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.
How Long Does It Take
Once a couple starts trying to conceive, they expect and want pregnancy to happen quickly. More than half of women expect to become pregnant within six months, with younger women tending to expect it to happen more quickly. However, in a study of over 1,400 women who had planned their most recent pregnancy, 30-44% found it took longer than expected.
A common, and easily remedied, factor is mistiming of intercourse. As many as half of all couples may be trying to conceive at the wrong time, because they dont know when their most fertile days are.
As the graph above shows, you are most likely to conceive if you time intercourse on the day of ovulation on the day before but you still have a chance of becoming pregnant on the days leading up to ovulation.
If you have been trying to get pregnant for longer than a year, it is recommended that you seek medical attention.
Aim For A Healthy Weight
According to the Mayo Clinic, attaining a healthy weight before conception can help set you up for success, both improving your odds of getting pregnant fast and reducing your risk of certain complications. Obesity is associated with irregular ovulation, so it may take longer to conceive if your body mass index is 30 or higher.
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You May Want To Chat With Your Doctor
You’ve probably heard that you should try to conceive on your own for a year before consulting a reproductive endocrinologist, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to everyone. There are things you can do in the meantime, even if it’s not quite time to seek help from a reproduction specialist such as chatting with your ob-gyn, who may be able to do an initial fertility workup or go over any factors that may affect your ability to get pregnant.
“In any couple that has risk factors for tubal blockage such as a history of gonorrhea or chlamydia, endometriosis, or a major abdominal surgery, evaluation should begin right away,” says Dr. Nodler. “Also, if a woman has irregular menstrual cycles, or if the man has a high likelihood of having a low sperm count due to something in his history, evaluation should begin right away. When a women is over 35, evaluation should begin after only six months of trying. In a woman over 40, it is reasonable to do a fertility evaluation before even attempting pregnancy.”
Couples Who Don’t Get Pregnant After One Year
What about those who don’t get pregnant after one year? If you’re not pregnant after one year of tryingor after six months if you’re 35 years or olderthen you should see your doctor.
While 10% of couples may not get pregnant after 12 months of trying, half of this group will get pregnant after 36 months of trying. About 4% of couples will try for four years and still not get pregnant. This group of couples is unlikely to ever get pregnant without medical help.
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Overdoing It Wont Help
Having intercourse too many times even when the woman is ovulating will not benefit the cause to get pregnant faster. Time your cycle well, and have sex during your fertile window to increase your chances. But overdoing it wont necessarily improve your chances. In some cases, you may be dealing with infertility issues, in which case you need to consider IVF or other options rather than overdoing it.
Moreover, sperm can live up to five days inside a womans body. However, wearing time-fitting clothes, or spending too much time in a hot tub or a jacuzzi may decrease your chances.
Men should also avoid having soy food as it decreases sperm concentration, which may adversely affect their chances.
Increasing Your Sperm Count
Tip: In addition to cutting out unhealthy snacks like chips and sweets, especially avoid processed meats like bacon. Processed meats may lower your sperm count more than other unhealthy foods.
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Don’t Go Overboard Tracking Ovulation
If your cycle tends to be pretty regular, you don’t need to download every fertility tracking app or splurge on ovulation or fertility tests. Sure, they can help you identify when you’re ovulating, but they can also really stress you out, especially if you’re trying several tracking methods at once .
“Apps, ovulation kits, and basal body temperatures can be helpful for a few months to confirm that a woman is ovulatory,” says James Nodler, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at CCRM Fertility Houston. “Once this has been confirmed, I usually find continued tracking of ovulation to be more stressful than helpful.”
Plus, ovulation kits may not work for every single person, says Dr. Merhi. For example, when taken correctly, ovulation tests are approximately 99 percent accurate in detecting a surge in luteinizing hormone , whichtriggers ovulation 24-48 hours later.However, these tests can’t can’t tell whether or not ovulation actually occurs. It’s possible to have a surge in LH without releasing an egg, according to the American Pregnancy Association. “A patient might think she’s not ovulating, but she is and vice versa. So why do you need to get anxious about it?”
How To Get Pregnant Quickly
This article was medically reviewed by Sarah Gehrke, RN, MS. Sarah Gehrke is a Registered Nurse and Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas. Sarah has over 10 years of experience teaching and practicing phlebotomy and intravenous therapy using physical, psychological, and emotional support. She received her Massage Therapist License from the Amarillo Massage Therapy Institute in 2008 and a M.S. in Nursing from the University of Phoenix in 2013.There are 19 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 34 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,496,382 times.
When you’ve decided you’re ready to start a family, you want the process to be as easy and stress-free as possible. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to speed everything along. When you take measures to improve your fertility, time your ovulation cycle, and have intercourse effectively, you could be preparing for your bundle of joy in no time.
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Lets Begin With Your Physical Health
The first thing you can do to get pregnant and to have a healthy pregnancy is to be physically healthy. It is important to not be over or underweight, both of which have negative effects on fertility and healthy pregnancies.
Make sure you are exercising 3 to 4 times a week. Aerobic exercise is essential because it helps blood circulation and improves lung capacity. Incorporating weight-bearing exercises helps you gain muscle strength and lose weight easier, while yoga exercises help you work on posture and balance. This all contributes to a healthier you, which increase your chances of conception and healthy pregnancy.
Physical health starts with how you treat your body. While exercising during pregnancy is an essential step towards a healthy you, it is more important you are not doing anything counter-productive for fertility and healthy pregnancy. It is imperative you remove any unhealthy habits or practices that limit or decrease your physical health.
For maximum health you should eliminate or reduce the following:
Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about any prescription medication you are taking. Some medications are harmful to take during pregnancy. It is possible that your provider may want to forego or alter the medications you are taking to help increase your chances of conception and having a healthy pregnancy.
Overall About 80% Of Couples With No Obvious Fertility Issues Who Are Actively Trying To Conceive Will Be Pregnant Within 6 Months
While these numbers can be helpful for women who want to know where they stand, couples should remember that there’s no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to how long it will take to get pregnant. And depending on which doctor you’re talking to or which study you’re referencing, the percentages can be slightly different.
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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.
Be Mindful Of Sperms Temperature When Trying To Get Pregnant Fast
Sperms optimal temperature is 94 to 96 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot tubs and extra hot showers may help set the mood, but are no-nos for your partner if youre trying to conceive quickly. Tight-fitting clothing can also raise the temperature of the testicles and affect sperm count, as can eating too much soy foods, according to the Human Reproduction journal.
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Don’t Worry About The Best Positions For Getting Pregnant
Myths abound about the best positions for getting pregnant, but they are just that — myths. There is really no scientific evidence saying that the missionary position is better than the woman being on top when it comes to maximizing your chances of making a baby.
“Very rarely, a woman’s cervix is in an unusual position where certain positions can make a difference,” Goldfarb tells WebMD.
Certain gravity-defying positions, such as sitting or standing during intercourse, however, may discourage sperm from traveling upstream. “It’s a matter of gravity you don’t want all the semen to run out — and semen are quick little critters,” Hillard says.
Trying To Get Pregnant
Pregnancy happens when sperm enters a vagina, travels through the cervix and womb to the fallopian tube and fertilises an egg.
Youre more likely to get pregnant around the time you are ovulating. This is when an egg becomes ready and you are at your most fertile.
If you are under 40 and have regular sex without using contraception, there is an 8 in 10 chance you will get pregnant within 1 year.
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What You Can Do When You’re Not Getting Pregnant
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.
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. 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.
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.
If You Still Have A Negative Result
Sometimes, life doesnt go according to plan. You might try to get pregnant for a long time and keep getting disappointing results from pregnancy tests. You might wonder whether youre trying the right sex positions for conception, or if it just isnt meant to be.
Many people have to try for several months before getting a positive pregnancy test result.
If you think your partner may have some fertility issues or health concerns, you still have several options for growing your family.
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When Can You Get Pregnant
When you are trying to get pregnant, there are certain times in your menstrual cycle that you are more fertile than others. Your fertile days occur near the time that your ovaries release a mature egg for fertilization a time known as ovulation.
In women who have a 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation usually occurs between day 13 and 15. The egg that is released lasts up to 24 hours in the womans body. Sperm, however, lasts several days in the human body, so the best times to have sex to get pregnant are several days before and one day after ovulation.
When can you get pregnant? It is helpful to schedule sexual intercourse a few days before and after ovulation. Know your signs of ovulations, such as changes in cervical mucus or a rise in basal body temperature, or you can buy an ovulation predictor kit that measures the amount of luteinizing hormone.
Having A Surrogate Carry The Baby
In some couples, one or both partners may be infertile, or the woman might not have a uterus strong enough to hold the baby. But couples tend to want a baby of their own. This can be achieved via surrogacy. The sperm of the male and the female eggs are combined in a laboratory environment to allow fertilisation and the formation of an embryo. This embryo is then placed in the womb of a willing surrogate, who will carry the baby for the duration of the pregnancy and then hand it over to the original parents. Surrogacy, of course, is an expensive option with fees and other expenses to be taken into account.
Now, it certainly is up for debate whether you would technically be pregnant if you have a surrogate carrying your baby. But no doubt, you will most certainly have a baby that will be your very own in every way.
There are numerous ways to get pregnant without penetration, and each one has its benefits and costs associated with it. Intercourse might not be a choice or a possibility in a few cases, and this is where medical science can come to your rescue. However, if none of these methods seem to work, it is best to keep yourself open for adoption as well, as that can also provide you with the joy of becoming a parent.
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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, according to a 2019 article in the journal Therapeutic Advcances in Reproductive Health. A number of prescribed medications may also induce ovulation and regulate insulin levels, such asletrozole and metformin. High levels of insulin push thepituitary gland to release large amounts of hormones thatdisrupt 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.
