1. Plan for a healthy pregnancy
When you’re trying to conceive, eat nutritious foods, maintain a healthy weight, get regular exercise, and try to kick the bad habits (like drinking, smoking, or using drugs).
Limit your caffeine intake to less than 200 milligrams a day (about 12 ounces of coffee).
To take any more than that may contribute to fertility problems.
At your preconception appointment, discuss any medications you’re taking and find out if they’ll be safe to use during the pregnancy.
The risk of certain birth defects can be reduced, by taking folic acid at least 1 month before you start trying to conceive.
2. Have sex at the right time
Once you know the timeframe when your egg is likely to be released from your ovary, you can plan to have sex during your most fertile days, which is usually about 3 days before ovulation through the day you ovulate (release an egg from your ovary).
You have a range of days for baby-making sex because sperm can survive for about 2 to 6 days in your body.
(And your egg survives for only about a day.)
If you have sex e.g on Monday, your sperm can survive in your fallopian tubes until Thursday or even as late as Sunday.
If you’re not sure when your fertile period will be, just have sex every other day.
Then you’ll have healthy sperm in your fallopian tubes whenever your egg gets released.
(And if you want to have sex more often than every other day, so that’s fine. It won’t improve your chances anymore, but it will not hurt, either.)
3. Figure out when you ovulate
The biggest secret to getting pregnant soon or quickly is knowing when you ovulate (release an egg from your ovary).
You ovulate only once each menstrual cycle, and there are just a few days during that time when it’s possible to conceive.
Try to Know when you ovulate means that you and your partner can time intercourse to have the best chance of getting pregnant that cycle.
(If you have irregular periods, pinpointing ovulation could be difficult. Ask your provider for advice.)
4. See your healthcare provider
Lay the groundwork for a healthy pregnancy even before you get pregnant.
You’re more likely to have a successful and good pregnancy when your body is up to the task.
And schedule a preconception checkup with a doctor or midwife to find out whether you’re in your best baby-making condition – and to learn what changes may help.
5. Give sperm a boost
Sperm has the best shot of fertilizing an egg when they’re healthy, strong, and plentiful. Your partner can do several things to help you:
Cut back on alcohol. Studies show that drinking daily can lower testosterone levels and sperm counts, increasing the number of abnormal sperm.
Skip the tobacco and recreational drugs. These can cause poor sperm function.
Try to maintain a healthy weight. Obesity can lower sperm count and slow down sperm.
Get enough of certain key nutrients – like zinc, folic acid, calcium, and vitamins C and D – that help create strong and plentiful sperm.
Don’t use hot tubs and saunas or take hot baths because heat kills the sperm. (Use 94 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit, a couple of degrees cooler than normal body temperature.)
The sooner your partner can make these changes, the better:
Sperm takes a while to mature, and any improvements now will yield better sperm specimens about 3 months from now.