5 Fertility Tips to Increase Chances of Getting Pregnant, Having a Baby This 2016

• comments
• 
• 

Not all women have it going smoothly in the baby-making department. In fact, some women are struggling with fertility and many celebrities have come forward to share their stories including Chrissy Teigen, who has overcome her struggles and is now with child.

Back in 2011, a study published in the journal "Fertility and Sterility" showed that Asian, Black and Hispanic women were less likely to have a live birth as a pregnancy outcome compared to their white counterparts, FOX News Latino reported. Researchers also found that Hispanic women were 22% more likely than white women to deliver preterm. Study findings also revealed how minority women, including Latinas, have less success than white women in fertility treatment.

However, hope isn't all lost for women who want to have a baby this year. Here are some tips on how to boost your reproductive health.

1. Visit your OB regularly. Doctors aren't there for you only when there's something wrong. Chicago OB-GYN Dr. Elizabeth Yepez told Latina that many Latina women do not visit their doctors on a regular basis and only 50% of women who do, actually talk about their reproductive health and fertility. "It's not only a woman's responsibility; it's also your physicians responsibility to ask you. It's not only something the woman who's ready to have children should be asking -- but it's something that young women should be aware of as well," Dr. Yepez said.

2. Make healthier choices. If you're looking to have a baby and are overweight, it might be time to look at your eating and exercise habits, as one of the barriers to pregnancy is being overweight and not exercising. "When women are overweight, it affects your reproductive cycle. So, our fat cells start hanging on to that extra estrogen—estrogen and progesterone are the hormones that allow us to have a normal reproductive cycle," Dr. Yepez explained. "When there's an imbalance in the reproductive cycle, we don't ovulate regularly. When you don't ovulate regularly, your ovary isn't letting go of that egg that will then allow you to become pregnant, essentially."

Still not convinced? WebMD reported that, in a study of over 2,000 pregnant women, those who had a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 39, which is considered overweight or obese, took twice the time it took to get pregnant.

3. Know your ovulation cycle. Ovulation occurs about 14 days before your period strikes, so it's best to take this window of opportunity to try to conceive. Latina reported that, if timed perfectly, one sexual encounter may be as efficient in conceiving as frequent sex.

4. Have sex up to three days per week. If you're not so keep on knowing your ovulation cycle, however, Mamas Latinas reported to have sex on non-ovulating days as well to increase the possibility of pregnancy. Additionally, use sex positions that increase the chances of conceiving, such as missionary, so the sperm will stay in the body for a longer period of time.

5. Feel pregnant, even if you aren't. Treating the body like it's pregnant can help set the body up for a real pregnancy. Cut out smoking, eat healthier and exercise regularly to prepare the body for conceiving.