Conceiving a baby can happen naturally and quite quickly, or you may find you need patience and some help. However you do it, there are ways you can accelerate your preconception journey.

Have regular, unprotected sex.

This should be your top priority, to begin with! By regular we mean two-to-three times a week, and by unprotected we mean with no trace of contraception.

Time sex for your fertile window

The fertile window is typically open for a whole seven days, so plenty of time to procreate! It includes the five days leading up to ovulation, the day of ovulation, and the day after ovulation. It is important to understand your menstrual cycle when working out when your fertile window is open. You ovulate 12 to 14 days before the start of your period. We realise this information is completely useless if you don’t have regular periods. Having irregular periods does not mean you cannot work out when you ovulate (or if you are ovulating). We have some advice on identifying signs of ovulation you can read. However, it’s even more important to go to the doctor and work out why your periods are irregular, as this may give you new information about your health and fertility that could help you get pregnant faster!

Cut out smoking and alcohol.

Cutting out smoking is a bit of a no-brainer when you’re trying to conceive. It is easier said than done, we know, but there are many free resources available to support you, and you can feel proud that making this investment in your health is also an investment in your family’s future. It hopefully goes without full explanation that you should not be using illegal drugs while trying to get pregnant (or at any other time). As for alcohol, while some fertility doctors will tell you it’s fine to have a glass of wine in the evening when you’re trying to conceive, others will advise you to cut it out completely. There is some evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption can impact your chances of success with IVF, and with a process that is expensive and emotionally draining, why take risks?

You may also want to cut out caffeine, depending on how much you consume and how it affects your health. For example, while there is no established evidence that caffeine will keep you from getting pregnant, ACOG recommends reducing your consumption to 200 milligrams a day when trying to conceive. Caffeine can affect your sleep and make you more anxious, both of which disrupt your overall wellbeing. Ideally, both you and your partner should try to optimise your health and wellbeing while trying to get pregnant.

Good hygiene includes brushing up on your oral hygiene habits. Many couples don't know that poor oral health can impact your chances of conceiving and can even make reproductive technologies less likely to succeed.

Maintain good eating, exercise, and hygiene habits.

This is another no-brainer, but not always easy when you’re feeling anxious about starting a family. If you know you have problems with eating or your diet, you should speak to your GP or a registered dietitian. Some specialise in pre-pregnancy care, as well as conditions that may be restricting you, such as allergies, diabetes, or a history of eating disorders. Your partner’s diet also matters to his reproductive health, so try to enjoy eating better together. For the female partner, taking those all-important prenatal supplements is also crucial when you're trying.

Exercise-wise, the guidance can be different if you are undergoing IVF, but regular light-to-moderate intensity exercise such as walking, swimming, or yoga is recommended. Examples of high-intensity exercise include skiing, kickboxing, HIIT classes, and anything that might cause you to sustain an injury to your abdomen.

Manage stress

Stress management can become more challenging the longer you spend trying to get pregnant without anything happening. There are a variety of ways we can manage stress, from talking therapies to complementary practices like acupuncture, and pursuing the good lifestyle habits we mentioned earlier. Occasionally, and as discomfiting as it sounds, it might mean taking a break from social media or spending less time with pregnant friends. Preconception isn’t a time for self-judgement in this regard. Taking any action that prevents stress is helping you optimise your health for pregnancy.

Manage any underlying chronic conditions.

There is a large number of chronic conditions that can affect your fertility, from those you may have developed in childhood, like asthma, to those you may only discover when pregnancy becomes a priority, like polycystic ovary syndrome. If you have a chronic illness, poor management can impact your quality of life to such an extent that it’s difficult to cope or it might just leave you feeling a bit flat sometimes. Both extremes (and everything in between) need to be looked at when you’re trying to conceive a baby. If you feel your condition could be better managed, talk to your doctor about a management plan or ask about a specialist who may be able to support you further.

See your doctor.

Most couples in good health who have regular unprotected sex while the female partner is under forty will conceive in less than a year of trying. If you are a woman over 36 and have been trying to conceive for six months or more, it’s a good idea to see a doctor, and a couple in which the woman is younger than that and has been trying for more than twelve months should certainly have a check-up. We don’t mean to imply that the female partner is the only one who may have reproductive barriers; this is certainly not the case. The message of this piece is that optimising the health and wellbeing of both partners and reaching out for medical help where necessary is the fastest route to a strong, healthy pregnancy.

For more evidence-based advice on conceiving a baby, watch Unii’s Preconception Journey with Dr. Shree Datta.

How can I get pregnant faster?

Unii looks at optimising your chances of conception success as quickly as possible.