activities that promote relaxation, stress reduction, and emotional well-being. Engage in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment, whether it's practicing yoga, spending time in nature, indulging in hobbies, or pampering yourself with a massage or spa day.
• Stay Informed and Advocate for Yourself: Educate yourself about infertility, treatment options, and reproductive health. Empower yourself with knowledge so that you can make informed decisions and advocate for your needs and preferences. Being proactive in your healthcare and treatment decisions can help you feel more in control and empowered during the fertility journey.

Coping with infertility will have its ups and downs, and it's okay to seek support and assistance along the way when you need it. Navigating fertility challenges requires patience, resilience, and a comprehensive approach that addresses both physical and emotional aspects of reproductive health. By understanding the factors that influence fertility and making informed lifestyle choices, you can increase your chances of conception and realize your dream of starting or expanding your family.  

If you are facing challenges conceiving, know that you are not alone. At RGI, our compassionate staff and state-of-the-art care are here to support you on your journey to parenthood. With personalized treatment plans and expert guidance, you can overcome obstacles and embark on the path to building your family with confidence and optimism.

Just how common is infertility? About 10 percent of American women (6.1 million) between the ages of 15 and 44 have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Consider the delicate processes that must go right for pregnancy to occur:

• The woman’s body must release an egg from one of her ovaries (ovulation).
• The egg must travel through a fallopian tube toward the uterus (womb).
• Male sperm must join with (fertilize) the egg along the way.
• The fertilized egg must attach to the inside of the uterus (implantation).

A problem during any of these steps can result in infertility.

The most common causes of infertility in women

For women, infertility is largely rooted in ovulation problems. Without normal ovulation (due to irregular or absent menstrual periods), there are no eggs to be fertilized.

Ovulation problems are often caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This hormone imbalance, which can interfere with normal ovulation, is the most common cause of female infertility. Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is another disruptor of regular ovulation. POI occurs when a woman’s ovaries stop working normally before she is 40, but POI is not the same as early menopause.

Other, less common causes of female fertility problems include:

• Fallopian tube blockages from pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis or surgery for an ectopic pregnancy.
• Physical problems with the uterus.
• Uterine fibroids, which are non-cancerous clumps of tissue and muscle on the walls of the uterus.

Common causes of infertility in men                                                            

Men can be born with problems that affect sperm. In other cases, problems begin later in life due to illness or injury. For example, cystic fibrosis can trigger infertility in men. However, male infertility is more commonly linked to:

• A condition called varicocele, in which the veins on the testicle(s) are too large. This raises the temperature in the testicles, which affects the number or shape of the sperm.
• Producing too few sperm or none at all.

Leading edge, experienced fertility care is close to home                      

For more than 25 years, Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility has been at the forefront of fertility services in Ohio. While we know that millions of couples struggle to start a family, to us, you’re the only parents-to-be in the world. Our fellowship-trained, board-certified physicians tune in to your journey, creating individualized, advanced treatment plans designed to make your dreams of a baby come true. And with locations in Columbus, Akron, Canton and Youngstown, we strive to make your care as accessible as possible.

To schedule an appointment, call us today at 866-537-2461 or use our convenient online form to request an appointment.

Approximately five million people, or 1 in 10 couples, have problems with fertility. Though it is commonly believed that infertility is a woman’s problem, it is actually a commonly shared issue between both men and women. In fact, about one third of infertility cases treated in the United States are associated with male infertility.

4 effective ways to maintain a man’s fertility

Though many men may not realize it, the food they eat, the beverages they drink, and other lifestyle choices significantly affect the quality of their sperm. Here are easy, effective ways to maintain a man’s fertility:

• Eat a healthy diet
  Men who eat a regular diet of whole grains, fruits and green leafy vegetables tend to have more numerous and more motile sperm. Antioxidants can help protect sperm DNA from damage and boost a man’s fertility.
• Get in shape
  Being overweight reduces sperm quality. Obesity may be equally to blame in reducing a man’s fertility and the overall health of the embryo, which may affect the success of assisted reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization.
• Get enough rest
  Sleep affects a man’s fertility by impacting his testosterone levels. Optimal sleep for fertility is between 7 and 8 hours a night.
• Quit smoking
  Men who smoke may have less sperm motility than non-smokers.

If you have made these important lifestyle changes and are still unable to conceive, you may want to talk to your doctor about the fertility treatments available to you and your partner.

Artificial reproductive therapy can help you conceive

For cases of male infertility, Reproductive Gynecology & Fertility offers intrauterine or “artificial” insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Once the eggs are retrieved from the female as part of the IVF treatment, one of our highly skilled embryologists will select a single healthy sperm and inject it directly into the egg. This process, known as ICSI, effectively fertilizes the egg. After a brief incubation period, the embryo is then transferred to the woman’s uterus. The female’s hormone levels and embryo are then monitored very closely through the first trimester to ensure success.

If you and your partner are struggling with infertility, the reproductive specialists at Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility offer complete fertility services in Columbus, Canton, Youngstown and Akron. If you’d like to know if IVF with ICSI is right for you, call 866-537-2461.

To some people, conceiving, carrying and giving birth to a healthy child may seem routine. But for women who are facing cancer, having a baby is much more complicated. Cancer treatments can disrupt the process of conception and affect a woman’s ability to have children.

If you’ve yet to begin cancer treatment, talk with your doctor about fertility. Different treatments can have different effects, but there may be ways to save or protect your fertility before, and possibly even during treatment.

Cancer and fertility: Things to consider

Before moving forward with fertility-saving treatment, your physician must try to answer the following questions:

• Has the cancer spread?
• Is there a high risk of the cancer returning to the same areas or organs?
• Is pursuing a time-consuming method to preserve fertility going to delay treatment of a fast-growing cancer?
• What are the chances of success? (Most fertility procedures are less successful for women over age 40.)

Cancer and fertility: Options you may have

When it comes to starting or continuing to build your family, you do have choices. In fact, you and your doctor may attempt to preserve your fertility by using more than one option. These may include:

• Freezing sperm for men
• IVF to freeze embryos
• Egg freezing (stimulating the ovaries to retrieve mature eggs)
• Surrogacy
• Surgery

Helping you overcome every obstacle to fertility

At Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility, we’ve been helping couples bring children into their lives for more than 25 years. If cancer has interrupted your plans to have a baby, our experienced physicians will explore every option with you, including fertility preservation in Canton, Akron, Columbus, and Youngstown, Ohio.

Surgery is one of the most successful methods for correcting infertility due to cancer treatments or other challenges. Our surgeons expertly and gently perform a range of procedures, including minimally invasive laparoscopic and microscopic surgical techniques, which can shorten both down time and recovery time. To learn more, reach out today. Our caring, dedicated team of specialists is here to put their whole hearts and minds into making pregnancy and parenthood possible.

To schedule an appointment, call 866-537-2461 or use our convenient online form to request an appointment.

Coping with infertility can be a difficult, isolating experience. But it is important to remember you’re not alone. Approximately 1 in 6 couples in the United States struggle with some type of infertility. And, while it may be surprising to learn, nearly 30 percent of infertility cases are related to male factor issues. But the good news is there are plenty of options available to help you achieve the family of your dreams.

Diagnosing male factor infertility

Diagnosing male infertility typically includes:

• General physical exam and medical history
• Semen analysis

Common causes of male factor infertility

Here are the most common factors that can contribute to male infertility:

• Structural abnormalities
  This may include abnormalities or blockages along the reproductive tract due to a birth defect, injury or illness.
• Sperm production disorders
  Defects in sperm quality (morphology) or quantity.
• Sperm motility issues
  Poor sperm motility means the sperm can’t swim properly, which decreases their chances of fertilizing the egg.
• Ejaculatory disorders
  A condition in which it takes an extended period of sexual ejaculation for men to reach sexual climax and release semen.
• Immunologic disorders
  This disorder causes the immune system to attack sperm.

What are the treatment options for male factor infertility?

In some cases, your doctor may recommend assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) or the use of donor sperm. For couples where both male and female factor infertility are an issue, your doctor may recommend donor embryos.

If you and your partner have been trying to conceive for at least 12 consecutive months (6 months for women aged over 35), it’s time to see a specialized reproductive endocrinologist. The caring doctors at Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility can diagnose and treat male factor infertility in Columbus, Akron, Canton and Youngstown. Call 866-537-2461 to get the answers you need.