Conception: ten things you can do to improve your chances

If you want to make a baby and nothing’s happening, you may be able to improve the odds of conception with a bit of self-help. Problems relating to fertilisation often aren't as troublesome as you'd think...

Medical problems preventing pregnancy can stretch across the board from low sperm count, inadequate sperm mobility, abnormally shaped sperm to congested veins in the testicles.

Before you consider IVF and other complex, expensive processes, try these simpler, cheaper ideas

Female problems often relate to ovulation (without which, eggs are not available for fertilisation) and blocked fallopian tubes (so the egg can’t travel through them).

Don’t despair. Your partner may still be able to fall pregnant through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) – various procedures where eggs are fertilised outside the womb, or through other methods of assisted reproduction.

But often help is closer at hand, and a lot easier than you'd think. Here's some ideas...

One. Timing

She’ll only get pregnant if you have sex within a six-day window before and during ovulation. Your best chance (33 percent average) is on the day of ovulation.

Two. Holidays

Emotional stress has profound effects – interfering with the hormone GnRH to reduce sperm counts. Ways of alleviating stress range from regular exercise to longer holidays (when you’re also likely to have more sex).

Three. Alcohol

Heavy drinking (more than six units per day) can lower your sperm count and prompt sluggish sperm mobility and poor sperm morphology (head and tail defects). Recent research suggests even moderate alcohol consumption can kill off sperm producing cells in the testicles.

Four. Weight loss

Excess body fat is a significant cause of low male sperm counts. A recent major epidemiological study found that a 20-pound increase in a man’s weight increased the chance for infertility by ten percent.

Five. Cigarettes and spliffs

Smoking tobacco impairs sperm mobility, reduces their lifespan, and lowers male sex drive. Smoking cannabis appears to reduce the number and quality of sperm temporarily – by as much as 50 per cent if you’re a regular. It can also impair their ability to swim and penetrate the egg.

• Smoking, drinking or drug taking? Where to get help

Six. Other drugs

Men who use cocaine, ecstasy or heroin tend to have lower sperm counts, abnormally-shaped sperm and reduced libido, as do anabolic steroid users. These mimic testosterone, reducing natural testosterone production – prompting decreased sperm production, more abnormal sperm, atrophy of the testicles and erectile dysfunction.

Seven. Bicycle seats

Regular cycling can reduce fertility and impotence can be caused by pressure from the bike seat on the perineum (between scrotum and anus) - potentially damaging nerves and blood vessels responsible for erections. A seat with a hole in the middle helps.

Eight. No hot baths

Overheated testicles temporarily lower sperm counts. So, if you want her to conceive, don’t take a sauna or hot bath before leaping into bed.

Nine. Fruit and veg

Anti-oxidants found in leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, grapes, watermelon and oranges help prevent sperm from becoming sluggish. Deficiencies in vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium and folate, may be implicated in infertility.

Ten. Oysters

Old wives tale to be sure, but this one is for real. Oysters are full of zinc, which assists the production of semen and testosterone.

Author

Gavin Evans is a father of two daughters - aged 17 and 13 - and lives in North London. 15 years ago he changed gear from being a full-time reporter to full-time parent and part-time journalist. His writing on issues affecting fathers has been published in a wide range of publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Men's Health, Cosmopolitan, The Times and The New Statesman. He has written five books on sport, a chapter on men in Your Pregnancy Bible and is completing his first screenplay. Gavin also regularly posts blogs at www.gavinevans.net.

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