Age and Fertility Let’s start with age, because as society develops, the age of childbearing gradually increases, and with it comes a host of age-related fertility issues. About 80% of couples can have a successful pregnancy in the first 6 months of normal trying, and fertility decreases by half in women in their 30’s compared to their 20’s! Although fertility declines with age in both men and women, this effect of age is more pronounced in women, where the probability of pregnancy decreases significantly after age 35, while men’s fertility is mostly unaffected until age 50. Infertility is defined as failure to conceive after more than one year of unprotected sex, and for women over 35 years of age, we recommend a visit to a specialized clinic for evaluation after 6 months of contraception without pregnancy. It is recommended to have children at an appropriate age because the risk of fetal chromosomal abnormalities increases over the age of 35, and once pregnant, advanced age is also closely associated with various pregnancy complications during pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, chronic hypertension in pregnancy, etc., and postpartum recovery is also affected accordingly. Ovulation monitoring Monitoring ovulation and guiding intercourse is a more accurate method to shorten the time of trying to conceive. There are four popular methods: basal body temperature, urinary ovulation peak, observation of cervical mucus and ultrasound monitoring. Basal body temperature usually rises about 0.5℃ after ovulation and lasts for about two weeks. It lags behind other methods and requires persistence in measurement, but the change in basal body temperature can tell us whether we are ovulating or not and how the corpus luteum is functioning, which is a simple and easy classic method. When the peak of ovulation is detected, the follicles are usually expelled within two days, but the urine LH may be falsely positive, especially in the case of irregular menstruation, sometimes it is always a shallow bar, weakly positive, and lasts for a long time, in this case there may be other problems, such as: polycystic ovary syndrome, and also because of ovulation disorders, although the follicles develop normally, they can also In these cases, it is important to go to a specialized clinic for further evaluation. Observation of cervical mucus to determine the date of ovulation and to guide intercourse is also an effective method, even better than the first two methods. As the follicles develop and the estrogen rises, the mucus increases, reaching a peak within 2-3 days of ovulation, and the chances of conception are highest when the mucus is clear and stretched. Ultrasound monitoring of ovulation can be done in a specialized clinic. The process of monitoring follicles from small to large and their eventual discharge by ultrasound is combined with blood and urine test results to provide comprehensive guidance for conception, which can be done 3-5 times a cycle if it goes well. Diet and lifestyle Being too fat or too thin is not conducive to pregnancy. There are no clear studies that herbs, antioxidant foods, etc. can improve fertility or affect the sex of the fetus, but excessive consumption of seafood containing more mercury is indeed associated with infertility. Smoking: Smoking is very harmful to fertility. In an analysis of data containing more than 10,000 smoking and non-smoking women, it was found that smoking women are more likely to be infertile, and that smoking women menopause on average 1-4 years earlier than non-smoking women, which means that smoking accelerates the rate of follicle depletion, and smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage, not only natural conception, but also assisted reproduction. Smoking also increases sperm density and motility as well as malformation rates in men. 2. Drinking alcohol: Comprehensive global studies show that there is no conclusive evidence on the effect of alcohol consumption on female fertility, but it is better not to drink a lot (>20g of alcohol) when preparing for pregnancy, as there is clear evidence that alcohol has a harmful effect on fetal development, regardless of how much. Among men, semen indicators are not affected by alcohol intake. 3, coffee: 500mg of caffeine per day (about 5 cups of coffee) intake can reduce fertility. During pregnancy 200-300mg per day (2-3 cups) intake increases the risk of miscarriage, among men, semen indicators are not affected by coffee intake. 4, other: environmental factors can not be ignored, the need to reduce dry cleaning agents, printing, as well as perms and hair dyes, insecticides in the exposure to toxic substances, reduce exposure to heavy metals, many times these are occupational exposure factors, it is difficult to remove, in addition, the use of some prescription and over-the-counter drugs also need to be careful.