FOR some people, getting pregnant can be hard going.
The tracking of periods, constant planning and the disappointment of not having two lines on the tests can be tough.
Now one fertility doctor has revealed the six simple tips you need to know to help you get pregnant.
Taking to Instagram Natalia Crawford, who's an expert at Fora Fertility Clinic in Texas said the advice applies whether you want to get pregnant now, or later down the line.
She said: "Your period and your fertility can be impacted by the world around you and these tips can help you preserve your fertility and Improve your egg quality-both now and later.
"If you want to be pregnant now, or someday-then learn about your body and lifestyle so you can optimise your fertility."
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1. STUB IT OUT
The first thing to note, she said, is that you shouldn't be smoking cigarettes or marijuana.
Dr Crawford explained: "Smoking cigarettes for a long time has been studied and we know that it decreases the number of eggs that you have.
"Now, very few things cause your eggs to run out early."
She added that smoking causes both poor egg quality and an increase in egg abnormalities.
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"The biggest thing that we see is that you have lower ovarian reserve and you have a decreased chance to get pregnancy each month.
"You also go into menopause earlier", she said.
When it comes to marijuana, she said while this has been less studied, various papers have shown that there has been impaired ovulation, an impaired luteal phase and a decrease in embryo development in patients using the substance.
2. LIMIT PLASTICS
She said you should limit plastics as these can increase abnormality in your eggs.
The guru explained that you shouldn't be drinking water out of plastics or heating up plastics in the microwave or the dishwasher.
"Those plastics contact endocrine disrupting chemicals or EDCS (Endocrine-disrupting chemicals) that can disrupt how our brain and our ovaries make hormones."
Instead of drinking out of plastics, she advised to drink out of glass, stainless steel or aluminium.
She also explained that you shouldn't be putting plastics near anywhere they can heat up as this will cause chemicals to come out of them.
3. PROTECT YOURSELF
The third thing you must do, the expert said, is to protect yourself from sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
"No one wants to go out and get one. But you need to think about condom usage to prevent STIs.
"Chlamydia has a huge impact on the fallopian tubes. Meaning if you've had it in the past, even a mild infection, where you had antibiotics, then it can permanently damage your tubes and lead you to have IVF in the future," she said.
If you've already had the STI, she said it's worth going to have a test to check if your tubes have been damaged by the infection.
4. LIMIT PROCESSED FOODS
Dr Crawford said you should also limit how much processed food you consume.
She said: "Specifically processed meat or refined foods. We know in embryo development studies that the more servings of red and processed meat someone took in an IVF cycle, that they had poor embryo development throughout it.
"It shouldn't be something you consume every day and I usually tell my patients they can have it just once a week if they are trying to get pregnant."
She added that often, these foods are wrapped in plastic and can contain refined sugars.
These, she said, can disrupt your insulin cycle, which in turn may have an impact on ovulation.
"Really look at your diet, focus on whole grains and beware of processed meat," she added.
5. PAY ATTENTION
While you might think you should try and power through your visit from Aunt Flo, Dr Crawford said you should pay attention to your period.
She said if your period is off, then it's telling you something.
However, she added that if you are using birth control like the pill, your period isn't always a good indicator.
Dr Crawford said if you want to get pregnant, you should come off your contraception six months before you plan on getting pregnant.
This way, she said your period can 'reveal itself' and you can start tracking it to work out what is normal for you.
If you notice too much variation then you should see your GP.
"It's telling you something about how your body is working and you need to know," she added.
Dr Crawford said that your period can, in some instances be an indicator of how high or low your ovarian reserve is.
6. AGE MATTERS
Lastly, Dr Crawford said to not ignore your age.
"Age is still the number of prediction of success when it comes to fertility treatment," she said.
She added that people can get pregnant when they are older, however, this is not common.
"When you're 40 and you're trying to get pregnant, your chance of pregnancy each month is about five per cent.
"When you're younger it's closer to 20 per cent a month and that's a huge difference."
She said it's great if you've put this on hold for career prospects, but said you should evaluate if you want more children, then you should think about starting a family earlier.
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Dr Crawford said even if you're healthy then nothing can overcome age.
It's important to note that her videos are medical education and if you need advice or you're struggling with fertility, then you should see your GP.
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