Stay In Bed Right After Intercourse
You have probably heard this one — lie in bed with your feet in the air after having sex to increase your chances of getting pregnant. The verdict? Not true.
“It’s good advice to lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after intercourse, but you don’t need your feet in the air,” Goldfarb says. “Your pelvis does not move when you put your legs in the air.” Don’t go the bathroom during this time either, he says. “If you wait 10 to 15 minutes, the sperm that is going to get into the cervix will be in the cervix.”
Learn As Much As You Can About Ovulation And Intercourse
Timing is everything when it comes to getting pregnant whether or not youre a woman over 40.
Read Yes, You Can Get Pregnant: Natural Ways to Improve Your Fertility Now and into Your 40s by Aimee Raupp. She is a nationally renowned womenÌs health and fertility expert who has helped hundreds of women optimize their fertility and get pregnant, even after age 40.
In this book she provides her complete program for improving your chances of conceiving and overcoming infertility, including the most effective complementary and lifestyle approaches and the latest nutritional advicefor women over 40 who want to get pregnant. Her remedies help you how to get in tune with your body, eat the best fertility-enhancing foods, and avoid environmental toxins to achieve a healthy and stress-free pregnancy. Aimee provides hope, scientifically-backed knowledge, and emotional support to help you become the mother you want to be.
Maintain A Healthy Lifestyle
In addition to taking those prenatal vitamins, opt for a balanced diet. Youll want to plan on eating several servings of fruits and vegetables every day. You should also up your calcium intake.
Making smart choices about how you fuel and care for your body can set you up for conception and pregnancy.
Stay away from processed meats during this time. Youll find pre-packaged meats are loaded with extra sodium and preservatives.
Fresh meat and produce, on the other hand, are packed with great vitamins and health benefits. Eat fish in moderation and choose fresh whenever possible.
In addition to your healthy diet, youll want to exercise regularly. Getting fit and staying strong will help prepare your body for the stress of pregnancy and labor.
You dont have to join an aerobics class to reap the benefits. You can easily get your heart rate up and some quality health benefits from a simple walk after dinner.
Its worth mentioning a few other items youll want to give up during your journey to try to conceive. Some of them may be more difficult than others, but theyll make for a healthier pregnancy and may make conception easier.
Getting and staying healthy also means managing any existing health conditions you might have. Diabetes, high blood pressure, polycystic ovary syndrome, thyroid conditions, and autoimmune diseases can make conceiving and pregnancy difficult.
You may even be on medication thats contraindicated for pregnancy.
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How To Have A Healthy Pregnancy At 45
In order to have a safe and healthy pregnancy, you may take the following measures, irrespective of your age:
- Indulge in proper prenatal care
- Have a well-balanced diet
- Practice stress management
- Abstain from alcohol and smoking
Your health practitioner will give you more information after evaluating your complete health and family history.
Distinguishing Between Pregnancy Symptoms And Menopause
A pregnancy test one done at home and then verified at your doctors office is the only surefire way to determine if youre truly pregnant.
You dont want to go by symptoms alone because the early signs of pregnancy can be similar to those of menopause. These include mood changes and fatigue which can also signal your period is coming, for that matter.
Remember that true menopause doesnt occur until youve going without your period 12 months in a row. If your periods are hit and miss, you could be in the perimenopause stage where you still have eggs left.
As a rule of thumb, if youre still menstruating, you still have eggs and can very well get pregnant.
So if youre still getting periods and trying to conceive, be sure to track your cycles and get a pregnancy test if youve missed a period. Morning sickness is another early sign of pregnancy that doesnt occur with menopause.
As your body ages, carrying another human being inside you can be a bit more challenging. You might be even more susceptible to pregnancy discomforts such as:
- fatigue
- swollen legs and feet
- irritability and depression
But all pregnant women have some discomfort its not a walk in the park for a 25-year-old, either. Just as every pregnancy is different, each child you have creates different symptoms.
If you had a child earlier in life , be open-minded about the pregnancy process and be prepared to experience it differently this time around.
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Be Mindful Of Changes In Your Body
The thyroid regulates our metabolism, and an undiagnosed thyroid disorder can affect your chances of conceiving. Some of the symptoms of a dysfunctional thyroid include weight and mood changes, sensitivity to cold/hot, skin dryness, palpitations and fatigue. So if you have noticed any of these changes, it is worth considering a visit to the GP to get a blood test.
Pregnancy At 45 Or After: To Have Or Not To Have
When Kelly Preston announced to the world about her pregnancy at the age of 47, it created ripples in the media. It prompted television shows to discuss the marvels of science that allowed Preston and her actor husband John Travolta to have a baby so late in life.
Not just celebs, several women are delaying their pregnancies for career or personal reasons, causing experts to research on the consequences of late pregnancies. Some researchers believe that older mothers do not fare as well as the younger ones while some did not find any difference. So, is there anything like too old to be pregnant? MomJunction answers this question and a few more! Read on!
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What You Can Do When You’re Not Getting Pregnant
Leyla Bilali, RN is a registered nurse, fertility nurse, and fertility consultant in the New York City area.
Are there things you can do to get pregnant fast? Definitely, but they don’t work for every couple.
People have a variety of different reasons for wanting to conceive quickly. Maybe you want to space your children a certain number of years apart. Maybe you are trying to beat your biological clock. You might want to get pregnant because your partner is in the military, and you’d like to conceive before deployment. Or, you may just be eager to become a parent.
Some couples will get pregnant after trying for a month or two. But, for most, it takes longer. Keep in mind that it may take many months to get pregnantand one in 10 couples will experience infertility. The good news is that there is help out there.
Learn some tips for getting pregnancy faster.
It’s important to remember that these tips will not work for everyone. Unfortunately, pregnancy isn’t something that can be planned exactly. If you can’t get pregnant as quickly as you’d like, don’t blame yourself.
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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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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What Are The Advantages Of Having A Baby Later In Life
Remember, the advantages of becoming a parent later in life do not outweigh the benefits of having a baby in your late 20s or early 30s. However, here are some positive points:
- You have more experiences about life, and are conscious of the risks and circumstances that come along.
- If it is your second child, you already have experience in bringing up a child.
- Material wealth and marital status are at a defined level.
Sometimes, you may have decided to not have children, but want to reverse your decision later in life. Lets see its possibility in the case of a tubal litigation.
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While There May Be Little That Science Can Do To Change The Number Of Eggs A Woman Will Have During Her Life There Are Ways To Improve Egg Quality
Jurisicovas work adds another piece to the puzzle. Her work suggests that human eggs undergo a process of growth and maturation within the ovary for at least nine months before they are released during ovulation. The quality of the egg released is the culmination of all the health and environmental influences on that growing egg over the past nine months, she says. Stress, exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals during this time can have an adverse effects on the developing egg.
It is perhaps interesting that the duration of this incubation period from when an egg emerges from hibernation and begins developing uncannily resembles the number of months a baby spends within the womb before it is born. During this period of maturation, the egg develops the resources it will need should it be fertilised.
The egg has to be extremely well resourced, says Wells. For the first three days following fertilisation the embryo doesnt really make anything for itself it doesnt transcribe its genes, it doesnt make proteins its completely reliant on what the egg has provided for it. A more mature egg is more likely to be better resourced than a less mature one.
The range of factors pitched against an egg being fertilised and developing into a foetus make childbirth seem all the more incredible
The journey, not the destination
Scientists are developing new techniques to identify the best eggs for use in IVF treatments
Can I Get Pregnant If Im Older Than 35 Or 40
Yes, you can, but you may find it takes a bit longer to get pregnant than a woman in her 20s. Every woman is born with a set number of eggs in her ovaries, and you release an egg every menstrual cycle. If you dont conceive during that cycle the egg is lost and its not replaced. You can read more about how many eggs you have here. If you are older and trying to get pregnant, tracking ovulation and learning about your body is important and may help you get pregnant faster. You can see more about how to identify your most fertile days here.
Professor William Ledger, Fertility Specialist
Its important to move more quickly. Talk to your GP, seek help from a fertility specialist earlier than someone in her 20s, says Professor William Ledger. You can see more in our video on the effect of age on fertility
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Research On Stress And Fertility
There have been studies that link stress to lowered fertility, but there is also research that suggests otherwise. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine states, “Even though infertility is very stressful, there isn’t any proof that stress causes infertility.” And in the case of moderate stress, a 2019 study noted no negative effect for women who were trying to conceive.
Even so, other studies demonstrate the opposite effect. A 2018 study by the Boston University School of Public Health, for example, found that women who had high levels of perceived stress experienced lower levels of fertility than those with less stress. Researchers also observed that in situations where one partner was significantly more stressed than the other, there was a lowered chance of conception.
It is important to note that despite a lack of long-term effects on the ability to get pregnant, extreme stress can affect fertility in the short term. For example, you may experience an irregular period during an unusually stressful time, but then find your cycle returns to normal after the heightened anxiety has passed.
Increase Your Fertile Mucus
Follow a healthy diet that increases the production of fertile cervical mucus. Avoid eating too much dairy and wheat products that make the vaginal mucus thick. Drink lots of purified water.
If you don’t produce enough clear egg while mucus, there is also great vitamin supplement, called FertileCM that can help you increase your vaginal fertile mucus. Keep tract of your cervical mucus.
It really comes down to having lots of fertile cervical mucus that is clear, stringy and looks like egg white. You need to have a least 3-5 days of fertile mucus around the time you ovulate.
The amount of fertile mucus allows the sperms to live longer and swim faster. Not having fertile mucus when you are going to ovulate can make you infertile.
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Lime & Tahini Kale Salad
Inspired by the lovely Ella Woodward from her first book Deliciously Ella which is filled with plant based recipes. When I first made this I was completely obsessed I think I had it three times in one week. I adore how the lime and tahini come together to make a super flavoursome dressing.
takes: 10 minutes 4 tablespoons tahini 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1. Remove tough stems from the kale and slice or tear into bite sized strips. Place kale in a large bowl.
2. Squeeze over lime juice and drizzle with tahini and soy sauce. Toss salad with your hands massaging the kale as you go.
Use A Fertility Monitor
If you have been trying to conceive for over 6 months, consider investing in a fertility monitor. I like the Ovacue Fertility Monitor because it measure the electrolytes in your saliva that correlates with the hormonal changes that occur in your cycle just prior to ovulation and it is very accurate.
The Ovacue fertility monitor is very popular because it’s easy to use. In my opinion, using Ovacue doubles, will double your chances of conception each month.
This monitor is the only one that can tell you 5-7 days in advance when your are about to conceive. Ovacue is recommended for all women who are trying to conceive with low ovarian reserve to help increase the chances of conception.
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Are You Too Old To Have A Baby At 40 Or In Your Late 30s
Studies show that womens ovarian reserve goes down significantly after 37 years old, but there are many reasons why you might be trying for a baby at this age. You might be trying for your first baby or you might want to add an additional member to the family.
Sometimes it just cant be planned and isnt within your control it could take a long time to find the right partner, you might have been trying to get pregnant for years with your first or you might be experiencing secondary infertility. Or perhaps you were prioritising your career or didnt see having a baby as something that you wanted to do earlier. Feeling ready to have a baby is a deeply personal choice.
I Was Unfortunately Told That My Chances Of Getting Pregnant Naturally Were Almost Nil Because Of My Age
Now, I accept that trying to get pregnant late 30s/ early 40s is much harder than at 25.
However, before someone is sent down the expensive rabbit hole of fertility treatments, it ought to be explained that getting pregnant is a LUCK GAME. Unless your AMH is 0 or you have another reproductive issue, it only takes ONE GOOD EGG to be fertilised and BOOM youve got a successful pregnancy.
Yes, there are other factors. Its a complicated process creating a baby, but it does only take one good egg .
Thats it.
Now, this was alluded to in my first fertility consultation to be fair, but as time went on my Doctors patience was thinning and every consultation became depressing, where he robotically re-laid the stats outlining my next to nothing chance of getting pregnant at 39 by myself.
I get it, time was pressing on and statistically he was right
BUT what should have been made also consistently very clear was that I could get pregnant naturally if I took the risk and waited.
It wasnt.
Im not one to be defeated and based on my test results and lots of research, I knew my husband and I had a chance.
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