When To Ask For Help
If you or your partner are feeling stressed or anxious about trying for a baby for whatever reason, try to give each other time to talk about it. It can help both of your wellbeing to approach making a baby as a couple, so its important to talk about it and support each other through the process.
It can sometimes help to get professional support. Relate can offer you a space to talk about your worries together confidentially with a trained counsellor.
If youve been feeling extra stressed or anxious and it doesnt go away or your anxiety is affecting your daily life, its a good idea to see your GP. Some people can find it difficult to talk about their feelings, but mental health problems can be treated with the right care and support.
Find out more about planning a pregnancy and managing your mental health.
Can You Get Pregnant Without Having Sex
Pregnancy occurs when a sperm fertilizes an egg. Sperm enters the body through the vagina, traveling through the cervix and womb to the uterine tubes. If the sperm gets in the uterine tubes, and an egg is present, pregnancy can occur. This process is known as conception.
However, an egg can be fertilized by sperm without sexual penetration. Some examples of how this can occur include:
- The male partner ejaculates near the vagina.
- The male partners erect penis makes contact with the female body near the vagina. A liquid called pre-ejaculate is produced before ejaculation. Pre-ejaculate can contain sperm, and its impossible to control. Additionally, this liquid can be less noticeable than semen.
- If you or your partner have pre-ejaculate or semen on your fingers and touch the vagina.
While its unlikely to get pregnant from anal sex, there is some risk. If a couple has anal sex, sometimes the semen can flow down from the area of the rectum to the vulva.
These instances present a relatively low risk of getting pregnant. Sperm can only live for a short time outside the body, so that makes it less likely. However, if youre looking to avoid pregnancy, its important to understand these risks.
What Should You Do If You Think You Might Be Pregnant
If your period is late or youre having other early pregnancy symptoms, its a good idea to take a home pregnancy test.
Signs of pregnancy include things like swollen or sore breasts, frequent urination, nausea with or without vomiting, and tiredness. You may also experience less common or even strange symptoms, such as constipation, a metallic taste in your mouth, or dizziness.
There are several different types of pregnancy tests, including home kits that test urine for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin . You can pick one up at most pharmacies or grocery stores or even online.
Home tests range in sensitivity, so a negative result doesnt always mean you arent pregnant. If you get a negative result and still suspect you might be pregnant, consider taking another home test in a few days.
As a general rule of thumb, you may want to wait until after your missed period to test. By that time, theres usually enough hCG in your system to be detected by most tests. However, some tests may give you a positive result as early as 4 or 5 days before your expected period.
Still not sure? Try making an appointment with your primary care provider. They can test your urine in the office setting for hCG. Beyond that, your doctor may also give you a blood test that can tell you the exact level of hCG circulating in your body .
- of women will get pregnant each year.
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In A Nutshell: First Time Sex Can Cause Pregnancy If
Consenting adults must perform safe sex. If you have unprotected sex, it can lead to pregnancy. The pull-out method most couples use is not entirely viable to shield you from unwanted pregnancy.
A short window each month is when women are most fertile. Hence, it is not about how many times you have sex, but when you have sex, that can cause pregnancy.
Can You Have Vaginal Delivery After A Cesarean Section
The simple answer to this question is yes, it is possible. Most of the women who have undergone a cesarean section procedure have a successful vaginal delivery afterward. However, it also depends on the reason you had the cesarean section in the first place. If you had severe issues with your first pregnancy, you should consult with your doctor or midwife on what’s best for you.
To increase your chances of getting pregnant with a second child, it is crucial that you do the necessary planning. Make sure that you and your partner’s overall health condition is good. Avoid things like drinking, smoking, bad diet, and bad working conditions. These factors may lead to reduced sperm quality in men, thus standing in the way of you getting pregnant.
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Reasons You’re Not Getting Pregnant
Even if your doctor has reassured you that it may take six months to a year to conceive, you might be wondering why it’s not happening quickly for you. Here are some possibilities.
- Luck. So much must happen for ovulation, fertilization, and implantation to occur, and for the embryo to be healthy and genetically stable. Up to 70% of early miscarriages are due to genetic defects in the embryo.
- Frequency and timing of sexual intercourse. You don’t need to drive yourself crazy trying to aim for your most fertile days . That said, if you’re consistently not having sex just before ovulation, or you’re having sex infrequently, this may mean you’ll need more time to conceive.
- Age. The older a woman get, the longer it may take for them to conceive. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will be infertilethough those odds also go up with time. But age can make it less likely you’ll conceive month by month. This is partially due to lower quality egg and sperm, with increased DNA mistakes.
- Weight. If you or your partner are obese or severely underweight, this can increase the time it will take you to get pregnant.
- Fertility problems. You may not be getting pregnant because there are female or male fertility issues. Sometimes, you have symptoms or risk factors, and you already know the odds of conceiving quickly might be lower for you. In other cases, the only sign that something is wrong is that you’re not pregnant after six months to a year of trying.
How To Have Sex For The First Time
Sex for the first time is nerve-wracking for many people. It’s important to make sure no one is under pressure to have sex, as consent is critical. It’s also vital that those involved are comfortable. Communication is key.
Don’t forget to use contraceptives like condoms. Choose a hygienic and private space so that both of you feel safe and happy. To add a cherry on top, decent lighting and music is always a good idea. Please don’t go in with lots of expectations as it’s your first time, which is always memorable. Create a positive sexual experience by prioritising the safety and pleasure of both partners.
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Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant Every Day Of The Month
When sex coincides with your most fertile ovulation days, you’ll increase your chances of getting pregnant. Get to know each phase of your cycle to make conception faster and easier.
To hit the baby-making bullseye, you’ve got to aim for certain sweet spots of fertility in your cycle. Here’s your guide to the best chances of getting pregnant throughout the month so you can plan accordingly.
How Does It Feel To Have Sex
Sex is a thing that makes every person feels different that actually depends on what kind of intercourse they had and the extent of arousal they get from sex with their partners. Sex makes people feel physically aroused and gives them extreme pleasure and sensations flood in their bodies.But on the other hand, for some couples, sex can be frightening and painful with a bad experience. Sometimes sex can be painful, especially when the partners are not physically aroused. Many couples have sex even before they are not ready and without any excitement, which leads to unsatisfied sex. Because of that, it is necessary to have basic information on how to have sex and compatibility for getting a pleasurable time.
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Do All Women Get Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Every woman is different. So are their experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.
Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy often mimic the symptoms you might experience right before and during menstruation, you may not realize you’re pregnant.
What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.
Take A Prenatal Vitamin
Pavone recommends that women who are attempting to conceive start taking a prenatal vitamin even before becoming pregnant. This way, a woman can find one that’s more agreeable to her system and stay on it during pregnancy, she said.
Another possibility is to take a daily multivitamin, as long as it contains at least 400 micrograms per day of folic acid, a B vitamin that’s important for preventing birth defects in a baby’s brain and spine, Pavone said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges women to take 400 mcg of folic acid every day for at least one month before getting pregnant, to help prevent birth defects.
Getting a head start on folic acid supplementation is a good idea because the neural tube develops into the brain and spine three to four weeks after conception occurs, before many women may realize they’re expecting.
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When Can You Get A Positive Pregnancy Test Result
Home pregnancy tests look for human chorionic gonadotrophin in your urine. This is produced after the egg implants, but not at detectable levels until 6 to 14 days after fertilization. Your most reliable results will be starting on the day of your missed period, since all cycles are unique.
You can purchase a test at supermarkets, drugstores, or online. Follow all instructions and follow up with your doctor if you have a positive result or if you have a negative result but your period does not start.
In some cases, you may want to go in and have a blood draw, which can detect lower levels of the pregnancy hormone hCG.
To recap, the following things need to happen to achieve pregnancy:
Above all else, you can increase your chances of pregnancy each month by gaining a better understanding of the menstrual cycle and pinpointing your fertile window. You can have sex a million times, but if youre not in the right part of your cycle, it wont result in pregnancy.
Sex as early as 5 days before ovulation can lead to conception, but the chances are highest with sex the day immediately before the egg is released.
How Many Times Should You Have Sex To Get Pregnant
You can only get pregnant during a short window of time each month. It is not the number of times you have sex that matters. What matters is when you have it. Once the egg is released, it has over 24 hours to get fertilised before it dissolves. However, sperm can stay inside a woman for up to 5 days. Five days before ovulation is the window to get pregnant.
Therefore, it is necessary to keep track of your menstrual cycle. Research suggests that you can use methods like the calendar method, the charting method, or you can use an ovulation prediction kit. And if you can’t get your hands on an ovulation kit, try having sex every 2 to 3 days during the middle two weeks of your menstrual cycle.
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Do Virgin Pregnancies Really Happen
Researchers have studied a phenomenon called virgin pregnancy to understand why it would be reported. In a survey of 7,870 pregnant women, they discovered that 0.8 percent of the women reported becoming pregnant without having vaginal sex.
A study like this has limitations, as it involved self-reporting. The researchers noted various cultural and religious expectations in the mix , as well as varying definitions of what sex meant. As such, these numbers dont represent a true picture of the frequency of fertilization without penetration.
Regardless, its likely that some of these women may have defined sex as penis-in-vagina sex. So, if the virgins in the study had other sexual contact, its possible that sperm somehow made its way up the vaginal tract from other acts.
Why Is Waiting At Least 18 Months Between Pregnancies Important
Getting pregnant again before 18 months increases your risk for certain health problems for your baby, including:
- Premature birth. This means your baby is born too soon, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Premature babies are more likely to have health problems and have to stay in the hospital longer than babies born on time. The shorter the time between pregnancies, the higher your risk for premature birth.
- Low birthweight. This is when your baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
- Being small for gestational age . This means your baby is smaller than normal based on the number of weeks hes been in the womb.
Babies with these health conditions are more likely to have long-term health problems or even die than babies without the conditions.
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Is There Help If I Havent Gotten Pregnant After 40
YES! Reproductive endocrinologists specialize in assisting women with fertility issues. After age 40, we recommend having a consultation with a specialist if you havent become pregnant within 6 months of trying. There are many options for how to proceed depending on a womans age and health history, her partners age and health history, etc. You can go over these options together and figure out the best plan for you and your partner. We wish you the best of luck!
When Can A Woman Not Get Pregnant
Age of a Female Infertility
The peak reproductive years of a female for getting pregnant for the first time is in her late teens and after the 20s. And by the time she reaches the 30s, the fertility starts decreasing. And this decrease in fertility prevents a female from getting a successful pregnancy. And by the time she reaches 45, there is such a drastic decline that it becomes very hard to get pregnant through natural ways.
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Could I Be Pregnant
Its common to be worried about the possibility of getting pregnant. Its important to know it only takes one sperm and one egg to cause pregnancy. However, if your partner is a person assigned male at birth and releases sperm anywhere other than inside of or close to the opening of your vagina, the probability of you getting pregnant is very low.
If you have unprotected sex, miss your period and/or experience other signs of pregnancy, there are things you can do in the following weeks to find out if youre pregnant. Taking an at-home pregnancy test or visiting a doctor/nurse for a pregnancy test and/or exam are ways to confirm if youre pregnant. If you do find out youre pregnant, its important to learn about your options.
In order to reduce the chance of pregnancy, its essential to use the type of birth control that works best for you. Some types of birth control also protect against sexually transmitted infections . Its important to know the facts about birth control, STIs and consent in order to stay safe.
If you have any questions or concerns about pregnancy, you can talk to a health-care professional or other safe adult.
Is It Possible To Get Pregnant Naturally At 40
YES! While fertility does decline naturally as we age, starting around age 30, it is possible to become pregnant without intervention after age 40.
However, women have a much lower chance of conceiving naturally after 40 than earlier in their reproductive years. Fertility specialists quote approximately a 5% chance per menstrual cycle of getting pregnant naturally after age 40 vs. a 25% chance per cycle for women in their 20s, which is when fertility typically peaks.
The reason for the decline in successful pregnancies after 40 is multifactorial. The rate of miscarriage is about 40% after the age of 40. This is due to many reasons, but the biggest is a higher chance of genetic abnormalities in each egg. Womens ovarian reserve also decreases over time, meaning they have fewer eggs by age 40.
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