What can you do while you wait?

The wait to get into a fertility clinic can be excruciating. Once you realize you want/need support, you want it as soon as possible. But there are things that you can do while you wait to set yourself up for success once you’re into a clinic and maximize your chances of conceiving at home.

Cycle tracking

If you’re a person with ovaries, knowing more about your cycle can be really helpful. Apps like Premom, Natural Cycles & Clue can help you answer key questions like:

How many days is your cycle?
Does your luteinizing hormone (LH) spike on a regular basis which suggests that you’re ovulating each cycle?
Does your basal body temperature (BBT) spike 1 - 2 days after your LH level spikes?
Does your cervical mucus change during the month?

If you’re interested in learning more, this blog post is a great starting point.

Supplements & vitamins

Start taking vitamins & supplements that improve your reproductive health. Supplements can take 3+ months to make a difference, so they’re a perfect way to improve your odds of success while you wait.

Consider working with a naturopath for a personalized approach or going with fertility-focused supplement packs like Bird&Be’s Power Prenatal packages:

The Gentle Prenatal

The Prenatal Essentials for Females

The Prenatal Essentials for Males

Optimize your diet
& health

Consider optimizing your diet & overall health. It’s never too early to start optimizing your diet and overall health. Small steps like cutting back on alcohol & caffeine or increasing the amount of colourful, low-starch vegetables can make a big difference.

This can be another great area to consult with a fertility-focused naturopath to get a personalized approach. Alternatively, this article by healthline does a great job of laying out some of the best practices while citing the studies that back them up.

Test at home

Consider taking at-home tests to help you understand your starting point. While these tests will likely be conducted during the assessment phase with your clinic, there are companies making it easier for you to conduct them on your own before you get into a clinic.

For people with ovaries, consider testing your:

FSH levels: Bird & Be Ovarian Reserve At-home Test
AMH level: LifeLabs Anti-Müllerian Hormone test

For people with sperm, consider testing your:

Sperm quality & motility: Bird & Be At-home Sperm Test

Still have questions? Lean on our onfertility+ team

Schedule a free call to discuss your specific journey and lean on our expert network.