Making the most of fertility: What not to do

To improve your odds of getting pregnant:

• Don't smoke. Tobacco harms fertility, as well as your general health and the health of a fetus. If you smoke, ask your healthcare professional to help you quit before you get pregnant.
• Don't drink alcohol. Heavy alcohol use might lessen fertility. It's best to not drink alcohol if you're trying to get pregnant.
• Ease up on hard exercise if your weight is low. Hard, intense exercise of more than five hours a week in people with low body weight has been linked to ovulating less often.

Also, talk to your healthcare professional about medicines you take. Some medicines can make it hard to get pregnant. This includes some you can get without a prescription.