Weird And Wonderful Ways to Improve Your Chances of Conception

From having sex on the penis of a chalk giant to ensuring your partner doesn't put his laptop on his lap (lest he harm his little swimmers), theories abound on ways you can improve your chances of conception. Most couples want to conceive sooner than later, but what measures can you take together to increase the chances of seeing those two blue lines appear in the window?

Here, we look at the practical, the strange, and the bizarre ideas that could help you increase your chances of conceiving.

Have more sex

Research has shown a 15% chance of conception for couples who have sex once a week rises to a whopping 50% chance of conception for couples who have sex four times a week. More sex equals higher quality sperm. Its quality starts to drop after three sex-free days. Normally, that doesn't matter. But it might make all the difference if you're trying to conceive.

Work out Your Fertile Window

If it isn't practical for you to be at it like a pair of jackrabbits throughout your cycle, work out your fertile window. The fertile window is the six-day period when conception is most likely to occur and ends on the day of ovulation. You are most likely to get pregnant three days before you ovulate.

You can work out your fertile window by calculating that ovulation occurs fourteen days before your period, or track ovulation using the ovulation tests available in every pharmacy.

Be a Healthy Weight

Both men and women should be a healthy weight if they want to conceive. Research has shown a twofold increase in time taken to conceive in women with a BMI above 25. Even worse, underweight women (with a BMI of below 19) took four times longer to conceive. Overweight men also have lower-quality sperm, meaning it may take their partner longer to conceive.

Protect His Swimmers

Male sperm quality could be affected by keeping a cell phone in his pant pocket and by using a computer on his lap. The increased heat could harm the long-term motility of his sperm. So make him use a table for his laptop, and have him keep his phone in a shirt pocket.

Cut Caffeine

Men and women should both restrict caffeine consumption to just 250mg a day (one cappuccino, in some coffee shops). Higher levels of caffeine (just 500mg) are enough to reduce your chance of conception.

Cut Alcohol

Swedish researchers have discovered that just two alcoholic beverages a day reduced fertility by 60%. So cut down the booze. Heck, you'll have to give it up anyway, when you're pregnant.

Give up Smoking

Smoking damages the uterus' receptivity to the egg, and reduces sperm production. Smoking also damages the DNA in your partner's sperm. So it's recommended that you quit smoking. You'll have to give it up when you're pregnant, anyway; smoking while pregnant increases the risk of miscarriage and of giving birth to an unhealthy, low birth-weight baby.

Eat Right

While we all know we should eat right when we're pregnant, the evidence suggests that eating the following foods could boost the chances of conception:

• Beans: boosting zinc levels, which may be responsible for low fertility and poor egg-health
• Bananas: full of hormone-regulating Vitamin B6
• Citrus fruits: full of Vitamin C, necessary for sperm motility
• Spinach: full of Folate, which improves dysfunctional ovulation and makes sperm healthier
• Salmon: full of Omega-3 Fatty-Acids, necessary for sperm maturation
• Ice cream: Full-fat ice-cream protects against ovulatory infertility (where you don't ovulate)

READ Trying to Conceive? Best Tips for Getting Pregnant

These methods are all aimed at putting your body (and your partner's) in the best physical condition it can be before you conceive a child. Some of the upcoming methods are a little unconventional, but - if you have tried everything else - they may be just what you're looking for.

The Strange and Simply-Bizarre Methods of Aiding Conception

Wear Your Socks in Bed

Odd, but true, some women swear that both parties wearing their socks to bed has helped them conceive. It may be because keeping your feet warm helps keep the blood flowing. It is suggested that poor circulation may harm fertility in both men and women, so there may be some logic here. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to try it.

Snack on a Whole Pineapple

Eating a whole pineapple over the five days following ovulation may aid conception. This is because pineapple has an anti-inflammatory enzyme called Bromelain. It's thought that this enzyme may reduce inflammation in the uterus, enabling the egg to implant.

It's definitely a tip to try if you like pineapple.

Drink More Water

When we're dehydrated, one of the first set of organs to lose power is our reproductive system, quite simply because we don't need it to support our own life, and the human body is all about self-preservation. We can't conceive without enough water going to our reproductive system: water is essential for nice plump egg follicles, capable of being fertilised, and for the blood-flow to our womb-lining that will support the egg once fertilised.

Additionally, if you're not drinking enough, the cervical fluid that supports the sperm until they find and fertilise the egg will be too thick for them. If you're struggling to conceive, increase your fluid intake and ensure you're drinking the recommended two litres a day.

Enjoy a Little Prick

Acupuncture is very popular for women with unexplained infertility and for good reason. It has shown to be quite effective. Of 23 women with unexplained infertility who completed a whole course of acupuncture (Park et al, 2010), fourteen became pregnant, of whom ten went on to have a live birth. Another trial (Yang et al, 2005) with 240 women with endocrine related infertility gave 160 women acupuncture and 80 women medication. Of the women who were given acupuncture, 65% became pregnant. This is compared to only 45% of the women on medication.

Ensure your acupuncturist is qualified. Check with either the British Acupuncture Council or the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Make Sure Your Bedroom is Dark

Turn out the artificial light in your bedroom, put the smartphone in another room, and get curtains that block the lights from the street. We once thought all this artificial light only messed with our sleep. Now we know it actually harms the chance of conceiving, and damages foetal development when you are pregnant.

So, even if you're a night owl, it's time to put the artificial light away and work only in the day.

Watch the Lubricant

Most of us need lubrication during sex at some time. Without it, sex can be uncomfortable, rather than the pleasurable experience it was meant to be. But there are some vaginal lubricants that can be harmful to sperm. You should avoid water-based lubricants like KY Jelly, as they can inhibit motility by up to 100%.

Some manufacturers are now designing specific pre-conception vaginal lubricants, such as Pre-Seed or Conceive Plus Fertility Lubricant. These are sperm-friendly options that you can use if you're feeling uncomfortable during sex.

Have Sex on the Penis of the Cerne Abbas Giant

On a hill in Dorset, there is a large chalk giant, called the Cerne Abbas Giant, and there is a legend that if a couple has sex on his large, erect phallus, they will conceive a child. Taking a nap on the giant is also supposed to promote (for unmarried women) marriage, and (for married women) a large family.

Any evidence for this is strictly subjective. The Marquis of Bath and his wife, Virginia, had been struggling to conceive for five years when someone suggested they "lay" on the Cerne Abbas Giant. Ten months later, their daughter Silvy was born. What they did on the Cerne Abbas Giant is not included in the account from 1958.

Kiss a Phallus in Greece

At the Annual Phallus Festival in Tyrnavos (on the first day of Lent), the phallus-related fun never stops. This fertility festival marks the beginning of Lent. Passersby in this festival are apt to be grabbed, have a ceramic phallus put between their legs, before they kiss another phallus, drink a local spirit from its tip, and stir the spinach soup before they're let go (but they don't have to do it more than once; kissing the phallus leaves a smear of ash on your face).

Apparently, the local Greek Orthodox Church isn't too impressed with Tyrnavos' Clean Monday celebrations. But, for people hoping a conceive, kissing the phallus and taking a mouthful of penis-shaped bread may help you conceive. Maybe...

DO NOT Put An Egg White in Your Vagina

Some websites claim that placing an egg-white in your vagina mimics the ideal environment for sperm, and aids conception by acting as lubricant. The only thing I can say about this is: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. It is unhygienic, and you would be putting yourself at an unacceptable risk of a very nasty infection.

READ How Can Acupuncture Help When Trying To Conceive?

Conclusion

So there you have it. The practical, the weird, and the simply bizarre things that might help you conceive.

They may not all work for you but many of them (except where clearly marked) should be perfectly safe to try at home.

If you fail to conceive within one year, however, consult doctor for further advice.

Good luck!