THINGS AFFECTING YOUR CHANCES OF CONCEPTION

Becoming pregnant might seem easy for a lot of women, but for others it's not so simple. Everything from diet to niggling little health problems could be causing problems. But there are a number of things you can look at to help boost your chances.

1.AGE

Almost one-in-six couples experience problems with fertility - and age is one of the biggest factors. Here's how it works: Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, explains Dr Rama Sofat (Infertility Expert) . On the other hand, men constantly produce sperm.In fact, she says a woman's egg numbers reduce all the time, even prior to her first period. Every menstrual cycle, many hundreds of egg follicles are recruited from the woman's ovaries, but only a few mature eggs are to be ovulated.

2.THE THYROID GLAND

It is standard practice to investigate thyroid function in women experiencing difficulty in conceiving, because it is recognised that thyroid malfunction can affect female fertility.

"The thyroid produces a hormone called thyroxine, so the fertility of women who are deficient in thyroxine can be affected adversely" explains Dr Rama Sofat.

3.PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common endocrine system disorder amongst women of child-bearing age. Women diagnosed with the condition may have enlarged ovaries which contain follicles, or small collections of fluid, located in each ovary. The exact cause of the condition is not known.

4. FIBROIDS

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb (uterus). The growths are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and vary in size.Fibroids affect around 30 percent of all women by the age of 35 years, and from 20 to 80 percent by the age of 50 years.

They usually develop between the ages of 16 to 50 years.

5. ENDOMETRIOSIS

Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus the endometrium grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining your pelvis. Rarely, endometrial tissue may spread beyond pelvic organs.