Have Sex Or Plan Your Insemination
If you are trying to get pregnant via sex, and you’re not tracking ovulation, have sex every other day all month long. If you are tracking ovulation, and your partner has an average or high sperm count, you can have sex every day in your fertile window. If they have a low sperm count, have sex every other day in order to boost the sperm concentration in the ejaculate .
One note: Sperm is healthiest when ejaculation happens every two to three days, so encourage your partner or sperm donor not to wait too many days between orgasms.
If you are trying to get pregnant via assisted reproductive technologies, your provider will likely be the one to help you time your appointments. If you are doing at-home insemination, using the apps and monitors above in addition to watching your ovulation signs will help you determine when it’s time.
Get In A Regular Exercise Routine
Eating right and exercising regularly are wise moves for every would-be mom. But for women who have a common condition that affects reproduction, getting into optimal shape can be the sought-after key to fertility. That’s what helped Christy Grimste, 34, of Washington, D.C., get pregnant after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome in her late twenties.
Women with PCOSthat’s roughly 10 percent of U.S. women of childbearing agehave elevated levels of male hormones, which make their cycles irregular and produce cysts on their ovaries. In Christy’s case, that led to two years of trying to conceive without success. “I tried the drugs Clomid and Metformin that treat PCOS-related infertility, but neither of those worked, so our next step was going to be IVF,” she says. Before that process could get off the ground, Christy and her husband were sent to live in Ankara, Turkey, for her husband’s job. “I felt like my dreams of having children were going to be dashed,” she says. To make matters worse, their car didn’t arrive for the first three months after they got to Turkey. “I had to walk everywhere,” Christy explains. “As a distraction, I downloaded a bunch of uplifting songs with a good beat to keep me moving because I hate exercising.”
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Whats The Difference Between Baby Blues And Postpartum Depression
The baby blues is a mild form of postpartum depression that many new moms experience. It usually starts 1 to 3 days after the birth and can last for 10 days to a few weeks. With baby blues, many women have mood swingshappy one minute and crying the next. They may feel anxious, confused, or have trouble eating or sleeping. Up to 80% of new moms have the baby blues. Its common, and it will go away on its own.
About 13% of new mothers experience postpartum depression, which is more serious and lasts longer. You are at a greater risk if you have a family history of depression or have had depression before.
Some of the symptoms include:
- feeling like you cant care for your baby,
- extreme anxiety or panic attacks,
- trouble making decisions,
- hopelessness, and
- feeling out of control.
No one knows exactly what causes postpartum depression. If you think you have the symptoms, its important to get help right away. Postpartum depression needs to be treated. Talk to your doctor or call your local public health office.
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Conditions That Affect Fertility
Certain health conditions can play a large role in fertility.
For example,
While it may require beating greater odds if you hope to become pregnant with certain medical conditions, its not impossible. You should speak to your doctorabout a plan of action to improve your chances of getting pregnant and delivering safely.
How Do I Tell My Best Friend I Got His Mom Pregnant
Updates:
- umm.. ok. 1st- you & his mom began this relationship based on your need and her need for sex. I don’t think that was a good idea, really. 2nd- nowhere in here do you say you love her. even if you do act like a couple, for her sake and your sake, you should end it if you don’t love each other. 3rd- even if you do end it, that kid is yours and you are still responsible for it. 4th- he is going to punch you. and probably try to beat you up, if not kill you. you should attempt to escape harm, but not hurt him. at all. 5th- you should both be there, sit him down and talk to him. be very honest and don’t try to sugarcoat anything. best & cleanest way. React
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If I Am Taking Antidepressants Can I Breastfeed My Baby
Breastfeeding provides many health benefits for babies. It also helps mothers and babies bond. If you are taking antidepressants, small amounts will come out through your breast milk. But studies have shown that children exposed to these drugs through breast milk have not had problems.
Even if you are taking antidepressants, you can breastfeed your baby for as long as you wish. Stopping an antidepressant during breastfeeding may cause the depression to return.
Diet Exercise And Conception
There is no special diet that improves the odds of conception, but a healthy range of foods that includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats is recommended.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for the body to function. Read more about the benefits of vitamins and minerals for fertility and pregnancy health, including folic acid, iodine, vitamin D, zinc and selenium supplements.
Regular exercise also improves fertility. Australian and international guidelines recommend you do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity such as brisk walking, gardening or dancing on most but preferably all days of the week. If possible, do some vigorous activity such as running, fast cycling or fast swimming every week as well.
For men and women who are overweight or obese, exercise can help to prevent further weight gain or achieve a modest weight loss that improves general health and fertility. As part of weight management, international guidelines recommend that overweight or obese adults perform 225300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week .
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What Can You To Do Increase Your Chances
If youd like to become pregnant, there are many things you can do to optimize your chances:
- Track your menstrual cycles and ovulation windows. For most people, the first step to becoming pregnant is having sex when youre ovulating. It makes sense to have an understanding of your menstrual cycle and ovulation windows to make sure youll fertilize an egg. This information can also be useful if youre trying to avoid becoming pregnant without using physical forms of birth control.
- Use ovulation strips. While ovulation strips cant guarantee your pregnancy, they can help to determine your peak fertility periods. If you decide to use ovulation strips, youll probably want to do this in combination with tracking your menstrual cycle, so that you dont need to use as many testing strips.
- Adjust your diet. Believe it or not, just changing your diet has been tied to increasing your chances of conceiving. While it may not be fun to consider giving up some of your favorite foods, the joy of a baby might just make it worth it.
- Maintain a healthy weight. This can be especially important if youre dealing with PCOS. A
The Reasons Teens Get Pregnant
There are many reasons that teenagers become pregnant. Some of them want to have babies. However, the fact of the matter is that most teen pregnancies are unintentional . Additionally, most of them occur to unwed teen mothers. This means that even though most teens do not want to become pregnant, they are still becoming so as a result of sexual activity. While actual force to have sex is rare, many teenage girls feel pressured to have sex. And, of course, the more intercourse a teenager has, the more likely it is that a teen pregnancy will eventually result.
Unwanted sexual intercourse
Rape does happen and is one of the reasons that teen pregnancies occur. Rape by boyfriends, family members and even strangers can result in teen pregnancy. However, many teenagers feel pressure of a more subtle kind. Most teenage girls who engage in sexual activity, and especially those who do so before the age of 15, admit that they wish they had waited. But often they feel pressure from their boyfriends: three out of four girls report that the reason they have sex is because their boyfriends want them to. Most of these teens regret it later, whether or not they become pregnant.
Inconsistent use of birth control
Abstinence-only sex education*
The Reasons Teens Get Pregnant Sources:
* Effective Sex Education, Advocates
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Resuming Your Sex Life
The elastic walls of the vagina stretch quite a bit during childbirth, but they do spring back into place. So you can resume sexual intercourse when you feel ready and have gotten the go-ahead from your doctor. If youre breastfeeding, you may experience less lubrication because nursing causes your body to produce less estrogen. Having a vaginal lubricant available can help if you feel discomfort.
A Postpregnancy Workout With Core Strengthening Exercises
In addition to moderate cardio, a postpartum workout should focus on building up the muscles of your torso . Every new mom can benefit from core strengthening. The rectus abdominal muscles are stretched during pregnancy in a way that makes it impossible to exercise them during that time, says Lawson. Some women also experience a separation of the abdominal wall muscles, which is called rectus abdominis diastasis. Exercises that target this condition can bring the muscles back together again.
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Will My Baby Be Disabled
An over-40 pregnancy does come with increased chances of disability for the baby in addition to risks for the mother. The prevalence of chromosomal abnormalities in babies increases with the increasing age of the mother. There are several theories as to why this may be, including a decreased number of normal oocytes available, or accumulated stress on the DNA strands within eggs, to name just a couple. At the age of 33, the chance of your baby being diagnosed with trisomy 21 during pregnancy is approximately 1/400. At the age of 40, this chance increases to 1/70. By age 45, this chance is about 1/19.
So too does the chance of congenital disabilities increase with age. The U.S. National Birth Defects Prevention Study found that women greater than age 40 are at increased risk of having babies with multiple types of heart defects, genital abnormalities, skull deformities, and esophageal malformations.
Depression In Pregnant Women And Mothers: How It Affects You And Your Child
Depression is an illness that affects the way people think, act and feel. About 6% of women will experience depression at some point in their lives. This number increases to about 10% for women who are pregnant.
Women are more at risk of depression while they are pregnant, and during the weeks and months after having a baby. During pregnancy, hormone changes can affect brain chemicals and cause depression and anxiety. Sometimes, pregnant women dont realize they are depressed. They may think they have symptoms of pregnancy or the baby blues, which many women experience right after birth.
Its also important to know that as many as 10% of fathers experience postpartum depression after the birth of a child.
The good news is that depression can be treated. Read the signs listed below, and talk to your doctor if you have any of them. Let your partner and family members know the signs so that they can also be aware.
If you dont get help, depression can cause problems for you and your baby.
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The Possibility Of Getting Pregnant Soon After Giving Birth
Whether you had a vaginal birth or c-section, your body is capable of getting pregnant very shortly after giving birth. You can ovulate before having your first postpartum period, and as soon as you ovulate, you can conceive.
Despite the fact that it is not recommended that you have sex prior to your six-week checkup, it happens. If you don’t use a form of contraception, you can get pregnant. Consider alternatives to sexual intercourse for reasons of healing from giving birth but also to prevent pregnancy.
Breastfeeding, while it may delay ovulation in some women, is not an effective method of birth control unless you are following the lactational amenorrhea method . This is a very specific method of birth control. It means that you never use a breast pump, your baby never gets a pacifier, and your baby does not sleep through the night. This is a standard that is difficult for most women to achieve.
When Your Teen Is Having A Baby
If your daughter is pregnant and planning to have the baby, many changes await your family. And though it’s certainly not what most parents expect, it happens every day: nearly 250,000 teenage girls in the United States give birth every year.
If your teen is about to become a mother , it can be overwhelming for all of you. How can you support your child through the challenges that lie ahead?
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Can You Get Pregnant Before Your First Period Post
Yes, you can get pregnant before your first post-pregnancy period. Some women have a sterile first period in other words, they dont ovulate during their initial cycle. Others ovulate before having a period, which means they could conceivably go from pregnancy to pregnancy without ever unpacking the tampons.
Since you dont know which will come first, the period or the egg, contraception makes sense if youre hoping to plan your next pregnancy.
A Guide To Conceiving A Baby Of Your Own
Do you want to have a child of your own, but you dont have a partner? Maybe you feel your biological clock ticking and are worried that its too late to wait. Choosing to become a single mom is not an easy decision to make. It may hurt to realize that your dream of a husband and family may not happen when you want it to or the way you thought it would. Its okay to grieve for that dream and feel the pain.
But the world is full of possibilities. Theres more than one way to have a family. You can choose to become a single mother, if thats right for you. Now, lets see how you can make that dream of motherhood happen.
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The Nicu Is Often Free But You Buy A Birthing Package
If you’ve ever experience life, more specifically medical care, in another country then you know how different it can be from receiving medical care in the United States. Some countries have an amazing healthcare systems where you don’t have to worry so much about opting in or out of treatments. Sometimes, here in the United States, families end up fretting over how to pay for the treatment their new baby needs.
In Japan, the anxiety is less or at least it’s focussed on something a little less intense.
If a baby is born in Japan needing extra medical attention like what the NICU provides in the United States, it’s often offered by the hospital for free. So, parents aren’t faced with insurmountable hospital bills or forced to choose between giving treatments or not.
Instead of paying for treatment, Japan offers what are called birthing packages. These birthing packages are more about what level of luxury you desire than how much medical treatment you are allowed. Birthing packages are sold in tiers and include things like extra baby supplies, the option for a private room, or congratulatory meal. Sometimes facials and a meal voucher for a 5-star hotel are optional, as well.
Your Period While Breastfeeding
Many women are a bit surprised by their first postpartum periods. Yours may arrive unexpectedly, and it may be slightly heavier than your pre-pregnancy periods. In general, however, most women find that their periods tend to be lighter while breastfeeding.
Perhaps most surprisingly, getting your period is not a sure sign that you’re ovulating or that your period has permanently returned.
Some women have irregular periods while breastfeeding. Hormones fluctuate during breastfeeding as your body tries to find its new normal. As your hormones fluctuate, your periods may as well.
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Special Concerns Of Pregnant Teens
Even though most teen girls are biologically able to produce healthy babies, whether they do often depends on whether they receive adequate medical care especially in those critical early months of pregnancy.
Teens who receive proper medical care and take care of themselves are more likely to have healthy babies. Those who don’t receive medical care are at greater risk for:
- fetal death
- labor and delivery complications
- low birth-weight infant
The earlier your teen gets prenatal care, the better her chances for a healthy pregnancy, so bring her to the doctor as soon as possible after finding out she’s pregnant. If you need help finding medical care, check with social service groups in the community or at your child’s school.
Your teen’s health care provider can tell her what to expect during her pregnancy, how to take care of herself and her growing baby, and how to prepare for life as a parent.
Some topics that will be addressed include: