Infertility Awareness Month is in June. And, no, this is not a personal issue! It affects millions of people worldwide; around one out of every seven couples has difficulty conceiving. There is no need to panic, though, because some simple changes in your lifestyle can assist you in becoming pregnant, and science has progressed significantly, and there are various ways to conceive.

Is it infertility?

Most of us may be disappointed by a negative pregnancy test. Yet, it does not necessarily indicate infertility! Infertility defined as the inability to become pregnant after one year or more of regular intercourse without using any contraceptive method. But the period may decrease to 6 months only if the woman is 35 years old or older.

Infertility is not linked to specific sex; it affects both sexes equally!

Why this long time?

Pregnancy is not as simple as people assume, it needs many steps to succeed, such as:

1. A woman’s release of an egg.
2. The man’s sperm fertilizes the egg.
3. The arrival of the fertilized egg to the uterus.
4. Adhesion of the fertilized egg inside the uterus.

Causes of infertility

The cause of infertility can be primary or secondary! The difference between them is that

• Primary infertility when there has never been a pregnancy before.
• While secondary infertility occurs when at least one pregnancy was previously achieved.

Does lifestyle affect?

Actually, many factors can affect fertility such as:

• Being overweight or obese reduces fertility. But in women, being overweight or even underweight can reduce fertility. Maintain a healthy weight.
• Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia can affect fertility.
• Smoking, including secondhand smoke, affects the chance of getting pregnant and can reduce the quality of semen.
• Drinking a lot of alcohol can affect the quality of sperm. The safest way is to not drink alcohol at all to minimize the risks to your kid.
• Environmental factors such as exposure to some pesticides, solvents and metals, especially in men.
• Stress can affect your relationship with your partner causing a loss of sex drive. In some severe cases, it may affect ovulation and sperm production.

Tips to increase the chances of pregnancy

If you are planning to become pregnant but

• Have sex every two to three days without using contraceptives.
• Calculating the period of ovulation and intercourse at that time, usually 12 to 16 days before the start of the menstrual cycle.
• Follow a healthy lifestyle and avoid factors that affect fertility.

If you follow all these tips and the specified time has passed without pregnancy, you can consult a doctor to be sure and find out the reason for the delay.