More and more women are wondering how to increase their fertility as they delay pregnancy to pursue higher education and demanding careers, leaving the medical establishment to answer the question of how to increase fertility in women who only start thinking about having children when they're already beyond their prime childbearing years. Thankfully, there are many treatments these days, including Western medical approaches, alternative medical approaches, and preventative measures you can take to help prolong fertility.

Western Methods

There are several methods to medically enhance female fertility. There are many different prescription drugs that can be prescribed to increase female fertility. Which drug is prescribed depends on what issue the physician thinks is causing the fertility problem. Most of these drugs are targeted at women who have disordered ovulation due either to age or a medical issue. There are also surgical techniques to address fertility issues that are not age or hormone related, such as abnormal endometrial tissue growths that may lower the chances of getting pregnant, or a surgical reversal of a tubal ligation. If these methods are not sufficient, more extreme methods, like in vitro fertilization, where a woman's egg is removed surgically, fertilized outside the womb, and then implanted in the uterus, can be attempted.

Alternative Approaches

It's risky to try any alternative medicine to enhance female fertility, because of the risk of unknown side effects of the medicine on a potential fetus, but other possibilities, like acupuncture, have been studied. Research shows that acupuncture may have a real, albeit limited, positive effect on female fertility. Acupuncture can, of course, be used in conjunction with Western medical approaches.

Preventative Measures

The best non-invasive way to prolong and increase female fertility is to lead as healthy a life as possible. A healthy varied diet is always a good place to start when it comes to any medical issue, and extremes in weight, either high or low, are associated with decreased fertility, as are extreme exercise regimes. Moderate exercise, on the other hand, has been shown to increase fertility. Limit alcohol intake and avoid tobacco, as both can have negative effects on fertility. Limit your caffeine intake, as the equivalent of more than six cups of coffee a day has been shown to have some impact on fertility. If you are trying to get pregnant, also try to limit your stress levels, as psychological stress has been shown to reduce both male and female fertility.