Do Get A Preconception Checkup: Before you officially start trying, get a checkup. Ask your doctor about prenatal vitamins that have folic acid, which helps protect against some birth defects, such as spina bifida. Folic acid works during the early stages of pregnancy, so that’s why it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough folic acid even before you get pregnant.

Do Get To Know Your Cycle: Ovulation is the best time to get pregnant. “This is the time to focus on having sex; it helps to become aware of the signs of ovulation, such as a change in your cervical mucus. It usually becomes thin and slippery when you are most fertile. Some women may also feel a one-sided twinge of pain.

Ovulation prediction kits can also help predict the best time to get pregnant. Here’s how it works: The first day of a woman’s menstrual period is considered day one. “Start testing on day nine and keep going until you get a positive, Women with a 28-day cycle tend to ovulate on day 14. But many women have longer or shorter cycles, so casting a wide net can help you be sure.

Be In Control (Of Your Weight): To enhance fertility, both women and men (especially women) need to maintain, or achieve a healthy body weight. Remember, though, it’s not about getting a bikini body, but about maintaining a healthy weight that allows your hormones and body to function smoothly.

Try Acupuncture: “Traditional Chinese medicine has been used for millennia to treat issues of fertility”. Acupuncture is used to treat energy (chi) imbalances in the body and helps to nourish and strengthen vital fluids and internal organs. Women often have depleted or constrained energy that causes blockages, particularly in the pelvis. Bringing the chi into balance optimizes the possibility of conception. Additionally, regular acupuncture sessions can help facilitate blood flow to the reproductive region, regulate hormones and reduce stress, which can impact a woman’s ability to conceive. Women might want to “needle” their male partners into trying acupuncture as well: Research indicates that the practice can increase sperm motility and reduce the number of abnormal sperm, upping the chances of conception.

Practice safe sex: Sexually transmitted infections — such as chlamydia and gonorrhea — are a leading cause of infertility for both men and women. Treat infections promptly and avoid multiple sexual partners.

Age Affects Fertility: Fertility starts to decline for women from about the age of 30, dropping down more steeply from the age of 35. As women grow older the likelihood of getting pregnant falls while the likelihood of infertility rises. From a purely biological perspective, it’s best to try to start a family before you’re 35 years old.

Also women aren’t the only ones who have biological clocks. Sperm movement and the number of healthy sperm might decline after age 50, affecting a man’s fertility. Some research suggests that women who become pregnant by older men have a slightly higher risk of miscarriage.

Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes: Most of these lifestyle changes are things one should be doing to improve overall health anyway; Quit smoking, Steer clear of illegal drugs, Limit alcohol and caffeine intake.