Not getting pregnant? Blame it on your night light and more…

You know what it takes to get pregnant – having sex during the fertile days, eating the right kind of foods, losing weight, shunning tobacco and alcohol, exercising — but still the results are negative. Probably, you aren’t doing everything right to conceive.

Poor oral hygiene: Your ability to reproduce is greatly influenced by your oral hygiene. A study published in the Journal of Periodontology pointed out that women who went for fertility treatments had more problems with bleeding gums and inflammation as compared to others who conceived naturally. So if you are planning to have a baby, make sure that you brush and floss twice a day to keep dental problems away. On the other hand, pregnancy also affects oral health due to hormonal changes, so it is better to go to the dentist during your conception phase to know if you are likely to face any problems. Here is all that you need to know about oral care during pregnancy.

Using lubricants: It might make penetration easy and add some spice to your sex life. However, some lubricants while allowing pleasure can kill sperms. So if you have problems in conceiving and feel dry down under, select a sperm-friendly lubricant after a consulting your doctor. Here is a woman’s guide to choosing the right lubricant.

Folic acid deficiency: Many women don’t learn about it until it is too late. Folate is a vital Vitamin B-complex that the body uses to produce red blood cells and crucial for fetal development. Taking folic acid supplements while you are trying to conceive can help you deal with it though. Here is why you need folic acid during conception.

Artificial light: Love reading your Kindle, browsing your smartphone or tablet at bedtime? Then why blame anything else. According to research published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, exposure to artificial nighttime light can harm both your ability to conceive and fetal development if you’re already pregnant. Exposure to dim light at night suppresses the production of melatonin, the hormone that influences sleep. It also protects the eggs from the damage of free radicals during ovulation. Know more on how your mobile phone is making you infertile.

Health of your ovaries: As you age the number of eggs in your ovaries start to decline. If you suffer from health conditions like polyps or fibroids, it could make conception difficult, as these benign growths can lead to infertility. Apart from this thyroid malfunctioning – secretion of less or more of the hormones by the gland affect ovulation, making conception difficult.

Medications: Antidepressants and mood stabilizers taken regularly affects the secretion of prolactin that impacts ovulation.So if you are planning a baby, talk to your doctor to make sure that the drugs you take will not affect your ability to conceive.

Eating junk foods: The nutrients that you need the most to boost your fertility are zinc, folic acid, vitamin B6 and D, along with good amounts of monounsaturated fats and other macro and micro nutrients. Having a deli pizza or burger on often will do you no good. Junk food loaded with saturated fats and extra calories can disrupt the functioning of the reproductive hormones: progesterone and estrogen in women and testosterone in men. Here are seven foods that boost fertility in men and women.

Having high cholesterol: A study published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism pointed out that women with elevated cholesterol levels found it difficult to conceive faster. It also said that if both partners have a similar problem it could need serious medical interventions and care to help them conceive. Here is how to plan a pregnancy when the woman has a heart condition.