Infertility In Women - Medications

Lifestyle Changes

Although there are no dietary or nutritional cures for infertility, a healthy lifestyle is important. Some ovulatory problems may be reversible by changing behavioral patterns. Some tips include:

• Maintain a healthy weight. Women who are either over- or underweight are at risk for fertility failure, including a lower chance for achieving success with fertility procedures.
• Stop smoking. Smoking may increase the risk for infertility in both men and women. Everyone should quit.
• Avoid excessive exercise if it causes menstrual irregularity. However, moderate and regular exercise is essential for good health.
• Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol.
• Avoid any unnecessary medications.

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Planning Sexual Activity and Monitoring Basal Body Temperature

Both male and female hormone levels fluctuate according to the time of day, and they vary from day to day, month to month, and seasonally. Some timing tips might be helpful.

Monitoring Basal Body Temperature. To determine the most likely time of ovulation and therefore the time of fertility, a woman should take her body temperature, called her basal body temperature. This is the body's temperature as it rises and falls in accord with hormonal fluctuations.

• Each morning before rising, the woman takes her temperature with a specialized basal body thermometer and marks the result on a graph-paper chart.
• The woman also notes the days of menstruation and sexual activity.
• The so-called "fertile window" is 6 days long, starts 5 days before ovulation, and ends the day of ovulation.
• The chances for fertility are considered to be highest between days 10 and 17 in the menstrual cycle (with day 1 being the first day of the period, and ovulation occurring about 2 weeks later). However, cycles vary from woman to woman.
• Immediately after ovulation the body temperature increases sharply in about 80% of cases. (Some women can be ovulating normally yet not show this temperature pattern.)

By studying the temperature patterns after a few months, couples can begin to anticipate ovulation and plan their sexual activity accordingly. Couples should try to avoid becoming fixated on the chart, however, in scheduling their sexual activity.