things i can do to increase my fertility?

Hi, and thanks for your medical question on eHealth forum!

Yes, irregular periods decrease your chance of becoming pregnant. Many a times there is no ovulation when there are irregular periods. Also it is very difficult to know the exact date of ovulation when your periods are irregular. So calculating the fertile time becomes difficult. Some irregular periods are due to hormone imbalance. So this causes difficulty in the fertilized ovum to implant in the uterus.

(How to know you have ovulated: Count back 14 days from the next expected due date of period, this gives the approximate date of ovulation in the present cycle. Some women get a spotting with ovulation and others get cramps. Almost everyone experiences an increase in white discharge around ovulation. There is always a rise in the basal body temperature (taken first thing in the morning before getting out of bed) around ovulation. There are ovulation tests available in market which you can use. Once you do this exercise for a month or two, you can know the fertile period well and should try during this time—3-4 days before to two three days after ovulation.)

Hence it is important to find the cause of irregular periods and treat them if you want to conceive. High level of stress, dramatic changes in your life style, high cholesterol, hormonal imbalance as seen in thyroid problems and PCOS, chain smoking, may be some of the common causes of your irregular periods. Cushing’s disease and disorders of adrenal gland, tumors of the ovaries and adrenals, insulin resistance and obesity are some of the other factors. Prolonged use of oral contraceptive pills is another cause. Other important local causes of irregular periods are PCOS and fibroid uterus. PCOS causes cysts to form on the ovaries, interfering with regular ovulation.

Diagnosis is by blood tests like blood insulin levels, serum testosterone and androgen levels and by ultrasound. I sincerely advice you to consult a gynecologist and get it evaluated.
Hope this helps. Take care!