Fertility
Putting the pieces together ‘his & hers’

Couples often come in to the pharmacy to chat about fertility. Many couples just need to make simple adjustments, while there are others that struggle to get pregnant.

dearPHARMACIST over the years has seen couples who have ignored the simple things. It is important to have a happy sex life. Try to have sex regularly and at different times of the day. This usually gives you the best chance to conceive. Often I see couples who get rigid on timings in order to time fertility. It’s important to do this, however you must have a relaxed attitude. Ovulation kits are available to improve your chances, but what couples fail to do is feel free with sex. They often wait for this perfect time, forgetting to have sex at any other time. This builds up emotional tension and you can fail to conceive. It’s important to stay relaxed; this allows the body to be stress free allowing it to work efficiently. The simple answer is get romantic and live your early courting dates. This sexual excitement is often all that’s needed.

Diet and exercise are very important. Supplements are good but not enough. Together with a good supplement, you both should drink at least 2 litres of water. Improve your health and fitness with regular exercise. Avoid alcohol, especially for him. Alcohol is a big sperm killer. If you are both overweight (BMI greater than 28) it is worthwhile enrolling onto the Lipotrim programme. You can still try and get pregnant while on the programme, however once pregnant you should stop as advised by dearPHARMACIST.

Usually a couple under the age of 35 would get pregnant within a year of regular unprotected sex. There are certain situations that reduce your chances. These could be related to injury, infection or ectopic pregnancy.
Age does have a considerable factor in fertility. Your chances do reduce at the age of 35 onwards. The chances decline further above the age of 40.

Maximising your chances takes a lot of preparation. Smoking and alcohol are key contributors to infertility in both male and females. If you smoke, enrol into dearPHARMACIST’s stop smoking support programme. Advice on alcohol should be considered if you find it difficult to stop.

Avoid STIs, safe sex until you are ready to start trying for a baby.

Men should be keeping their testicles cooler than the rest of their body. Tight underwear, hot showers and baths should be avoided. Men can increase their sperm count by cooling down their testicles. A supplement containing L-Arginine and L-Ornithine is known to help improve sperm count.

If you find that you have been trying all this for over a year, dearPHARMACIST advises to seek help from your GP. Your GP should then be able to perform tests to determine your fertility issues.

Remember you can always visit dearPHARMACIST at Regent Pharmacy, 19 Windmill Street, Gravesend, Kent DA12 1AS. Come and meet dearPHARMACIST today.