HAVE SEX AT THE RIGHT TIME

    Women are most fertile at day 10-16, with day one being the first day of their period. Sperm stay alive in the female reproductive tract for up to three days, says Bill Ledger, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sheffield, so having intercourse at least every other day during this fertile time will be enough to make a baby.

    WHEN TO GET HELP

    Women's fertility drops rapidly after the age of 35. If you are in your early thirties and have been trying for a baby for a year without success, talk to your GP. If you are over 35, go after six months.

    WATCH YOUR DIET

    Both men and women should avoid being underweight or overweight, as weight problems can affect the hormones that control fertility. The Times nutritionist Amanda Ursell says that zinc-rich foods such as red meat and wholegrain cereal may improve sperm quality.

    GO EASY ON THE BOOZE

    It may loosen your sexual inhibitions, but alcohol isn't always good news for fertility. One study suggests that five drinks a week can affect women's fertility. Although you don't need to abstain from the sauce, it's a good idea to moderate your intake.

    STUB IT OUT

    Smoking harms the fertility of men and women. The damage is reversible in men, as they produce new sperm every 70 days. However, according to the British Medical Association, smoking reduces a woman's chances of conceiving by 40 per cent.

    HAPPY SEX

    Although there is only a six-day window of peak fertility in a woman's monthly cycle, it's important to have sex at other times, says Professor Ledger. Fertility problems strain relationships, so it's important to think of sex as fun, not simply a biological baby-making act.

    BE ROMANTIC

    Intense stress such as that caused by bereavement, divorce or redundancy, may disrupt ovulation for three or four months. However, every- day stress, such as that caused by your job, will not affect ovulation. The only way it affects fertility is by making people grumpy, and less likely to have sex. Counteract this drop in libido by planning a romantic meal, or a cosy weekend break.

    DITCH THE OLD WIVES' TALES

    Forget the myths about raising your bottom after intercourse, or not moving for 30 minutes. Sperm are chemically attracted to cervical mucus; within seconds of ejaculation they are safely on their journey. Anything that escapes doesn't contain any viable sperm.

    And, unfortunately, there are no positions that guarantee conception says Professor Ledger.

    KEEP THEM COOL

    Sitting at a desk all day can be bad news for sperm. Heat causes sperm damage, and testes should be one or two degrees cooler than the rest of the body. Professor Ledger recommends taking a five to ten-minute walk every hour to cool off your crown jewels.

    SEXUAL HEALTH

    Sexually transmitted infections （STIs）, such as chlamydia, can harm fertility. If you think there is a possibility that you may have caught something, it's well worth a visit to your GP or sexual health clinic.

    1. 在正確的時(shí)間做愛(ài)。 女性在經(jīng)期結(jié)束后的10到16日，是她們的受孕期。“精子可以在女性的生殖道中存活三日，” 謝菲爾德大學(xué)的產(chǎn)科學(xué)與婦科學(xué)教授比爾·勒杰是這樣說(shuō)的，”因此在受孕期至少每隔一日發(fā)生性行為，就足以讓女性懷孕。” 

    2. 適時(shí)尋求幫助。 女性的受孕能力在35歲之后就會(huì)急劇下降。如果你三十出頭，一直嘗試懷孕卻不能成功，就應(yīng)該去咨詢你的醫(yī)生。如果你已經(jīng)超過(guò)35歲，嘗試半年后再去。

    3. 注意飲食。 男性和女性都應(yīng)該注意避免體重過(guò)輕或過(guò)重，因?yàn)轶w重問(wèn)題常常會(huì)影響控制受孕的荷爾蒙的分泌。泰晤士報(bào)的營(yíng)養(yǎng)學(xué)家阿曼達(dá)·厄塞爾說(shuō)，富含鋅的食物，例如牛羊肉和全谷物麥片，可以提高精子質(zhì)量。

     4. 控制飲酒 飲酒或許可以讓你“性”致勃勃，但酒精對(duì)與并不是對(duì)受孕絕對(duì)有益。某研究顯示，每周飲酒五杯會(huì)影響女性的受孕能力。盡管你不用徹底戒酒，但適當(dāng)控制飲酒還是應(yīng)該的。 

    5. 掐滅你的煙頭。 吸煙有害男性和女性的生育能力。吸煙對(duì)男性生育能力的損害是可逆的，因?yàn)槟行悦?0天就產(chǎn)生新的精子。但是，根據(jù)英國(guó)醫(yī)學(xué)會(huì)的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，吸煙會(huì)將女性的受孕幾率降低40%。 

    6. 快樂(lè)性生活。 雖然在女性的生理周期中，每個(gè)月只有六天的受孕高峰期，但在其余時(shí)間的性生活也是很重要的，勒杰教授如是說(shuō)。不孕問(wèn)題壓迫兩性關(guān)系，因此把性愛(ài)作為樂(lè)趣而非單純生理上的“造人”行為，是非常重要的。 

    7. 講求浪漫。 極端的壓力，例如由喪親、離婚或裁員而引起的壓力，會(huì)使排卵受阻三到四個(gè)月。但是日常的壓力，例如來(lái)自工作上的壓力，不會(huì)對(duì)排卵產(chǎn)生影響。日常會(huì)影響生育的唯一方式是使人們脾氣暴躁，于是提不起”性“致。所以策劃一個(gè)浪漫晚餐，或者溫馨的周末度假，可以提高下挫的里比多。

    8. 擯棄那些無(wú)稽之談。 忘掉那些舊時(shí)迷信，例如在性交之后抬起臀部，或者保持不動(dòng)30分鐘。子宮粘液對(duì)精子有化學(xué)性吸引力；射精的那幾秒鐘里精子們就已經(jīng)安全地踏上了旅程。任何漏網(wǎng)之物不含有具活性的精子。 并且不幸的是，勒杰教授說(shuō)，沒(méi)有任何一種體位可以保證受孕。 

    9. 讓小家伙們保持涼爽 在書桌前久坐一天對(duì)于精子們來(lái)說(shuō)可不是好消息。熱度會(huì)造成精子受損，并且睪丸溫度理應(yīng)保持比人體其他部位低一兩度。勒杰教授建議，男性可以每小時(shí)起身散步五分鐘，讓寶石散散熱。

    10. 性生活健康 性傳染病，例如衣原體，會(huì)損害生育能力。如果你覺(jué)得你有可能得了什么病，絕對(duì)值得去看你的醫(yī)生或者到性病診所求醫(yī)。