How To Get Pregnant: Tips And Facts To Increase Fertility
ByCari Nierenberg, Sarah Wildpublished 10 December 21
We’ve spoken to the experts to come up with 10 tips for how to get pregnant quickly and safely.
You may have many questions about how to get pregnant, particularly if you have an underlying condition. Taking care of your body is a good first step to optimize your fertility. But what else can you do to improve your odds of having a baby?
The most important advice for a woman who wants to get pregnant is to get to know her body, specifically her menstrual cycle, said Dr. Mary Ellen Pavone, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist, and medical director of the in-vitro fertilization program at Northwestern Medicine’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility division in Chicago.
“It’s important to know how far apart her cycles are so she can more accurately time intercourse to try to get pregnant,” Pavone said.
We’ve highlighted the top ten tips that may help increase your chances of becoming pregnant. As always with this type of information make sure to speak to a medical professional as this advice is broad and you may require specialist attention. You should still find this article and accompanying video on how to get pregnant useful.
What Your Husband Should Do When You Are Pregnant
As mentioned earlier, pregnancy comes with a myriad of emotional and physical changes. Since your partner or husband cannot carry a baby for you, he may support you by truncating your discomforts.
As a result, you should really be aware of the things a husband should do for his pregnant wife.
Once your husband divides the errands and provides you mental support, emotional issues related to pregnancy might be distributed.
So first of all, he could educate himself related to the different aspects of pregnancy using different blogs and books.
Secondly, he should be able to converse with you and listen to your talks. And most importantly, he should have flexible schedules to help you when you need him the most.
Other duties of your husband while you are pregnant include understanding your moodiness, helping you with your morning sickness, satisfying your unique cravings, and even visiting the doctor with you during your appointments.
On top of that, you must also be aware of the pregnancy rights that you have.
Things To Buy When Preparing For A Baby
Theres no question about it: Having a baby is expensive. In addition to your healthcare and delivery costs, you will need to think about the necessary things to buy to prepare for a baby.
Each parents checklist will be slightly different. Dont forget to talk with other parents, friends and family members to see what kind of supplies they may be able to give you. That way, you can save money on your list of things to buy when preparing for a baby.
As you make this list, think about these necessities:
For Your Nursery:
- Light blankets for the crib
- Sleep sack
- Plastic infant tub
- Bathing washcloths
- Baby clothes, including onesies, nightgowns, sleepers, socks, hats, etc.
- Laundry detergent for infants
- Sun shade for car windows
- Stroller
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Pop A Prenatal Supplement
“Any woman thinking about getting pregnant in the next three to six months should start taking a daily multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid,” says Dr. Wider. According to the March of Dimes, getting enough of this B vitamin in prepregnancy and early pregnancy can reduce brain and spine birth defects by up to 70%. And the multivitamin itself is packed with other nutrients crucial for a healthy pregnancy, like iron to prevent anemia and calcium for strong teeth and bones. Pop the pill after you brush your teeth in the morning or stash a jar at work and set an e-mail reminder to take it. If you hate swallowing pills, they come in chewable form, too. Starting the habit now will make it easier to remember once you’re expecting.
What Happens When You Fall Pregnant
For a woman to get pregnant, a mans sperm must fertilise her egg. A woman releases an egg from her ovary once every month. This usually happens about 14 days before the first day of her next period.
Most women ovulate each month. Occasionally, more than one egg is released, usually within 24 hours of the first egg. At the same time, the lining of the uterus begins to thicken and the mucus in the cervix becomes thinner so that sperm can swim through it more easily. The egg begins to travel slowly down the Fallopian tube, a tube that stretches from the ovary to the uterus.
If there has been recent sexual intercourse with ejaculation by the man, the egg is most likely to be fertilised in the Fallopian tube. The lining of the uterus is now thick enough for the egg to be implanted in it after fertilisation.
The level of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone changes in a womans body during pregnancy. As soon as she has conceived, the amount of oestrogen and progesterone in her blood increases. This causes the uterus lining to build up, the blood supply to the uterus and breasts to increase and the muscles of the uterus to relax to make room for the growing baby.
If the egg is not fertilised, it passes out of the body during the woman’s monthly period, along with the lining of the uterus, which is also shed. The egg is so small that it cannot be seen by the naked eye.
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Get Help For Violence
Violence can lead to injury and death among women at any stage of life, including during pregnancy. The number of violent deaths experienced by women tells only part of the story. Many more survive violence and are left with lifelong physical and emotional scars.
If someone is violent toward you or you are violent toward your loved onesget help. Violence destroys relationships and families.
What Tests Can You Get Before Pregnancy To Help You Find Out About Genetic Conditions That May Affect Your Baby
Before pregnancy, you can have carrier screening tests that check your blood or saliva to see if youre a carrier of certain genetic conditions. Genetic conditions are passed from parents to children through genes. Genes are parts of your body’s cells that store instructions for the way your body grows and works. If youre a carrier, you dont have the condition yourself, but you have a gene change for it that you can pass to your baby.
If both you and your partner are carriers of the same condition, the risk that your baby has the condition increases. Getting tested before pregnancy can help you and your partner look at your babys risk and make decisions about getting pregnant. Your partner can get tested, too. Carrier screening is your choice. You dont have to do it if you dont want to, even if your provider recommends it.
All women who are thinking about getting pregnant can get screened for:
- Cystic fibrosis . CF is a condition that affects breathing and digestion. Digestion is the way your body processes the food you eat.
- Spinal muscular atrophy . SMA is a disease that attacks nerve cells in the spinal cord. It weakens muscles and can affect movement, breathing and swallowing.
- Thalassemias. These are blood conditions that cause the body to make fewer healthy red blood cells and less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells.
- Hemoglobinopathies. These conditions affect red blood cells in the body.
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What Time Of Day Should You Have Ttc Sex
If you’re wondering what time of day to have sex to conceive, the morning may be your best bet. Or, specifically, after your partner gets a good night’s rest, says Melissa M. Goist, M.D., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
When sleeping, their body regenerates the sperm lost during the day. Although the average sperm cell has a pretty short shelf life, even stalwart swimmers can hit their expiration date early if they get too warm from hot tubs or exercises like bike riding, Dr. Goist says.
According to one study in Zurich, the best time to have sex to conceive a baby is before 7:30 a.m. during the months of March, April, and May. That may sound odd, but it turns out that sperm may be at its healthiest during the spring months. Not only that, but sperm appears to have it’s own internal 24-hour clock that helps it determine the best time to travel to an egg.
Check You Have Had Your Mmr Vaccination
MMR stands for Measles, Mumps, Rubella. Rubella is rare, but can be very dangerous to a babys development, especially during the early stages of pregnancy.
The MMR vaccination will protect you and your baby. It is normally given to children in two injections before they reach 6 years of age.
If you have not been vaccinated or are unsure whether you have been vaccinated call your GP practice to see if they have a record. If you have no record of them, make an appointment to get vaccinated. Even if you had them before getting them again is not harmful.
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The Best Time To Get Pregnant
You are most likely to conceive if you have sex within a day or so of ovulation. This is usually about 14 days after the first day of your last period.
An egg lives for about 12-24 hours after it is released. For you to become pregnant, the egg must be fertilised within this time. Sperm can live for up to seven days inside a womans body. So, if you have had sex in the seven days before ovulation, the sperm will have had time to travel up the fallopian tubes to wait for the egg to be released.
Day : Stop Birth Control
If you want to conceive, youll need to discontinue any form of birth control youre using. You can get pregnant right away after stopping some types of contraception like birth control pills. In fact, many women get their first period within two weeks of quitting the pill.
When you period starts, so does your first cycle of trying to conceive. Some women get pregnant right away, but for others, it takes a few months.
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Do You Need A Dental Checkup Before Pregnancy
Yes. Keep your regular dental checkups before and during pregnancy. Some studies show a link between gum disease and having a premature or low-birthweight baby. Low birthweight means your baby weighs less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces at birth. If you have gum disease, getting treatment before pregnancy may prevent health problems in you and your baby.
When you see your dentist, tell him youre planning to get pregnant. And when you visit your dentist during pregnancy, make sure he knows youre pregnant.
Do I Need Infertility Treatment
If youre having trouble conceiving, an infertility specialist may be able to help. The first step after 12 months of trying to conceive is to schedule an infertility evaluation. This multipart assessment includes:
- Physical examination
- Semen analysis
- Evaluation of the uterus and fallopian tubes
If you or your partner have a known medical condition that affects the uterus, fallopian tubes, sperm or ovulation, talk to your doctor to see if you should be evaluated sooner. For example, if you know that both of your fallopian tubes are blocked, youll need to see an infertility specialist even before trying to get pregnant.
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Your Pregnancy Checklist Week By Week
Congratulations! Youre pregnant! You know theres a lot to do before you meet your babyfrom doctors appointments to baby showers to figuring out what stuff you need and what you dont. But it doesnt have to be overwhelming.
This list breaks things down into small chunks, giving you suggestions for one thing you can do during each week of your pregnancy until your baby arrives.
Check In With Your Dentist
A visit to the dentist before you get pregnant is almost as important as a visit to the doctor. Thats because your future pregnancy can affect your mouth and vice versa.
The American Dental Association says that the gum disease gingivitis may be more common in pregnancy due to hormonal changes, which can mess with the way the gum tissue responds to the bacteria in your mouth.
Untreated gum disease during pregnancy has been shown to increase your risk of complications like preterm birth and preeclampsia. While youre there, be sure to have any necessary work completed now so it wont have to be done during pregnancy.
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Look Into Your Benefits
If you work, consider what you want to do once you’ve had your baby. Some companies provide paid time-off after you give birth. Others offer unpaid time-off. You may also be able to use sick days or vacation time before you go back.
Check your health plan, too, to see which doctors and hospitals it covers.
Identify Your Fertile Window And Start Tracking Ovulation
Your fertile window usually occurs mid-cycle and is when you have the highest chance of getting pregnant. During this window, ovulation when an egg is released from an ovary occurs. Once this happens, conception is possible.
Tracking your cycle helps set you up for success by narrowing down your fertile window. But the next step to further improve your chances of getting pregnant is identifying when youre ovulating. Since conception cant happen until an egg is released, knowing your ovulation window helps you better time sex.
From monitoring your cervical mucus and basal body temperature, to ovulation predictor kits, there are several methods to help figure out your most fertile days.
Want to know more? Check out our guide to fertility and ovulation.
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Take An Online Pregnancy Class
One of the scariest things about finding out youre pregnant might be the realization that youre going to have to give birth. Yikes! And fears around labor, childbirth and tearing are completely normal!
So put your mind at ease by doing a bit of research and booking a childbirth class thats right for you. Whats great is that there are many online pregnancy and birthing classes that you can attend right at home.
Working all day and tired over the weekend? No problem. These online pregnancy classes are self-paced and can be done during a late-night lesson binge or before you go to work!
My favorite online pregnancy and birthing classes are:
How Much Physical Activity Do You Need Each Day
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adults get 2½ hours a week of moderate-intensity activity, like fast walking, and strength-training 2 days a week. These recommendations change depending on the intensity of your workouts. And you dont have to do all 2½ hours at once. Do a little bit each day to break it up throughout the week.
If youre already physically active, keep it up! If youre starting or re-starting exercise, take it slowly. Talk to your provider before you start any physical activity if:
- You have heart disease or are at risk for heart disease.
- Youve had a stroke or are at risk for having a stroke.
- You have diabetes or are at risk for having diabetes.
- Youre obese. If you’re obese, you have an excess amount of body fat and your body mass index is 30 or higher. BMI is a measure of body fat based on your height and weight.
- It can help you find out if you need to gain or lose weight..
- Youve had surgery or you have an injury or disability.
- Youve had eye surgery or laser treatment on your eyes, or you have a bleeding or detached retina. The retina is the nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye.
Physical activity can help reduce your risk of having certain health conditions that can cause problems for you and your baby during pregnancy, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart conditions. It also can help you manage stress, sleep better and quit smoking.
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Start Taking Folate Supplements
Also known as vitamin B9, folic acid is incredibly important if you are trying to conceive. Folic acid supports the neural tube formation of your baby, ensuring proper brain development.
Doctors recommend taking at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day leading up to conception and for the following 12 weeks after conception.
Why should you start taking folic acid before youre pregnant? The neural tube begins to develop quite soon after conception and is usually complete just four weeks into your pregnancy. Therefore, it might start to develop before you know youre pregnant.
Start taking a prenatal vitamin with folate as soon as you start trying for a baby. You can also get folate from eating beans, green leafy vegetables, and whole grains like brown rice.
