Maybe baby

The average age for the menopause is 51, but if you experience any symptoms, such as irregular periods or hot flushes, you should ask your GP for a hormone test. The test will measure the level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in your blood. FSH kicks your ovaries into action — and it works overtime in women who are approaching the menopause. A normal level is between 4 and 10. If your FSH is more than 25, you could have a problem and should seek specialist help.

Doctors advise women whose mothers had an early menopause to check their hormone levels, because there is a possible genetic link.

WEIGHT

Fat is a fertility issue. But don’t panic if you had a danish pastry for breakfast. Your body mass index (BMI) would have to be above 30 before a doctor would recommend that you lose some weight. (To calculate your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.) According to Professor Peter Braude, head of the department of women’s health at King’s College London: “If obese women lost even 10% of their body weight, they could improve their chances of success.”

You can also be too thin to become pregnant — certainly if your BMI is below 18. Thin women are often fitness fanatics, and excessive exercise will not do your chances of conception any good. Instead, follow a routine of regular but moderate activity.

FOOD

Don’t go on a crash diet if you are trying to get pregnant, even if your doctor has told you to lose weight. “The aim is to eat healthily,” says Zita West (www.zitawest.com), who is widely recognised as London’s leading holistic fertility guru. West, a trained midwife, nutritional adviser and acupuncturist whose clients include Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett and many fashionistas, advises all couples who come to her clinic to see one of her on-site nutritionists, who will draw up a tailored eating plan.

“I see couples who are working and living on a diet of caffeine and fizzy drinks,” says West. “Obviously, that’s not doing them any good, but they probably wouldn’t cope with a rigid diet.” She therefore recommends that all her clients take multivitamin tablets, almost as a backup.

Other dietary pointers include keeping your caffeine intake down to a maximum of two cups of tea or coffee a day and taking a folic-acid supplement. Folic acid prevents neural-tube defects such as spina bifida, and should be taken until week 13 of your pregnancy.

ALCOHOL

Let’s be honest, there would be fewer pregnancies if alcohol were banned. But there is medical evidence to suggest that even a few glasses of wine can damage fertility. A recent study in Denmark, for example, found that drinking more than five units of alcohol a week lowers the likelihood of conception.

But what if you went on drink binges in your twenties — should you be worried in your thirties? There is no data on the effects of binge drinking, so we have to rely on common sense. If your bingeing days are behind you, you should try to forget about any possible long-term consequences. If you are still one of the ladettes, however, change your ways. It’s bad for your general wellbeing, never mind your reproductive health.

CIGARETTES

Smoking is obviously a no-no, but it’s worth repeating, if only because so many women persist. Smoking can raise your

FSH

levels and bring on an early menopause — a lifelong smoker is likely to reach menopause two years ahead of schedule. Passive smoking might also dent your hopes of pregnancy: a recent Canadian study of 225 women undergoing fertility treatment suggested that a woman’s chances of conception could be halved by exposure to second-hand smoke.

DRUGS

Although doctors have no reliable information on whether taking recreational drugs decreases fertility, they do know that taking drugs while pregnant can affect your baby’s health — and remember, it takes a few weeks to know that you have indeed conceived. If you are taking any sort of prescription drug, you will probably be advised to carry on, as the disease it is controlling could do you more harm. But you should consult your doctor, particularly if you are taking steroids or antidepressants. There is evidence that anti-inflammatories can, in some circumstances, stop the ovaries from releasing eggs.

Many women worry that years of taking the pill could have messed up their hormones, but most doctors think it can help, rather than hinder, fertility. As Killick explains: “The pill can keep you in better reproductive health. It stops the ovaries developing cysts and can control conditions such as endometriosis. You are also less likely to get pelvic inflammatory disease.”

SEX

A surprising number of people do not know when or how often they should be having sex to become pregnant, and our ignorance is one of the best contraceptives. West suggests that we get more in touch with our bodies. It sounds a bit messy, but we should study our secretions. “Women are designed to have the greatest sexual desire when they are at the most fertile point in their cycle,” she says. “You should look out for an increase in wetter, clearer, stretchier secretions, which encourage the sperm to swim through the cervix.”

Your fertile time is usually around the middle of your cycle, and it can last for up to seven days — up to six days before ovulation and one day after. You should, therefore, have sex at least every couple of days around this time. If you want to boost your chances, have sex in the morning and the evening on the crucial days.

Resist the urge to buy ovulation kits and temperature charts. By the time either of these methods indicates ovulation, it may be too late to conceive.

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