Are you trying to have a baby, but struggling to get pregnant? It could be for a number of reasons.

There are several ways to increase your fertility. Follow some of these guidelines:

-          Track your ovulation period. If you can determine when you will be ovulating, don’t have sex during the five days before your six-day fertile time period (ovulation day and the five days leading up to it). During this window, have sex once a day, including ovulation day. Prepare to have sex once every other day if your partner has a low sperm count. Frequent ejaculation can temporarily lower sperm count.

-          If you aren’t sure when you will be ovulating next, plan to have sex two or three times a week.

-          If you tend to exercise with vigorous work outs, tone it down a little bit. Strenuous exercise can cause women to ovulate less often making it more difficult to conceive.

-          For men, be sure to keep your sperm count up. Smoking, alcohol, marijuana and other illegal drugs all contribute to low sperm counts.

-          For women who use a vaginal lubricant during sexual intercourse, use one that does not kill or damage sperm cells.

-          Watch your body mass index (BMI). If you maintain a healthy BMI, you will increase the health of your reproductive system.

-          Men should avoid saunas or hot tubs as high scrotal temperatures can decrease the count and quality of sperm.

-          Control your fever when you are ill. A high fever in men can have negative effects on sperm for up to three months after the fever goes away.

-          Some other tips to avoid infertility include: a healthy diet, regular exercise, reduction in caffeine, and to drink plenty of water.

When couples are trying to get pregnant, it can get be very frustrating or upsetting that it may take as long as it does. But if you keep working at it and you follow these tips, your chances of conception become much higher.