Lifestyle links
Beyond the age at which we choose to have children, there are other lifestyle factors within our control that can affect a man's and woman's fertility.

"Lifestyle is important for everything, of course it's important to our fertility," says Pamela Madsen, founder and executive director of the American Fertility Association, a national nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the issue.

First off, doctors recommend quitting smoking and, if you're obese or have a BMI of 30 or more, losing weight.

Smoking can increase the risk of a miscarriage and cause a woman's eggs to deteriorate more rapidly — damage that can't be reversed, Ory says. The habit can significantly lower a man's sperm count, too.

Obesity creates hormonal imbalances, preventing women from ovulating normally and affecting men's sperm production, Pang says. Research just published in the European journal Human Reproduction also has shown that when both partners in a couple are overweight or obese, they're more likely to have to wait longer before successfully conceiving a child.

"Losing weight is good for many reasons," says Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen, a visiting scholar at the University of California Los Angeles School of Public Health who led the study. "This is just another."

Interactive Pregnancy: How much do you know?

If you're trying to conceive, a recent University of California San Francisco study shows it might be worth it for men to stay away from hot baths and hot tubs. The findings showed that weekly exposure to wet heat for 30 minutes or more for at least three months could impair sperm production and movement, says Dr. Paul Turek, lead investigator and professor of urology at UCSF.

Doctors also say you shouldn't overlook the possibility that a prescription drug you're taking could play a role. Medications, such as one class of high blood pressure drugs, can be potentially toxic to sperm, Pang says. Antidepressants also may cause irregular menstrual cycles.

Dietary details
And pay attention to what you eat. A new study by Dr. Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has shown that drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream may be better for women trying to get pregnant than low-fat dairy products. Chavarro says more research needs to be done in the area and that this kind of step should be temporary, not a permanent lifestyle change. (You should also try to cut calories or saturated fat elsewhere in your diet.)

Most doctors say when it comes to your daily diet your best bet is to use common sense and get plenty of fruits and vegetables. It can't hurt and it should help your body function at its best, something you'll want during the conception process and eventually need to keep up with your baby.

"If you're running a marathon, you've got to train for it," Fisch says, "and if you want to have a baby, you've got to train for that, too."

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