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Conceiving is more difficult if you are underweight or overweight.
Being close to your ideal body weight before you become pregnant
can also reduce your risk of complications.
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Smoking is related to decreased sperm quality in men, as well as a
higher risk of infertility and pregnancy problems with women.
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Women who consume over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day have been
shown to take longer to get pregnant.
-
When trying to conceive, men and women should avoid alcohol. Even
less than five drinks per week has been shown to affect fertility.
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Women who eat no red meat and supplement their diet with mostly
vegetables and salads can stop ovulating. Vegetarian eating should
be closely monitored when trying to conceive. Make sure all the
necessary nutrients are included in a vegetarian diet.
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Vitamin C and zinc are two nutrients that are essential for men
and women who are trying to increase their fertility.
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Women involved in competitive sports may have to monitor their
exercise and body weight and fat when trying to conceive. Regular
exercise is important, but you may need to slow down extreme
activity.
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Men and women need to avoid exposure to pesticides, herbicides,
radiation, fumes from paint, extermination chemicals and glue, and
high temperatures.
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Make a pre-pregnancy visit to a health-care provider and plan to
follow a before-baby eating program.
If
you're thinking about getting pregnant, consider the following
nutrition and lifestyle tips - for women and men - to increase
fertility from Bridget Swinney's book "