The 4 Key Factors That Affect Your Fertility

Fertility can be a complicated affair and there is certainly some individual variation. But there are 4 main factors that affect your ability to conceive and these are often the cause of the troubles women have when they are trying to get pregnant. They are:

Fertility Factor #1: Your Fertility History

Female fertility is a complex process and every woman is individual. Your fertility is affected by so many factors, for example,

genetics,
age,
diet,
lifestyle
medical and contraceptive history
stress

All factors that are unique to you and you alone.

The first question you need to consider is, "have you been on the Birth Control Pill ("the Pill") or other form of hormonal contraception and if so, for how long?"

The Pill contains artificial hormones which inhibit ovulation and make your body unfriendly to pregnancy. If pregnancy does occur whilst you are on the Pill, the hormones affect the womb lining so the embryo is aborted.

The Pill very successfully overrides your body's natural menstrual cycle and natural hormone production. You may be having regular (breakthrough) bleeds but these should not be confused with a natural normal menstrual cycle.

When you stop taking the Pill it can take your body some time (conservatively, anywhere from 3 to 12 months) to cleanse itself of the remnants of the Pill and re-start normal natural hormone production and regular menstrual cycles again.

And the longer you've been on the Pill, the longer it may take to resume your natural, regular menstrual cycle.

So if you have recenty come off the Pill expecting to fall pregnant immediately you are probably setting yourself up for disappointment. And really, who needs that kind of extra stress.

It is worthwhile to consider the advice of many natural fertility experts who recommend that you give yourself 3 -12 months grace free from the expectation of getting pregnant to allow your body to get in prime pre-conception condition.

If you are finding it hard to wait that long... the good news is, that your CAP contains a specific pre-conception section containing positive steps to speed up the cleansing / rebalancing process.

The second question to ask yourself is "Do you experience painful periods, abnormal bleeding, very long or short cycles, endometriosis or other menstrual problems?"

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you should have them checked out as they may be an indicator of an underlying physical or hormonal imbalance.

To conceive and carry a pregnancy to full term you need to be in the best shape you can from a fertility point of view. Not all problems require major medical intervention. Many hormonal imbalances (which often accounts for cycle irregularity) can be treated quite successfully through diet, and other natural alternatives eg, acupuncture, herbalism, naturopathy.

If everything seems OK with your Fertility History in this area, then there are three other factors that may affect how quickly you get pregnant.

Fertility Factor #2: Your partner's sperm

Is he shooting blanks or firing on all cylinders? If you have been trying to conceive for a long time without success then it's worthwhile getting him checked out because up to 40% of infertility problems can be attributed to low sperm count.

Fertility Factor #3: Getting the sperm to the egg - fallopian tube health

Sometimes it's possible for a woman's cycle to be of normal length with no apparent sign that anything is amiss, and yet not get pregnant.

One factor that may be worth considering is the fallopian tube health .

The fallopian tubes are the pathways between the ovaries and the womb. The egg that is released during ovulation is released into the fallopian tube. Sperm must travel through the fallopian tube to meet the egg.

Fertilisation takes place in the fallopian tubes, then the fertilised egg travels down to the womb (uterus) before implantation.

Blockages in the fallopian tubes may be a barrier to getting pregnant as well. If the sperm cannot meet the egg, conception cannot take place.

"What if everything is physically OK?
How can I increase my chances of conception?"

If your body checks out physically with no blockages or major menstrual disorders then conception success often comes down to Fertility Factor #4 - timing.

Fertility Factor #4: Timing

Timing also plays an important part in your ability to get pregnant. And the good news is, with the right timing you can increase your chances of getting pregnant more quickly.