Summer Loving

All good things happen in the summer they say. Of course with the sun shining, the school run stopped, the holiday to look forward to, we tend to slow down a little and enjoy life a bit more.

One such summer phenomenon is that of ‘baby making’. Women’s fertility appears to be higher in the summer months. This goes for everyone, but for infertile women who are trying IVF, the treatment appears to be more successful in the summer months.

Statistics show that more women conceive in the summer – perhaps because they are less stressed, in holiday mode, enjoying a romantic break. Getting pregnant is not as easy as we all think when we are spending our younger years trying not to get pregnant, but it is a well known fact that relaxation is often the key. Given that we are more relaxed on a summer holiday with the sun shining and time on our hands, these statistics are not surprising.

The same may be true of IVF conception but there does also seem to be a medical factor. Researchers say that the same biological process that means other mammals give birth in the spring comes into play with women’s fertility. Women seem to need far fewer drugs to help them ovulate during months with more daylight and the rate of successful pregnancies is higher after summer treatment.

Researchers have concluded that the hormone melatonin, which affects sleep patterns, could make women more fertile during lighter months. The hormone may act directly on reproductive tissues to make women more fertile during the lighter summer months, meaning that babies born in the spring will have six to eight months to develop before facing their first winter.

So it seems that if we let nature take its course, we are more likely to conceive in the summer.

But how do we help that conception process?

Pre-conception planning

• If you are taking the contraceptive pill doctors recommend waiting at least one month after your first pill-free period before trying for a baby giving your cycle a chance to settle down and let you know when you are ovulating.
• Get a blood test to check your immunity to rubella which can cause severe handicap if the foetus is exposed.
• Give up smoking and drinking if you can as this will aid conception as well as the fact that smoking and drinking during pregnancy can have an adverse affect on the baby with smaller birthweights and a higher chance of miscarriage.
• Your body will be under extra strain during pregnancy due to the added weight of the baby, so you should be relatively fit before conception. Try some light exercise such as walking, swimming and cycling for 20 minutes, three times a week.
• Try some de-stressing techniques to aid conception as stress can have an influential effect on your cycles of ovulation. Try yoga or the Alexander Technique.
• A well-balanced diet is important. This should include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, which contain antioxidants to stop colds and keep your immune system healthy. Women should cut back on caffeine because more than one cup a day can delay conception and increase the chances of miscarriage.

The best time to get pregnant

It is important if you are trying to conceive that you consider your monthly cycle and time intercourse around and before ovulation to ensure conception. But even if you think about all these factors, remember that only 25 per cent of couples will conceive the first month they try. That said roughly 80 per cent will succeed within the first several months of trying.

By tracking your fertility and ovulation, you can start charting when the best time to conceive is. The ideal way is to plan sexual intercourse in the days preceding and the day of ovulation.

One way you can decide the best time of the month to get pregnant is by counting the number of days in your cycle. Most women ovulate between days 12 and 16 of their cycle, though this does vary from woman to woman. Ovulation can also be delayed by several days due to illness, stress or other factors.

If all that fails and 18 months or so have gone by, then you need to start considering a visit to the GP. You will then undergo various tests but interestingly, the most common cause of infertility tends to be ‘unexplained’, which means that following thorough investigations, doctors can find no specific or identifiable medical problem at the root.

This is when couples often turn to a natural approach to fertility. Other natural aids to infertility include everything from acupuncture and relaxation treatments to homeopathy and herbal remedies. Herbal remedies seem to work best in women with infrequent or irregular periods or for people with hormonal imbalances. However, never self medicate. A properly trained naturopath or herbalist should be consulted and they will be able to recommend a formula of herbs that will be beneficial to your individual situation. It is all about bringing the body back into balance.

When infertility strikes and the cause is unexplained, the time has come to look at lifestyle factors, nutritional deficiencies and even emotional elements. Maybe it is simply that you have not found the time for a relaxing holiday in the sun. That might be all it takes.

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