Get A Preconception Checkup
Before you officially start trying, get a checkup. Ask your doctor about prenatal vitamins that have folic acid, which helps protect against some birth defects, such as spina bifida. Folic acid works during the early stages of pregnancy, so that’s why it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough folic acid even before you get pregnant.
“Do this the cycle before you start trying,” says Paula Hillard, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University. “If you have any underlying medical problems, they need to be under control before you can safely become pregnant.”
Tips For Getting Pregnant Faster
You are ready to get pregnant. Now. Once you are ready to start a family, waiting is the last thing you want to do.
Although Mother Nature has a hand in the timing, there are some things you can do — or not do — to help increase your chances of getting pregnant ASAP. Read on for seven expert-approved tips for getting pregnant.
Get To Know Your Cycle
How much do you know about your menstrual cycle? Really understanding helps you know when you’re most fertile, says Hillard. Ovulation is the best time to get pregnant. “This is the time to focus on having sex,” Hillard says.
It helps to become aware of the signs of ovulation, such as a change in your cervical mucus. It usually becomes thin and slippery when you are most fertile. Some women may also feel a one-sided twinge of pain.
Ovulation prediction kits can also help you predict the best time to get pregnant, says James Goldfarb, MD, director of the infertility service at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland. Not only can they help assure you that you are ovulating, “if you are having infrequent intercourse, this tells you when to have it to increase your chances of getting pregnant,” he says.
Here’s how it works: The first day of your menstrual period is considered day one. “Start testing on day nine and keep going until you get a positive,” advises Joanne Piscitelli, MD, an associate professor of gynecology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Women with a 28-day cycle tend to ovulate on day 14. But many women have longer or shorter cycles, so casting a wide net can help you be sure.
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Treat Yourself To A Break
Lots of women get pregnant during a getaway so pack your bags, grab your partner and head off somewhere away from daily stresses such as work and commuting. If we rest and relax we are also more likely to want sex.
‘It can become quite overwhelming when youre trying to conceive so its important to reset the balance,’ says Kate. ‘Taking the opportunity to care for your emotional health as well as your physical health is vital.’
‘Holidays also help us easily dissociate from our workload and practice the relaxation we so desperately need more of in our weekly schedule,’ says Natasha.
Why Do I Struggle To Fall Pregnant
There are many possible reasons, including ovulation irregularities, structural problems in the reproductive system, low sperm count, or an underlying medical problem. While infertility can have symptoms like irregular periods or severe menstrual cramps, the truth is that most causes of infertility are silent.
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Check Those Iron Levels
Its time to start pumping iron. The supplement kind, that is. Consuming iron supplements and non-heme iron, which comes from plant-based foods, may decrease the risk of ovulatory infertility.
A recent 2019 study concluded that heme iron had no effect on fertility and non-heme only had some benefit for women who already had iron deficiency.
More evidence is needed to confirm whether iron supplements should be recommended to all women, especially if iron levels are already healthy. But making sure your iron levels are solid with your doctor is a good step.
Non-heme iron sources are more difficult for your body to absorb, so try taking them with foods or drinks high in vitamin C to increase absorption.
Alcohol consumption can negatively affect fertility. However, its unclear how much alcohol is needed to cause this effect.
One 2016 study found that having more than
involving 7,393 women found that a high alcohol intake was associated with more infertility examinations.
However, the evidence on moderate alcohol consumption is mixed. One older study found no link between moderate consumption and infertility, while other studies report that moderate intake can affect fertility.
Ultimately, avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol is recommended. Talk to you doctor about your own intake to ensure the best outcome for you.
Examples include:
Everyday Activities That Can Harm Your Fertility
How to make yourself more fertile: Your reproductive health can be improved by avoiding some very common things.
Your morning coffee may seem innocent enough, unless youâre trying to fall pregnant. Do you enjoy microwave popcorn while watching a movie? How about reheated Chinese takeaway? The food itself isnât the problem, the problem could be lurking inside the packaging.
With more and more couples waiting until later in life to start a family, on average one in six of them will require medical assistance.
About 40 percent will be due to a complication with the female and 40 percent due to problems on the male side. But, 20-30 percent of couples will be told they have âunexplained infertilityâ. Perhaps, a group of chemicals in our lives, known as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals could be the cause.
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How To Make Yourself More Fertile: Simple Lifestyle Changes
âYou could never remove yourself from all of these even if you lived up a glass mountain in a bubble,â says Dr Green, but luckily it isnât all doom and gloom. With some simple lifestyle changes, we can reduce our exposure and increase our chances of conception.
Take away foods should never be reheated in their plastic box, rather place the food in a ceramic bowl and cover the food with a paper towel.
The plastic can leach into the food we are eating. The lining of disposable coffee cups, pizza box lining and microwave popcorn bags also have EDC that can leach into our food.
Never leave your plastic disposable water bottle in the sun before drinking out of it.
Hard glass or tinned bottles are the best to drink out of. Canned food and prepackaged processed foods also have plastics on the inside of the containers that leach into the food. Instead, buy fresh fruit and vegetables and give them a good wash to remove any pesticides or herbicides.
Say âno thanksâ to those sales receipts, as they are coated in BPA.
If you touch the shiny surface with wet hands, this EDC can leach straight into your bloodstream.
Avoid inhaling new chemicals.
The ânew carâ smell may be nice, but if you can smell those new chemicals, you are inhaling them straight into your body. If you buy a new couch or carpet, open a window and ventilate the house. These chemicals are often flame retardants which are difficult to remove from your body.
Look for âParaben freeâ products
Special Fertility Foods & Herbs
There are special plants that may increase fertility. Red raspberry leaf tea is known as a uterine tonic and can help balance your hormones and encourage gynecological health. Some mamas also love this tea for hormonal balance. If you are trying to get pregnant then a healthy uterus is, of course, very important. I found drinking red raspberry leaf tea in my second and third trimesters helped immensely with my easy second birth. It is generally not recommended in the first trimester of pregnancy as it can cause mild cramping.
For women with estrogen dominance or low libido , you can include gelatinized maca root in your daily diet. Although I could only find human studies involving men, there was one with female mice which showed clinically that maca can boost fertility.
Anecdotally, for thousands of years, maca has been used by Peruvians to increase energy, stamina, strength, virility, and reproductive health. Maca root is high in alkaloids that are supposed to support our endocrine system, including reproductive, adrenal and thyroid function. Maca root seems to also be helpful for women with low progesterone levels or estrogen dominance. It can also be helpful to increase male fertility. Its best to use the gelatinized, yellow form of maca as this is the one thats been used in studies. Its also easier to digest and assimilate. Once you become pregnant, you should stop consuming maca.
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Use A Basal Thermometer
A basal thermometer is one way to track your most fertile days. Your basal body temperature is a measure of your regular temperature upon waking, which rises as a result of the hormonal changes during ovulation.
With a basal thermometer such as the Beurer Ovulation Thermometer you can track the smallest basal temperature changes in your body, allowing you to know when you’re ovulating and are therefore most fertile. While these sensitive thermometers are inexpensive, easy to use, and a form of natural family planning, they’re not always the best ovulation predictor if you have irregular periods. Many women now find ovulation tests easier and more precise.
What To Do If You Are Not Ovulating
If you are overweight, losing even 10% of your current weight might be enough to restart ovulation. The most common treatment for anovulation is fertility drugs. 4 Clomid is the first fertility drug that is usually tried. If Clomid does not work, your doctor might want to try other fertility treatments.
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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.
Foods To Avoid When Trying Get Pregnant Naturally
Eating healthy directly supports your health and wellness while eating poorly reduces your health and wellness. To maximize your health and wellness and ultimately your fertility wellness, there are nutritional items you should avoid to increase your chances of getting pregnant naturally.Here is a list of things to avoid or at least limit your consumption:
Caffeine Caffeine reduces calcium absorption, and some research shows that it lowers your fertility by approximately 27%.
Processed Foods These contain pesticides, artificial hormones, and preservatives, which collectively have a negative impact on your health and wellness.
Red Meat High consumption of red meat can lead to endometriosis, which can negatively affect your efforts to conceive.
Soy Products Soy consumption by men has been connected to lower sperm counts.
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Getting The Timing Right
The best way to increase your odds of getting pregnant quickly is to make sure that youre having sex at the right time in your cycle.
If you have regular cycles, you will ovulate around two weeks before your period. This means your fertile window will be the seven days before your expected ovulation.
If you have irregular cycles, it can be a little more difficult to predict when you will ovulate and when your fertile window will be.
There are a number of techniques that you can use to more precisely pinpoint your ovulation and fertile window.
Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Avoiding sexually transmitted diseases is recommended to not only protect overall health, but also fertility. Gonorrhea and chlamydia, in particular, cause fertility problems in both men and women.
There are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting an STD. First and foremost it is a good idea to always use condoms and limit the number of sexual partners.
Individuals in a monogamous relationship should make sure their partner has been tested and does not have an STD.
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Other Questions About Getting Pregnant
Can you get pregnant while breastfeeding?
Yes, a woman can get pregnant while breastfeeding . It is possible to become pregnant as soon as three weeks after giving birth, even if the person is exclusively breastfeeding and has yet to begin menstruating again, according to the U.K.’s National Health Service .
Can you get pregnant on your period?
Yes, it is possible to get pregnant if a woman has sex during their period, according to the Cleveland Clinic . A woman is less likely to get pregnant during menstruation, but it is still possible. Women are most fertile around the time they ovulate, but predicting this window is not an exact science and this is particularly true for women who have irregular periods.
How to get pregnant fast
Many people want to know how to get pregnant as quickly as possible. There is no sure-fire way of ensuring a speedy conception however, by following the science and evidence, the above tips can help you find the most optimal times to have sex and get pregnant.
Are pregnancy tests accurate?
When used properly, pregnancy tests are claimed to be up to 99% effective, according to the Mayo Clinic . If your test reads positive, this is rarely an error however, false negatives are more common, according to the NHS.
A pregnancy test works by detecting the human chorionic gonadotropin hormone . Around 6 days after successful fertilisation, the body produces this hormone.
The Best Ways For Boosting Fertility Naturally
Getting pregnant is one of the happiest moments in life, but when that possibility is reduced or impossible, people opt for various ways to help them conceive quicker. Consulting a fertility specialist such as someone from the office of Womens Care of Bradenton can help you get informed and start working on boosting your fertility. If you have been trying to conceive for more than six months, contact us today and our team will perform the necessary tests and screening with the aim of providing you with proper care and treatment.
Besides consulting a specialist, you can also opt forholistic fertility treatments and take care of your fertility problem in a natural way. Some of the things you can do at home to boost your fertility and increase the chances of getting pregnant include the following:
- Eat a Big Breakfast
Eating a big and healthy breakfast has been found to help women improve fertility problems. A few studies have been conducted on this topic showing that indeed having a larger breakfast, instead of a substantial dinner, can help boost ovulation for 30%. Thanks to this, the levels of insulin can be reduced by 8% and the levels of testosterone by 50% which ultimately leads to higher chances of becoming pregnant.
- Eat Antioxidant-rich Foods
- Avoid Eating Trans Fats
- Choose Your Carbs Wisely
- Consume High-fat Dairy Products
- Use Diverse Protein Sources in Your Diet
- Increase Your Fiber Intake
- Try Some Multivitamin
- Get Physically Active
- Maintain a Healthy Weight
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Eat Foods Rich In Antioxidants
Antioxidants like folate and zinc may improve fertility for both men and women. They deactivate the free radicals in your body, which can damage both sperm and egg cells.
One 2012 study of young, adult men found that eating 75 grams of antioxidant-rich walnuts per day improved sperm quality.
A study of 232 women showed that higher folate intake was associated with higher rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy, and live birth.
The jury is still out on how much antioxidants will or wont affect fertility, but theres evidence pointing to the potential.
Foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are packed full of beneficial antioxidants like vitamins C and E, folate, beta carotene, and lutein. Eating more of these healthy foods shouldnt hurt in the effort.
How Do I Know If I Am Fertile Enough To Get Pregnant
If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it’s likely that you’ll ovulate on day 14. That’s halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You’re more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.
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How Can I Get Pregnant In 2 Days
If you had sex on Monday and ovulate on Thursday, conception could still occur days after you had sexual intercourse. While you’re more likely to get pregnant if you have sex two to three days before ovulation, you can get pregnant from sex that occurs up to six days before an egg is released from the ovary.
Stop Taking Birth Control
This may seem obvious, but it remains on our list because it is important to know when you should stop taking your birth control.
If you are taking the birth control pill, your normal cycles will resume almost instantly, and you may even get pregnant as early as the cycle after you stop taking the pill.
However, if you are using a longer-term birth control method, you may need to plan ahead. For example, the birth control injection Depo-Provera can protect against pregnancy for three months, but it may take up to a year or longer to return to your normal cycle after the last shot.
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Be Kind To Each Other
It’s easy to forget each other during the process of getting pregnant. Making a family takes time, energy, a sense of humour and love. If you find yourself just going through the motions and forcing yourselves to schedule sex you may start to miss out on what should be an intimate time. Ironically, this can result in you wanting to less sex.
Every now and again take a break and inject some joy and romance into your relationship. Go on a country walk, treat yourselves to a dinner date, or give each other a seductive massage. Make sure you keep it fun and flirty with lots of talking. Focus on reliving your honeymoon period not making a baby.
