Tips for getting Pregnant

From ABC: Trying to have a baby can often be trying for some couples. Millions of women will give birth this year, but Dr. Michael Randell says getting pregnant isn't always so easy. He said, "The statistics are against you. You only have a 15% chance of conceiving each month. About 85% of patients will conceive within the first year of trying."

Randell says certain lifestyle changes before conception may help improve a woman's fertility and get her body ready for pregnancy. If you're smoking, that can affect fertility both for the male, as well as the female. Using any drugs can also affect fertility. You can maximize your chance of conceiving if you look at the calendar and figure out when it is that you are ovulating.

Experts also recommend eating a healthy diet and exercising, losing weight to help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, taking a folic acid supplement to prevent birth defects and making sure immunizations are up to date to lower the risk of infection while pregnant. Randell also tells his patients to relax.

If you haven't been successful in 12 months of trying, it's time to then seek help. An obstetrician can perform basic fertility tests. In more complicated cases, a woman may be referred to a reproductive endocrinologist.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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