Things to do before trying for a baby: Eat and know your cycle

Conception | Trying for a baby | How to conceive

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7. Eat healthily

Your diet can have such a big effect on how fertile you are and how easy it will be for you to get pregnant.

Not only should you cut down on processed foods and reduce your sugar consumption, but the right kind of food can boost the levels of certain minerals and vitamins in your body, giving you the best chance at conceiving.

Try to eat as many portions of fresh fruit and veg as you can in a day, and if you can afford it, buy organic - it's been proved to have a higher nutritional content than non-organic. You should also try to eat more oily fish, like mackerel and sardines, and increase the amount of wholegrains you eat, so brown rice and wholemeal bread.

And make sure your man follows a similar diet to you. Sperm production and quality is also linked to good diet.
- Read our tips on eating to get pregnant

8. Get used to your cycle

Everyone has different menstrual cycles and it's important that you get to know how long yours is and what happens at different times during that cycle.

Most women don't have a 28-day cycle, but that's the average length, because it can be as short as 25 days and as long as 35 days.

Many women have certain symptoms during the ovulation phase of their monthly cycle and it's these symptoms, such as tender breasts, abdominal pain and increased libido, that can tell you when you're ovulating.
- Use our ovulation calculator to help you understand your cycle

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