Fertility
Trying to Conceive Naturally? Here’s What You Need to Know
Eloise Edington | 5 Nov 2021
Have you been TTC naturally for a while but conception just isn’t happening? Fertility Help Hub has sought all the relevant information you need to help you conceive faster, including holistic treatments and conception aids by twoplus.
Words by Katherine Compton
Ovulation Tracking
Ovulation is a part of your menstrual cycle that lasts between 12-24 hours, during which, an egg is released by one of the ovaries and is ready for fertilisation. When TTC naturally, you may wish to track your ovulation so that you know what time of the month you are most fertile. You can track your ovulation by:
The calendar method (if your cycles are regular). This involves tracking your menstrual cycle and jotting down the days you menstruate on a calendar to calculate where ovulation may fall within your cycle.
Tracking your basal body temperature (BBT) with a thermometer daily, the moment you wake up. Make a note of the results. There will be a slight temperature increase when you are ovulating. Other options for measuring your BBT are using a tracking device, typically worn at night. This may be a more convenient solution.
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Checking your cervical mucus. twoplus’s free E-book guide to conceiving naturally demonstrates how to check your cervical mucus and identify when ovulation is occurring. Your cervical mucus will become slippery, clear and thin when you are ovulating.
Testing your hormones. The production of our fertility hormones, such as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone increases when ovulation occurs. There are some devices which can follow your hormone pattern for accurate ovulation information.
Conception Aids
Conception aids and products can help those who are struggling to conceive naturally but need a little boost. The twoplus sperm guide works to bring sperm closer to the cervix while protecting it from harmful vaginal fluids. This much less invasive alternative to medical intervention and treatment can be incorporated into your methods of TTC naturally.
What makes the twoplus sperm guide so special is that it can prevent semen flow back, increasing the odds of conception. Due to semen flow back and other factors, less than 1% of sperm reaches the egg.
For couples who are struggling with fertility there needs to be an intervention here to increase sperm quantity and the odds of conceiving (see also ‘supplement health’ below).
The twoplus sperm guide will open once ejaculation has occurred to ensure that:
- The sperm is held closer to the cervix – shortening the length of the journey for the sperm
- Semen flowback is prevented to keep quantity and success rates high
- The sperm is protected from the harmful acidity of the vaginal canal
- The sperm is given more time to fertilise the egg. While an egg has a limited window to be fertilised, sperm can survive inside the cervix for five days, during which time fertilisation can still occur. By keeping the sperm inside the cervix for longer, you will be increasing the odds of fertilisation and conception.
Fertility Supplements
Taking prenatals (such as Beli fertility supplements) is a great way to improve the quality and health of your eggs or sperm. It’s also important to improve your diet to increase your nutrient intake and take fertility supplements to ensure your body properly absorbs these nutrients.
Be aware that vitamins that are primarily useful for fertility health can be compressed into one convenient supplement.
Beli is a supplement brand offering prenatal vitamins for all intended parents. They also use all of the vitamins your body needs to boost fertility in their prenatals. Beli supplements also contain a few unique extras like Shilajit, which is a natural energy enhancer for men and sperm.
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Below is a list of vitamins and what they can do to improve fertility:
- Vitamin C – improves sperm quality and speed
- Zinc – protects sperm growth, speed and quality
- Folate – protects sperm growth and quality. Folate can also prevent spinal and tubal issues for the foetus and may help to prevent miscarriage
- Vitamin D and E – can help with better egg penetration for when the sperm needs to fertilise the egg. Vitamin D can also help with oestrogen production for those who menstruate
- CoQ10 – can increase sperm count and growth, as well as helping sperm swim faster. It can also help with egg growth and health
- DHA – can help with foetal, brain and visual development of an embryo
Diet
Maintaining a healthy diet while TTC can be an effective way to improve your fertility without medical intervention. Natural ingredients offer beneficial nutrients which you could include into your weekly meal prep.
- Legumes, such as beans or lentils, contain folic acid which can improve conception rates and healthy embryo growth.
- Citrus fruits and berries that are high in Vitamin C and folic acid can help with foetal development. Some fruits like berries have antioxidant properties, which are great for egg and sperm health.
- Avocados aren’t just a hot diet trend, they are also rich in Vitamin K, folate, and potassium. Among the many benefits that these nutrients can offer, they encourage better vitamin absorption and early pregnancy support.
- Walnuts have also been known to improve overall sperm health which includes motility, morphology and quality.
- Eating a diet that consists primarily of home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients like fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, healthy fats like salmon, avocado and olive oil can improve your fertility and help with conception results and foetal development.
Fertility Exercise
Maintaining a moderately active exercise regime can also improve fertility. Those who are regularly active (using moderate exercises) have been known to conceive faster than those who don’t. Below are some great examples of moderate exercises that you could try to fit into your daily routine for better conception rates:
Walking – It is low risk and walking can still get your heart pumping and blood flowing! 30 minutes a day should suffice as your daily dose of walking, which you can incorporate into day-to-day activities.
Running – is another low risk and moderate exercise. However, if you have a tendency to overdo it, perhaps avoid this one as it has been known to affect menstrual cycles in those who over-exert themselves when exercising. If you notice a change to your cycle, perhaps consider reducing your running time during the TTC stage of your fertility journey.
Fertility yoga – is a brilliant exercise for fertility and conception. Fertility yoga is low risk but pro conception as it encourages blood flow to the reproductive organs and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Fertility yoga may also help with any mental and emotional difficulties that fertility struggles may cause.
Swimming – is a great, low-level exercise that is good for your lungs, your overall physical health and even your immune system. Healing the immune system can help to reboot your nervous system which can reduce stress, anxiety and managing fight or flight responses. How does this correlate with improved fertility? All of the above conditions, if left unaddressed can cause oxidative stress which has been known to damage the reproductive system. Improving these conditions will in turn improve your fertility.
Sleep Hygiene
Making sure you get a healthy amount of sleep and sticking to a sleeping schedule can be a game-changer for fertility. Throughout the day, the stress we feel can build up in our bodies; sleeping helps to wash away and break down our daily stresses through the production of melatonin. What’s more is melatonin can enhance egg quality, encourage the adequate production of fertility hormones, support embryo development and even help with implantation success.
It is recommended by leading sleep expert and neuroscientist Matthew Walker that we aim for eight hours of undisturbed sleep per night. Try to put down the electronics an hour before bed, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and practise calming techniques before bed such as meditation. Other methods of relaxation can include: a warm bath, a cup of warm hot chocolate (or decaffeinated beverage of your choice) and reading a book before settling down for the night.
Ensure that the room is dimly lit or dark for a better night’s sleep. If possible, avoid using the bedroom for anything besides sleep (or sex), i.e. if you are currently working remotely from home due to the pandemic, it would be best to work at a table or desk in another room. Otherwise, you may associate stressful tasks or productivity with your bedroom and may struggle to relax and unwind.
Avoid Toxins
Beauty, skincare and haircare products can impact your fertility if they are full of harmful toxins otherwise referred to as endocrine disruptors. Try to swap out any products that contain the ‘big bad eight’ for natural alternatives. The same goes for plastic food containers. Swap these out for some glass alternatives.
Cigarettes, smoking of any kind and alcohol consumption can have a negative impact on egg and sperm health. Cutting back on (or altogether quitting) some of these habits will not only help to improve your fertility (and chances of a successful conception) but also better your overall health and wellbeing.
If you would like to purchase a twoplus conception guide with 30% off, then use code FHH30 at checkout.
For discounted Beli (science-backed fertility supplements), click here for 15% off at checkout.
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