Getting pregnant through IUI may seem like a very difficult task, but if all goes well, it’s almost like getting pregnant naturally. If you’re looking to get pregnant with IUI in the next few months, there are a few things you can do to prepare your body to better undergo treatment and increase your chances of success with IUI. These five tips are pretty easy and natural, so get started on them as soon as you can.
1. Acupuncture therapy to help you conceive with IUI
This may not be the first option that comes to mind when you think about improving your IUI success, but it has been shown to help in many studies and anecdotal cases. Basically, this ancient Chinese medicine regulates hormones in a way that scientists have not yet pinned down. Women who undergo acupuncture end up with less stress and even more and higher quality eggs, making IUI more likely to be successful.
2. IUI design visualization techniques
Many infertility clinics are using this type of therapy for their clients now. Basically, when you’re going through IUI, you just visualize what will happen to the sperm and egg in your body. As with acupuncture, scientists have not pinned down how visualization works, but there is evidence that the mind has great power over the body.
3. Watch your food and drink for pregnancy success
One of the main ways to prepare your body for conception is to eat a healthy diet. This is true regardless of whether you are trying to conceive naturally, through IUI, or through any other ART technique. Documentation of the link between diet and fertility continues to accumulate. You don’t have to obsess over everything you put in your mouth, but here are some tips that will keep your body in good shape before IUI:
* Focus on getting enough whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
* Eat one to two servings a day of full-fat dairy products through milk, yogurt, or cheese, as this has been linked to increased fertility.
* Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and free of toxins.
* Get plenty of protein from plant sources and nuts, but don’t be afraid to include lean protein from meat in your diet either.
* Take a daily multivitamin that contains folic acid.
* Avoid alcohol, which can reduce overall fertility and increase the risk of miscarriage.
4. Eliminate stress however you can to optimize fertility
There is plenty of evidence that extreme stress, such as that which comes from trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, can lower your chances of getting pregnant and increase your chances of miscarriage. On top of this, the stress that comes with IUI can make your life a nightmare. Instead of just living with it, find ways to reduce stress before, during, and after IUI. Taking long walks, doing yoga regularly, and joining a support group are all good options.
5. Take an expectorant to help you get pregnant with IUI
Cough syrup for IUI? That’s how it is. This is a good step to take, especially if you are taking Clomid during an IUI cycle. Clomid, and some natural conditions, can cause cervical mucus to become thick and too hostile to allow sperm to survive. Cough syrup like Robitussin not only thins mucus in the lungs, but can also thin cervical mucus.
The dose you should take varies, but you’ll want to take some cough syrup with the active ingredient guaifenesin for a couple of days before insemination occurs. Many women with hostile cervical mucus have had great luck with this simple step to improve fertility.