You Have A Very Regular Cycle
Having regular cycles, even when you’re off of hormonal birth control, is a good sign of being fertile.
“Women with wonderfully regular 28 cycles are likely to conceive,”Felice Gersh, M.D., author, founder, and director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, tells Bustle. “Regular cycles are powerful evidence of regular ovulation â a definite prerequisite to being fertile.” if you are curious to learn more, talk to your doctor, but having regular cycles is definitely a good sign.
You Feel Well In General
Having generally good health on a whole is a plus when it comes to fertility as well.
“Feeling very well is a very good indicator that you indeed are well and healthy,” Dr. Gersh says. Studies have indicated that struggling with mental health could make getting pregnant more difficult. So if you’re coming from a place of emotional strength, and not dealing with many outside health problems, you may find it easier than some to get pregnant.
When Is The Right Time To Try For A Second Child
When deciding whether or not to try for a second child, there are a number of factors to keep in mind, including how long ago you had your first child and how close together you want your children to be in age.
The period between pregnancies is known as interpregnancy. At a minimum, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends waiting six months between pregnancies. Ideally, however, ACOG says women should wait 18 months between pregnancies to reduce the risks of adverse health outcomes for the mother and the child.
When deciding if you should start trying for a second child, consider how long it may take you to get pregnant. For couples who do not struggle with infertility, it can still take six months to a year to conceive naturally. You should also keep in mind the nine-month gestational period when determining the age gap between your children.
You can use this information to calculate when to start trying for a second child based on how close together you want your children to be in age. For example, if you want your children to be two years apart in age, you may want to start trying to conceive as soon as six to eight months after the postpartum period. Between six to eight months of record, six months to a year of conception, and nine months of pregnancy, you will give birth to your second child about two years after your first.
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How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant
The amount of time it takes to get pregnant is different for each person, and can depend on a lot of things .
If youre fertile and having unprotected vaginal sex, theres a very good chance youll get pregnant within 1 year. About 85 out of 100 people who try to get pregnant succeed within 1 year. But everyones different for some people its much faster, while it may take longer for others.
If youve been trying to get pregnant for 6 months to a year with no luck, talk with your doctor, or visit your local Planned Parenthood health center to see if they can help and make sure everythings okay.
You’re On Birth Control
Birth controlwhether it’s the pill, patch, ring, implant, IUD, or the shot greatly decreases your chances of conception. These methods work in various ways for example, IUDs block sperm from reaching the egg, while hormonal contraception prevent the recruitment of a mature egg, explains Dr. Brauer. Even if you’re committed to taking your birth control, you still have to use it correctly and consistently.
Also, if you rely on contraceptive pills, take note: Some pill packs contain four to seven days of sugar pills without any hormones. In rare ocassions, this may be long enough to allow for recruitment of a mature egg. “This is often referred to as ‘escape ovulation’ and is one reason for oral hormonal contraception failure,” says Dr. Brauer. Missing doses of hormonal contraception could also increase the chances of accidental pregnancy.
How hard is it to get pregnant on birth control? If you’re on birth control and following all instructions, then your chances of getting pregnant are generally less than 1 percent. The effectiveness decreases with “typical use” .
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How It Does Actually Happen For Most People
A quick birds-and-the-bees recap for those of you who were too paralyzed by the fear of pregnancy to take in how it all works back in health class: The average woman releases an egg once per month. Once it drops, she has about 24 hours to get it fertilized. But even if you time it right, the fertilization process is far from over, as Noyes explains.
The egg gets released from the ovary and goes into the fallopian tube. The sperm swims up through the uterus into the fallopian tube, they date for a couple of hours, and by the next morning youve got an embryo. The embryo then travels to the uterus. From there, it plants itself in the uterine wall, and if all goes well, nine months later you have a baby.
Now, factor all that in with the common issues that can impact fertility potential. For starters, if you have an irregular period youre not ovulating every month, which means you have fewer times per year to potentially conceive. Low sperm count, which Noyes says accounts for 30% of trouble conceiving, is another common offender. Fibroid tumors and fallopian tube damage from conditions like endometriosis or damage from STDs can impede the process too. Factor in age and genetics, and the miracle of birth really does start to seem pretty darn miraculous.
The Right Position After Sex May Help You Get Pregnant
Although there is no perfect position that can help you conceive, it is harder for sperm to swim upstream, against gravity. The position you take after sex can improve your chances of getting pregnant faster and easier. Stay horizontal for at least 10 minutes after you do the deed. Dont get up and go to the bathroom or get dressed. Just rest and let the sperm get to where theyre going. This is a perfect excuse to spend a little extra time snuggling with your partner!
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How To Get Pregnant If You Have Endometriosis
Endometriosis is another common reproductive condition, affecting more than one in 10 women in the United States. It occurs when tissue found in the uterus grows in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries or fallopian tubes.
Even mild endometriosis can reduce fertility, while severe endometriosis can distort a woman’s pelvic anatomy and, for example, block her fallopian tubes, according to a 2015 study in The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of India.
It is still possible for a woman with endometriosis to become pregnant, and, once pregnant, the pregnancy is expected to be no different to that of a woman without endometriosis. Medical treatment through drugs does not improve fertility, according to Endometriosis UK, an endometriosis-focused charity. These medications involve regulating a person’s hormones, and can slow the growth of endometrial tissue and prevent new pieces from developing, said the Mayo Clinic. But because these drugs are based on hormones , they actively stop a woman from getting pregnant.
Endometriosis presents differently in different women, so its treatment depends on the individual,according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Surgery to excise the endometrial and scar tissue may improve fertility rates and help reduce pain associated with endometriosis, researchers reported in the 2015 study in TheJournal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India.
It’s Possible To Get Pregnant At Any Time Of The Month
To get pregnant, you need to have sex on the days leading up to and around when you ovulate. The day prior to ovulation, and the day of ovulation itself, being your . Once the egg has gone you cannot get pregnant until after your next has started. Methods that tell you after you have ovulated are of no help if you are
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Do You Know What Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant Really Are
It is possible to get pregnant on every day of a womans cycle.
Myth. Womens menstrual cycles have a fertile window of about 6 days, ending in the day of ovulation. However, the fertile window may occur on different days within the cycle.
A woman is likely to get pregnant on the days right after her period.
Myth. In most menstrual cycles, there are some days between the end of the period and the beginning of the fertile window however, in some unusual cycles, the fertile window starts before her period ends. This is more common in women who are nearing menopause.
A woman is likely to get pregnant on the days right before her period.
Myth. In most menstrual cycles, there are at least 10 days after ovulation and before the next period. Intercourse during these days will not result in pregnancy. However, in some unusual cycles, ovulation and the fertile window may be delayed, so you cannot rely on counting days to know for sure when ovulation happens.
A woman is likely to get pregnant around the middle of her cycle.
Myth and fact. For many women, ovulation happens around the middle of the cycle. However, in women with regular cycles, ovulation may occur as early as day 9 or as late as day 21. With an irregular cycle, ovulation may occur even earlier than day 9 or much later than day 21.
A woman is less likely to get pregnant on days when vaginal secretions are present.
It is impossible for women to identify the fertile window of the menstrual cycle.
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Age Is A Major Factor For Women
Youve probably heard the phrase your biological clock is ticking. This phrase refers to your fertile window. Women cant conceive after their menstrual cycles stop, usually sometime in your 40s or 50s. Men produce sperm throughout their lives, but women are born with a set number of eggs that decreases as you age.
At birth you have about two million eggs but naturally lose hundreds of thousands of them by the time you reach puberty, says Cross. Your body continues to lose eggs no matter what you do. And the rate at which women lose eggs accelerates around the age of 37.
The quality of eggs stored in the ovaries also declines over time. The eggs youre born with are naturally paused in the process of dividing their DNA, Cross explains. They complete that process, or ripen, when you ovulate them 20 to 40 years later. The longer eggs are stuck in the mid-division stage, the more likely that process will go wrong creating eggs with the wrong number of chromosomes. That results in not becoming pregnant, experiencing miscarriages or having babies with genetic syndromes due to chromosomal abnormalities.
The bottom line: The quality and number of eggs a woman has decreases throughout her lifetime and egg loss accelerates around the age of 37, which makes it more difficult to become pregnant.
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Maintain A Healthy Weight
Maintaining a healthy weight is an important part of pregnancy. Being overweight reduces your chances of getting pregnant because it may interfere with ovulation.
Being underweight can also hurt fertility body fat levels that are too low interfere with cyclical hormonal changes. So if youre thinking about how to get pregnant quickly and naturally within two months, you might want to start a healthy exercise regimen that meets your weight goals and activity preferences.
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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Increasing Your Chance Of Falling Pregnant
There are 2 ways you can increase your chances of falling pregnant:
- Calculate when you will ovulate and have unprotected sex 1 or 2 days before that date.
- Make sure both you and your partner improve your health, diet and lifestyle.
An egg can be fertilised for about 12-24 hours after it’s released. You’re most likely to get pregnant if you have sex within a day or so of ovulation.
Try not to get too stressed about falling pregnant. Having unprotected sex every couple of days around the time of ovulation is the best way to make sure there is always a good supply of sperm to fertilise the egg when it’s released.
Many factors can affect your chances of falling pregnant. These include your age and your partner’s age, your lifestyle, your weight, whether either of you has a chronic illness, and how often you have sex.
If you are under 35 and you are not pregnant after a year of having unprotected sex, see your doctor. If you are over 35, it is a good idea to seek help sooner.
Truths About Getting Pregnant And Ovulation
Rachel Gurevich is a fertility advocate, author, and recipient of The Hope Award for Achievement, from Resolve: The National Infertility Association. She is a professional member of the Association of Health Care Journalists and has been writing about womens health since 2001. Rachel uses her own experiences with infertility to write compassionate, practical, and supportive articles.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
There are a lot of half-truths on ovulation and getting pregnant out there. Believing incorrect information on conception could possibly make it harder for you to get pregnant. Do you know your fact from fiction?
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Get A General Health Check
Planning a pregnancy is a good chance for both parents to get a full health check. If your doctor plans to prescribe you new medications or antibiotics, remind them that you are planning a pregnancy.
If there is a family history of medical conditions on either side, such as cystic fibrosis or diabetes, let your doctor know. You may need genetic counselling with a trained specialist or referral for diabetic specialist preparation to pregnancy.
Some sexually transmitted infections can be passed on to your baby during pregnancy, so make sure you have both been treated for any infections before planning to conceive.
If the mother has a medical condition such as diabetes or epilepsy, or is being treated for depression or other mental illness, medications for these will need to be checked before conceiving to make sure they will not affect the baby.
Things To Consider When Trying For A Second Child
Ultimately, the decision to have a second child is an intensely personal one that should be made by a couple and their OB/GYN. However, its important to take all factors into consideration when weighing the pros and cons of having baby #2.
If youre thinking about TTC for the second time, make sure to discuss the following concerns with your partner and your doctor:
- Is your body fully recovered from your first pregnancy?
- How close together do you want your children to be in age?
- Do you want to take care of two young children at the same time?
- Are you ready to take care of an infant again?
- Will yours or your partners age impact your fertility?
- Did you have any complications with your previous pregnancy?
- Can you afford to have another child?
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You’re Over 44 Years Old
Thanks to that good-old biological clock, a woman’s chances of getting pregnant wane over time. Women are born with some 1 million to 2 million eggs there’s only about 300,000 left when they get their first period and 25,000 left by their late 30s. This means that a woman’s chances of becoming pregnant in her early 40s are pretty slim, though it’s by no means impossible. “As we get closer to 40, the ticking of our biological clock becomes louder and by 44, it can be deafening,” she says. “Fertility decreases by as much as 95 percent in women between 40 and 45 years of age.”
How hard is it to get pregnant over 44 years old? According to Dr. Ross, women over the age of 44 have a less than 5 percent chance of getting pregnant each month.
You Have Other Signs Of Regular Ovulation
If you have regular periods, but are still looking for more signs that it might be easy for you to get pregnant, it might be worthwhile to pay attention to ovulation.
“Signs that you are regularly ovulating symptoms such as watery vaginal discharge followed by thicker cervical mucus and breast tenderness ,” Dr. Lucky Sekhon, fertility specialist in Progyny’s Provider Network, tells Bustle. If you notice your body going through these changes, there may be a higher chance you’ll conceive quickly.
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So Why Do We Think This Is So Easy
Our early days of sex ed set us up with this belief, but pop culture, social media, and the linear view of stories told about conceiving really help solidify this perception as we age. We see celebrities conceive in their 40s without hearing the backstory. Some people are fertile in their 40s, but a lot of women who conceive in their 40s either have embryos they froze from IVF , or the process required a couple of cycles in order to get one normal embryo, Noyes explains. But stars might say, I just rubbed a Buddha belly at 43. No, you went to a fertility doctor.
And while people are entitled to their privacy, keeping these struggles a secret is part of the larger problem, says Nicole Lippman-Barile, PhD, a clinical psychologist and certified nutritional therapist consultant with Northwell Health Physician Partners CBT Practice. Its very narrow to just focus on the success of women who can easily conceive when thats not the majority of womens experiences, she says. Talking about the other realities that exist is the only way we can educate people.
Steinhilber echoes this sentiment. Promoting family planning as something you do earlier than when you are actually ready to have kids could be helpful, so that you sit down with your doctor, get all the facts, and make a more educated decision about when to start trying, how long that process takes on average, what kind of infertility issues you possibly could run up against, and what those mean.
