How "good" are you all being when TTC -caffeine, alcohol, excersize etc?

[birdofthenorth]

Hi all

I came off the pill in May, with a view to conceiving, though DH and I are in no massive hurry (I'm 28, we've only been married 18 months, we both enjoy our jobs -and have two dogs that work well as baby subs for now!!).

For the first few months we just took it very easy, carried on our sex life as normal, and didn't even work out my ovulation dates etc. To be honest my cycle was still getting back to normal during this time anyway following 9 years on the pill, so I don't feel we 'missed' maximising our opportunity to conceive then by not being conscious enough of ovulation windows etc.

Now my cycle is back to a 28 day pattern we have been trying 'properly' since September. No joy yet, though I am in the bit been ovulation and AF at present, so you never know.

My question is really, how much are the rest of you adjusting your lifestyles in order to increase your chances of conception?

I am still having a few cups of tea a day,a glass of wine or two on Friday and Saturday nights, and a diet which isn't dreadful but is far from saintly. I walk the dogs everyday, which is my only real form of excersize, and could probably stand to lose a few extra ounds, my BMI is in the high end of normal.

Should I really be cutting out caffeine and booze, and eating and excesizing more if I want to conceive?!

So far my attitude has been "don't let the process of trying dominate your life/ thoughts, what will be will be"... but obviously after 5 or 6 months off the pill I am getting keener on hurrying things along!!

How saintly are you all being, should I be better? Honest views welcome!!

[ImSoNotTelling]

Hi there

Just to say it took me 6 months to conceive the first time - 6 months of trying properly and using ovulation sticks to see when to have sex. I was 32. I didn't adjust my lifestyle but I think I would have started to wonder about doing extra stuff (and DH as well) like cutting back on alcohol and eating more fruit n veg and whatever, if it hadn't happened when it did.

TBH though you sound pretty healthy to me.

You've only been trying "properly" for a couple of months so not long really, but I know how frustrating it is. Doing things which are supposed to help wouldn't do any harm though! I would thoroughly recommend ovulation sticks though

[birdofthenorth]

Thanks Imsonottelling!

I think I will start to ease in the adjustments month by month, rather than insist we both quit booze, coffee and food treats altogether... just trying to work out what the right balance is between doing the things they recommend, and not taking all the joy out of our lives! Though of course I realise you have to be good once actually pregnant!!

I will buy some ovulation sticks for next month I think. I think I'm probably ovulating bang in the middle of my cycle... but then I've had a lot of sex then and failed to get pregnant, so perhaps I've been wrong entirely!!

Like you say we've only being trying seriously for a couple of months, so fingers crossed nature will take its course in good time if we jsut carry on

[ImSoNotTelling]

Good luck birdofthenorth