IVF isn't the first option: An infertility expert suggests 5 natural ways to conceive
A senior infertility expert outlines five natural measures couples can take before considering in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). His advice places lifestyle, timing, joint testing and medical guidance at the centre of fertility care.
The conversation around infertility typically begins and ends with in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), a medical procedure where an egg and sperm are combined outside the body in a laboratory dish to create an embryo, which is then placed inside a woman's uterus to start a pregnancy.
But Dr Sankalp Jain, an infertility specialist who has run an IVF centre for around a decade, in a podcast with India Today, stressed that the treatment should be the last option, not the first.
According to Dr Jain, an IVF expert, sexual health counselor, and sexologist practicing at the Dr A K Jain Clinic, a couple’s own health, not just the clinic, largely decides whether conception happens, and that many fertility-damaging habits can be reversed.
What he suggests has immense value for tens of lakhs of couples in India as estimates suggest that about 2,75 crore couples suffer from infertility in the country.
Here are five natural steps Dr Jain recommends for these couples.
FIX DAILY HABITS FIRST
1. Quit smoking and substances. Dr Jain calls smoking the biggest factor for infertility, also linking it to a higher risk of chromosomal problems such as Down syndrome. For men, he also warns about steroid cycles, injectables and other substance abuse in the pursuit of a gym physique. Some of the men he sees show zero sperm count. He says that when this is acquired rather than congenital, it can sometimes be reversed with treatment.
2. Eat clean and cut out processed food. Fibre-rich meals, raw fruits and vegetables, and less fatty food help, he says. He singles out trans fats and reheated oil, which feed insulin resistance and in turn harm egg health. Obesity and insulin resistance, he adds, lower fertility sharply. He also suggests building flexibility rather than bulk, as fitness was never about six-pack abs.
MIND, TIMING AND TESTS
3. Protect intimacy and manage stress. According to Dr Jain, conception begins in the brain, with the hormonal signals that govern eggs and sperm. Stress, poor sleep and a lopsided work-life balance can disrupt that chain, and so can an unfulfilling intimate life. He notes that pressure to “perform” falls on men too, and urges couples to treat the decision to have a baby as their own, free of outside noise.
4. Don’t delay too long. Age matters, he says. Egg quantity and quality decline along a sliding scale, raising the risk of chromosomal defects and miscarriage. His ideal is a first conception before 30. He also says sperm quality can suffer after 45. For second children, he advises a gap of at least three years so the mother’s body can recover.
5. Get basic tests done together. Infertility is often seen as a woman’s problem alone, but Dr Jain says it is a couple’s concern. For women, he recommends AMH (Anti-Mllerian Hormone test to check egg reserve) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) tests, along with a haemoglobin check.
For men, the key tests are a sperm analysis and luteinising hormone (LH). Both partners should also consider a thalassaemia screening. He says supplements such as coenzyme Q, L-arginine, ashwagandha, magnesium and folic acid may help, but only after blood work and a doctor’s guidance, not self-prescription from the internet.
Dr Jain also stresses that sound medical guidance matters at every stage, and that IVF remains a blessing for those who truly need it.