My Fertility Health and When Should I Seek Help?

How can I improve my fertility health?

Here are some general advice to improve your fertility and optimise your pre-conceptual care:

Achieving your ideal BMI	Being overweight or obese (Body Mass Index (BMI) >25kg/m²) reduces fertility and often affects ovulation Being underweight (BMI <19kg/m²) may also result in irregular menstruation resulting in reduced fertility
Healthy diet	Eating a healthy balanced diet rich in vitamin-rich fruits and leafy greens as well as fibre-rich foods such as whole grains and nuts containing mono-unsaturated fats will help to ensure the body is in optimum condition for conception and pregnancy
Exercise	Increasing physical activity and losing weight to achieve a BMI between 19-25kg/m² can help to increase the chance of conception and improve overall well-being
Alcohol	For women trying to get pregnant, the safest advice is to not drink alcohol at all. However, if you do drink, limit it to no more than 2 units of alcohol per week and avoid binge drinking in order to reduce risk of harm to the developing foetus Alcohol has also been shown to be affect sperm quality
Smoking	Both active and passive smoking have been associated with reduced fertility in women It may also reduce semen quality in men
Caffeine intake	There is no consistent evidence of association of consumption of caffeinated beverages with fertility problems General advice is to consume in moderation
Occupation	Exposure to occupational hazards can reduce both male and female fertility If you are concerned about potential hazards, seek advice from your doctor
Folic acid	Recommended dose of folic acid is 400mcg (0.4mg) per day prior to conception up to 12 weeks gestation. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects A higher dose of 5mg is recommended for women with a previous history of having a baby affected by neural tube defects or for women who have medical problems like diabetes or epilepsy on medications or have a BMI of more than 30.