What If You Have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic ovarian syndrome , a hormonal disorder, is one of the most common reasons for female infertility. It affects between 6% and 12% of American women of reproductive age.
There is no single test to identify PCOS, but a doctor will determine if a woman fulfills two of the following three criteria, the CDC said:
- Irregular periods or no periods, caused from lack of ovulation
- Higher than normal levels of male hormones that may result in excess hair on the face and body, acne or thinning scalp hair
- Multiple small cysts on the ovaries
It is not clear why some women develop this syndrome, although it is often diagnosed when they struggle to get pregnant.
There is a strong link between PCOS-related infertility and weight. About 40% to 60% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese, and healthy eating and exercise have been shown to improve reproductive problems in women with PCOS. A number of prescribed medications may also induce ovulation and regulate insulin levels, such as letrozoleand metformin. High levels of insulin push the pituitary gland to release large amounts of hormones that disrupt ovulation.
Doctors recommend in-vitro fertilization if other interventions have not worked, or as a primary treatment if monitoring, cost and accessibility are not issues.
Kids Will Keep Secrets From You
Once your kids become teenagers, and often even before that, they’ll keep secrets from you. While they’re sometimes trivial or even adorable, like a first crush, there are other times when those secrets will be about dark, serious things that could break your heart if you knew about them.
It’s okay for them to have secrets and privacy. However, you should always make sure they know you are there for them at all times. Don’t force them to tell you things just make sure they know they can trust you and that you’ll always be there to support them.
Choose High Fat Dairy
High intakes of low fat dairy foods may increase the risk of infertility, whereas high fat dairy foods may decrease it.
One large study from 2007 looked at the effects of eating high fat dairy more than once a day or less than once a week.
It found that women who consumed one or more servings of high fat dairy per day were 27 percent less likely to be infertile.
To reap these potential benefits, try replacing one low fat dairy serving per day with one high fat dairy serving, such as a glass of whole milk or full fat yogurt.
This buffalo chicken dip made with full-fat Greek yogurt is divine.
If you take multivitamins, you may be less likely to experience ovulatory infertility.
In fact, an estimated
on fertility for women and men, especially those with obesity.
The trick is that moderation is key. Excessive high intensity exercise has actually been associated with decreased fertility in certain women.
Excessive exercise may change the energy balance in the body, and negatively affect your reproductive system. If you plan to increase your activity, add it gradually and make sure your healthcare team is aware.
See if your doctor is in favor of you adding these yoga poses to your routine.
If youre trying to conceive, stress is probably on the menu, too. As your stress levels increase, your chances of getting pregnant decrease. This is likely due to the hormonal changes that occur when you feel stressed.
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How To Get A Woman Pregnant
This article was co-authored by Jennifer Butt, MD. Jennifer Butt, MD, is a board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist operating her private practice, Upper East Side OB/GYN, in New York City, New York. She is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital. She earned a BA in Biological Studies from Rutgers University and an MD from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She then completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Dr. Butt is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a member of the American Medical Association.There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 3,582,060 times.
If you and your partner want to get pregnant, you might be wondering what you can do to help. While most methods of improving fertility tend to focus on tracking a woman’s cycle, as a man, you can take steps that may improve your sperm count. There’s no way to guarantee that you and your partner will conceive, but there are things you can do to increase the odds!
Positions Orgasms And Lube
There are a lot of myths about sex, fertility, and how to make pregnancy more likely. Some of these recommend different positions or keeping the hips elevated after sex for a period of time.
Others claim that if the woman orgasms , conception is more likely. Unfortunately, there are no studies that support these claims.
The one thing you should think about is your lubricant. Certain products can decrease sperm motility and viability. These are important when trying to get pregnant.
Youll want to avoid:
- Astroglide
If you need to use a lubricant, try:
- Pre-Seed
These products wont interfere with your partners sperm.
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Are Female Dogs More Aggressive When In Heat
More Irritable or “Cranky” With Other Dogs: As their hormone levels change, you might see your dog become less tolerant of other dogs in your home. During the first phase of the heat cycle, female dogs are not receptive to mating and might act more aggressively than usual in telling other dogs to give them space.
Aggression in female dogs during their heat is a common complaint.
Drastic hormone changes can adversely affect a female dog’s mood and can predispose to acts of Aggression even if she has never been aggressive before.
If your dog is getting too hot to handle while in heat be sure to take the necessary precautions.
How Long Is Too Long To Get Pregnant
Just because youve been trying to get pregnant for longer than a year doesnt mean youre infertile. Remember, even for people with average fertility, seven percent of couples wont get pregnant within a year. And if you do discover a condition impacting your fertility, it doesnt necessarily mean you need medical intervention to conceive, Mukherjee says.
When youre trying to get pregnant, the components that matter are quality eggs, regular ovulation, healthy sperm, and a healthy uterus and fallopian tubes, Mukherjee says. If theres a problem with two or more components, the chances are higher that a couple will need medical intervention to make a baby. But if theres a problem with only one of those components, the chances are good that a couple will be able to get pregnant without assistance. Itll just take more time.
For example, polycystic ovarian syndrome is a major cause of irregular periods, impacting 6 to 12 percent of women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with PCOS often take longer to get pregnant because they tend to ovulate less often. Instead of 13 opportunities per year to conceive, you might be down to six or seven, Mukherjee says. But in the long-term, women with PCOS conceive at the same rate as women without PCOS.
The problem is, not all couples have time. If you start trying to get pregnant at 35, you cant afford to wait, Mukherjee says. But if youre in your 20s or early 30s? It might just take patience.
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Strive For A Healthy Body Weight
A woman’s weight can also impact the chances of conceiving: Being overweight or underweight may reduce those odds. Research has shown that a woman who is overweight can take twice as long to become pregnant as a woman whose body-mass index is considered normal weight, Pavone said. A woman who is underweight might take four times as long to conceive, she said.
Having too much body fat produces excess estrogen, which can interfere with ovulation, according to the Cleveland Clinic. A 2017 study suggested that couples in the study in which both partners were very obese, with BMIs of at least 35, took from 55% to 59% longer to become pregnant, compared with couples who were not obese, the researchers reported in the journal Human Reproduction.
In a study published in 2020 in the journal PLOS One, researchers looked at data from more than 50,000 couples in China trying to conceive over the course of a year they found that women’s ability to conceive within a given timeframe decreased as their BMI increased.
Male obesity, which can disrupt the male endocrine system as well as sperm viability and concentration, can also affect a couple’s ability to become pregnant, scientists reported in 2020 in the journal Andrologia.
Women who are underweight, with a BMI less than 18, might not be getting regular periods or could stop ovulating, which also hinders their ability to become pregnant, according to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority.
Chances Of Getting Pregnant During Ovulation
Welcome to prime time for conception! No matter the length of menstruation, ovulation generally starts about 14 days before your next scheduled period. When it happens, your body temperature rises about a half a degree but bear in mind that this also takes place after you’re already ovulating, which could be too late for conception.
“That’s where ovulation test kits become so helpful,” Dr. Bayer explains. These kits detect a surge in luteinizing hormone that happens about 36 hours before you ovulate. After the test kit shows this surge, Dr. Bayer recommends having sex in the next 24 to 36 hours. Sperm can survive for some time in the reproductive tract, so it will be ready to meet the egg once it’s released during ovulation.
Another good indication of fertility is a change in the consistency of your cervical mucus. “You’ll see vaginal discharge that increases in amount and has the consistency of egg whites, signaling it’s the perfect time to have intercourse,” Dr. Bayer says. Test yours by sticking your index finger and thumb in your vagina to get a sample, then tapping your finger and thumb together. If the consistency is thin and spreads easily between two fingers, you’re good to go.
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How Does Pregnancy Start
Your cycle starts on the first day of your period and continues up to the first day of your next period.
This is what happens during the cycle and the start of a pregnancy.
- Eggs mature in your ovaries once a month.
- The lining of your womb starts to get thicker to prepare for fertilised eggs.
- Once the egg is mature it is released from one of the ovaries this is called ovulation.
- During ovulation your cervical mucus becomes thinner and clearer to help any sperm to swim to the egg.
- If you have sex, millions of sperm will swim up the cervix into the uterus and the fallopian tubes to meet a mature egg.
- If sperm is present at the point of ovulation, or during the next 24 hours, the egg may be fertilised .
- If the egg is fertilised, it starts to move towards the womb and divide into more cells.
- Once it reaches the womb the fertilised egg has to attach the lining of the womb, this is called implantation and is the start of pregnancy. Many fertilised eggs dont implant and are passed out of the body.
- If the egg has not been fertilised, the egg is re-absorbed by the body, the hormone levels drop, and the womb lining is shed the beginning of your next period.
Now that you know all about how to get pregnant, use our tool to find out if you are ready to conceive.
Can A Girl Get Pregnant The First Time She Has Sex
Can a girl get pregnant the first time she has sex? Jenna*
Yes, a girl can become pregnant the first time she has sex. Anytime a girl has vaginal sex with a guy, she is at risk for becoming pregnant. Even if a guy ejaculates outside of but near a girl’s vagina or pulls out before he comes, a girl can get pregnant.
It’s also possible to get a sexually transmitted disease anytime you have sex, including the first time. Actually, whenever people have any kind of sexual contact , they run the risk of getting an STD.
Here are some ways to reduce your chance of pregnancy and STDs:
Abstinence. The only way to completely prevent pregnancy and STDs is to abstain from all types of sex, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex.
Condoms to the rescue! If you are going to have sex, condoms are the best way to prevent pregnancy and STDs. Talk with your partner beforehand and let him know that condoms are necessary, not optional, even if you are using another form of birth control as well. And always toss a back-up condom in your purse before you go out, just in case he forgets one.
If you and your partner had unprotected sex , see your doctor for pregnancy and STD tests.
If you have ever had sex, or are thinking about having sex, talk with your doctor about birth control options, STD testing, and ways to prevent STDs.
*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.
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Letting Them Grow Up Is Harder Than You Think
After having your child depend on you for years or decades, every step they take toward independence whether it’s kindergarten or college can go against every instinct a parent has. Nonetheless, you have to let them go, and no matter how torn up you are, you can’t bog them down with your feelings.
That doesn’t mean you need to do it alone, of course. Spouses, friends or a counselor can all help you explore your emotions in a way that allows you to better understand your own thoughts and needs while still giving your child the support they need.
Will It Be A Boy Or Girl
Both the man’s sperm and the woman’s egg play a part in determining the gender of a baby.
Every normal human cell contains 46 chromosomes . Chromosomes are tiny threadlike structures made from DNA, which each carry human genes. Genes determine a baby’s inherited characteristics, such as hair and eye colour, blood group, height and build.
When a sperm fertilises an egg, 23 chromosomes from the father pair with 23 from the mother, making 46 in total.
The sex chromosome from a woman’s egg is always the same and is known as the X chromosome. But the sex chromosome from a man’s sperm may be an X or a Y chromosome.
If the egg is fertilised by a sperm containing an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl . If the sperm contains a Y chromosome, the baby will be a boy .
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How Do People Get Pregnant With Twins
There are 2 ways that twins can happen. Identical twins are made when 1 already-fertilized egg splits into 2 separate embryos. Because identical twins come from the same sperm and egg, they have the same genetic material and look exactly alike.
Non-identical twins , are made when two separate eggs are fertilized by two separate sperm, and both fertilized eggs implant in the uterus. This can happen if your ovaries release more than one egg, or during certain kinds of fertility treatments. Non-identical twins have completely different genetic material , and usually dont look alike. Theyre the most common type of twin.
Have Sex Every Other Day During The Fertile Window
The “fertile window” spans a six-day interval the five days prior to ovulation and the day of it, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Every month, a woman is most fertile on these days.
Many women are turning to new technology tools, such as fertility-tracking apps and websites, to help them keep tabs on when they may be more likely to conceive, but a 2020 review in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health suggests that there is limited independent research on their accuracy. In a study published in 2016 in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, scientists analyzed 50 popular fertility-tracking websites and apps with a hypothetical woman, and found that the results varied wildly, with many mistakenly tagging days outside of the fertility window, Live Science reported.
When a woman has identified that fertility window, should they have sex every day? Research has shown that there hasn’t been a big difference in pregnancy rates between couples who had sex every day during the “fertile window” compared with couples who did it every other day , Pavone said. “And having sex every other day might be easier for a couple to pull off,” she added.
- Glow Ovulation, Period Tracker
- Fertility Friend FF App
- Clue: Health & Period Tracker
But she said there are some water-based vaginal lubricants that can decrease the movement of sperm, so Pavone recommended using Pre-Seed rather than Astroglide or K-Y Jelly when lubrication is needed.
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Figure Out The Best Time To Conceive
Are you wondering, “When is the best time to get pregnant?” No matter how often you have sex, if you skip the most fertile days of the month, you won’t conceive. “The biggest mistake my patients make is not knowing exactly when they ovulate,” says Dr. Williams.
Most doctors recommend using ovulation predictor kits to measure ovulation. These work by detecting a surge in luteinizing hormone in your urine, which occurs about 36 to 48 hours before you ovulate. OPKs let you plan baby-making sex when you’re the most fertile.
Other ways to track ovulation include charting your basal body temperature, monitoring your cervical mucus, and tracking your menstrual cycle. Learn more about ovulation tracking methods here they can help you get pregnant fast and easy.
