Please verify your email address to receive email notifications.

Enter your email address

We have sent you a verification email. Please check your inbox and spam folder.

Unable to send verification, please refresh and try again later.

  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How can I improve my chances of getting pregnant?

    Related Topics
    Infertility Trying To Conceive Women's Health
    I've been trying for 18 months now without any luck. Its soul destroying every month to get a negative pregnancy test result, how can i improve my chances?
    answer this question

  • Find a professional to answer your question

  • Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority

    VARTA is a statutory authority based in Melbourne, Australia, providing independent, accurate information about fertility, infertility and assisted reproductive treatment (ART). View Profile

    Smoking and exposure to other people’s smoke and being either underweight or overweight can affect your fertility. So if you smoke, or your partner does, it will help your chances of getting pregnant if you and your partner stop smoking. Being overweight or obese also impacts on both your chances of getting pregnant and the amount of time it takes to conceive. Although the relationship between alcohol use and fertility is unclear, some studies have shown that moderate and excessive alcohol use has a negative impact on fertility. So to be on the safe side, it’s best to follow the National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines and not drink at all if you are planning to get pregnant.
     
    Men should avoid hot environments like hot baths, spas and saunas, as heat can affect sperm production. See Andrology Australia’s information on heat and infertility.
     
    Make sure you know when you’ll be ovulating, so you can have lots of sex at that time!

    Reply to this post
     · 
    Report
    Reply to this post

    You must be a Health Professional to reply to this post. to your account or now (it's free).

  • Marsha McInerney

    HealthShare Member

    If you have been trying for longer than 12 months (under 35) and 6 months (over 35) you are considered infertile in medical terms.  I tried for 2 years before finding out I have PCOS which can affect my ability to ovulate and therefore conceive.  Please go see a fertility specialist - don't waste time trying treatments through a GP (which is what I did).  KNOWING what is going on has been a huge relief to me - I couldn't stand being destroyed everytime I tested and got a negative.  There are tests and treatments you may need to undergo.

    Reply to this post
     · 
    Report
    Reply to this post

    You must be a Health Professional to reply to this post. to your account or now (it's free).

  • Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority

    VARTA is a statutory authority based in Melbourne, Australia, providing independent, accurate information about fertility, infertility and assisted reproductive treatment (ART). View Profile

    If you have been trying to conceive for 18 months, you and your partner (if you have one) should go and see your doctor for a medical check-up. He/she is likely to refer you to a fertility specialist for further tests.

    Reply to this post
     · 
    Report
    Reply to this post

    You must be a Health Professional to reply to this post. to your account or now (it's free).

answer this question

You must be a Health Professional to answer this question. Log in or Sign up .

You may also like these related questions

Related Fact Sheets
Related Questions
Community Contributor

Empowering Australians to make better health choices