Calling all husbands and wives

I follow a few miscarriage blogs by women in the throes of sadness or venturing into the let's-try-again realm. Anyway, I saw this story about increasing a man's fertility. Read it here. (Warning: Might be too much information.)

On another note, there are tons of information in the .com world that offer tips to conceiving. My one girlfriend seems to have read all of those tips, and she's bringing me up to speed. (Although, getting pregnant wasn't really our problem. I wish there were fail-safe ways to keep a child.)

Tips for MEN:

•  Keep laptops off your laps while working to avoid the heat produced by the computer.
• Put the tightie-whities away and opt for boxers or boxer briefs.  
• Kick the cigarrette habit, not only for yourself, but for your family.

 Tips for WOMEN:

• Start taking folic acid now. Many women's vitamins already contain it, but check the label. Folic acid is thought to help defend against neural tube defect.
• Slowly wean yourself off caffeine, as it can cause harmful effects to a growing baby. (Honestly, I stopped drinking my daily Diet Coke because my taste buds changed. The bubbles give me heartburn.)
• Some women monitor their ovulation, but taking their basal temperature everyday before rising from bed. Your temperature rises about .5 degrees when you ovulate. (I never tried this, but my girlfriend swears by it.)

For BOTH:

• Exercise at least three or four times a week. 
• Eat healthy. That means picking up more fruits and veggies, and less chips. (Definitely a toughie in the Burkey household.)
• Make love every other day during your fertile period. That is usually eight days after the first day of your period and continues for about seven to 10 days, depending on the length of your cycle. 
• Don't obsess. I think when couples are trying to conceive, it's easy to fall into robot-mode. TTC shouldn't suck the fun out of the adventure.