How would you feel if 24 months from now you are still trying to get pregnant? That is something I know you are hoping will never happen to you but the sad reality is that it could take anything from 2 to 24 months for a normal healthy couple to conceive.

Statistics show that you have a 25% chance of getting pregnant in one month. Conversely it also means you have a whopping 75% probability of not getting pregnant. Now that is certainly not in your favour and that number of 75% increases to as much as 85% as you grow older.

It is not all doom and glum though as there are some active steps you can take to increase you chances conceiving

1.    Dump the caffeine. If you are a heavy coffee drinker, drinking as much as 3 cups a day, now is the time to kick the habit. If you find that too daunting, then switch to decaf.  Research indicates that caffeine restricts the growth of a developing baby by constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the uterus.

As if that is not enough, studies also indicate that excessive consumption of caffeine may contribute to fertility problems.

What more reasons do you need to kick this habit?

2.    Start taking 0.4mg of folic acid daily as soon as possible. Most prenatal supplements will contain this much of folic acid, but check the brand you are buying just to be sure. Folic acid reduces your chances of giving birth to a baby with neural tube defects by as much as 70%.

The general advice is that you start taking folic acid as early as 3 months before you conceive but it is not too late to start now.

3.    Don’t rush to the bathroom right after you finish making love. Try lying down for at least 20min after intercourse. This increases the odds of the sperm reaching the waiting egg.  Some experts even go as far as suggesting that you put a little pillow underneath your bottom just to give those swimmers a little extra push.

These are 3 simple things that you can do that will enhance your chances of conceiving that dream child.