Are There Things I Can Do To Get Pregnant Faster
There are some steps you can take that help give you the best chance of conceiving, but keep in mind: The amount of time it takes to get pregnant differs from person to person. Some people conceive quickly, while others can try for years with little success.
Before trying for a baby, it’s a good idea to prepare. Here are some ways to get started:
- Schedule a preconception checkup with a doctor or midwife.
- Kick unhealthy habits like drinking, smoking cigarettes or marijuana, or using illicit drugs.
- Maintain or work towards a healthy weight.
- Take at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily at least one month before you start trying to conceive. This nutrient can dramatically reduce the risk of certain birth defects.
Once you’re ready to begin, these tips may boost your chances of getting pregnant fast:
Tips On How To Get Pregnant With A Girl
Want a baby girl? Huggies shares tips on what you can do to improve your chances of conceiving a girl.
How to conceive a girl?
Are you longing for a girl? Do you already have a one boy or more and now want to see if you can tip the gender balance in your household? There are lots of theories and claims made about influencing the chances of having either a boy or a girl baby, but the scientific facts are absolutely clear. The chances of having conceiving a boy or a girl are almost exactly equal for each and every pregnancy. Even though some couples only seem to make boys, or girls, this patterning owes more to luck than management.
Top tips for conceiving a girl
- have sex 2.5-4 days before you ovulate
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keep an ovulation chart so you know when you are ovulating
- have sex every day from the day when you finish your period
- avoid having sex which involves deep penetration missionary position is best
- purchase an alkaline testing kit from the pharmacy to find out your vaginal ph
- eat foods that support a more acidic vaginal ph, like green leafy vegetables, wholegrains, meat, sweets, corn and blueberries
Whats a fact and whats fallacy?
Timing of intercourse
If you are keen to have a girl, then you need to think about, plan for and execute your strategy to include exactly how and when you are going to have sex. Forget just waiting to see what happens or being relaxed about it.
According to Shettles, to conceive a girl you need to:
How do I know when Ive ovulated?
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. 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 .
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How To Get Pregnant
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For the best chance of getting pregnant, you need to get your eggs and your partner’s sperm together as often as possible.
More than 8 out of 10 couples where the woman is aged under 40 will get pregnant within one year if they have regular unprotected sex. More than 9 out of 10 couples will get pregnant within two years.
Regular, unprotected sex means having sex every 2 to 3 days without using contraception.
You don’t need to time having sex only around ovulation, though it is helpful to know when you are ovulating. Having vaginal sex every 2 to 3 days will give you the best chance of getting pregnant. Sperm can live for 2 to 3 days and this means there will always be fresh sperm in your system when you ovulate .
Remember its important for you and your partner to try and keep sex enjoyable by concentrating on each other and your relationship, rather than worrying about conceiving. This will help you limit stress.
How Can I Get Pregnant Naturally After 35 And Over 40
If youre trying to get pregnant after you turn 35, or older, you can maximise your chances of conception by knowing when you ovulate, which is when your ovaries release an egg. One reason why many couples struggle to get pregnant is that 1 in 2 couples may be trying to conceive at the wrong time of the month4. There are only a few days each menstrual cycle when you can get pregnant and your fertile days can vary between cycles. If you know when your fertile days are, it can help you . Ovulation tests detect the surge of a hormone called luteinising hormone which occurs 24 to 36 hours before ovulation and identify your 2 most fertile days. Since can survive for up to 5 days, your fertility window is actually around 6 days, so you may want to invest in a test that also detects a rise in estrogen. This rise in estrogen happens in the days leading up to your LH surge, so identifying these days gives you a wider fertility window giving you more opportunities to get pregnant.
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What To Expect At Your Appointment
During your first visit with a fertility specialist, your doctor will ask a lot of questions about your history, to try to understand factors that may be making it harder to become pregnant. They may order some blood tests to try to understand any irregularities that might be keeping you from getting pregnant, and to make sure you are in the best possible health to become pregnant. Theyll also order a on your partner though this wont be performed on the day of your initial appointment. Depending on your medical history, you might also plan an ultrasound and additional imaging to further explore. If you arent ovulating, your doctor may prescribe medications, including ones that can help induce ovulation. The best choice is very personal and your doctor will help you understand all of your options.
Wherever you are on your fertility journey, remember that approximately 85% of healthy women will get pregnant within a year of trying. For those who struggle to conceive, you can increase your chances by mixing love with science and seeing a doctor who specializes in fertility.
We want our patients to feel as comfortable as possible during this emotional and sometimes stressful time. Our team is committed to providing the most caring, compassionate, and leading-edge fertility care available.
Dont Be Ashamed To Get Help
Your end goal in this process is to conceive and have a baby. Theres nothing to be ashamed about if you require additional help to make that possible. Its likely a doctor will run some tests and do some imaging to determine if theres an easy answer to your difficulty.
Its possible there may even be more than one reason youre experiencing difficulty conceiving. Both you and your partner should be thoroughly evaluated to determine the cause and to create a treatment plan.
If youre over 35, youll want to seek help after trying unsuccessfully to conceive for six months. If youre under 35, you should plan on trying for a full year before seeing your doctor.
Your doctor can help you through this process or refer you to a specialist if needed. You arent alone in struggling to conceive. Fortunately, there are plenty of options out there to help you.
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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.”
Record Menstrual Cycle Frequency
A woman who wants to have a baby should monitor the intervals between her periodsin other words, whether the first day of her period tends to occur the same number of days apart every month, which is considered regular. Conversely, her periods may be irregular, meaning her cycle lengths vary from month to month. By tracking this information on a calendar, a woman can better predict when she might be ovulating , according to research published in The New England Journal of Medicine . This is the time every month when her ovaries will release an egg. There are also some apps that can help with the tracking, such as GlowOvulation period tracker .
A woman’s egg is fertile for only 12 to 24 hours after its release, while a man’s sperm can survive in a woman’s body for up to five days according to the American Pregnancy Association .
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Ways To Get Pregnant That Arent Sex
Knocking boots isn’t the only way to put a bun in the oven.
Most women turn to their beau and their bedroomsor kitchen floors, if that’s what you’re intowhen they’re ready to make a baby. But for women who face medical issues, same-sex couples, or even single ladies who no longer want to wait for Prince Charming, there are other options.
Here, Alyssa Dweck, M.D., co-author of , takes us through four options.
1. Intrauterine insemination With IUIwhere sperm is matched with your egg inside your uterusa woman can work with a partner, donor, or sperm bank. Each of those options come with their own set of variables: For example, you can choose a known donor or to go through a sperm bank you can also get a fresh or frozen sample. An ob-gyn uses a catheter to introduce the sperm into your uterus . “It’s simple, minimally uncomfortable, and similar to pap smear in terms of discomfort,” says Dweck. You may leave the office with mild cramps, but otherwise you’ll have zero recovery time. “I usually have patients lie with pelvis tilted for 10 minutes after the procedure,” says Dweck, “but then they are free to go about normal activities.”
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The cost of IUI varies vastly between clinics, but you can expect to spend anywhere from $300 to $800 per cycle. Check with your insurance because some cover a few or even all cycles, says Dweck.
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Have Sex During Your Fertile Window
The “fertile window” is the 3 to 5 five days before you ovulate, plus the day you actually release an egg. Once you know your window for ovulation, plan to have sex during this time frame.
If you’re not sure when you’ll be most fertile, aim to have sex every other day during the middle two weeks of your cycle. For example, if your whole menstrual cycle lasts four weeks have sex often during the second and third week. That way, you’re likely to have healthy sperm in your fallopian tubes whenever your body releases an egg.
Take our quiz to test your knowledge about timing sex for conception!
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Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
Its never too early to start taking prenatal vitamins. Among other important nutrients, they contain folic acid, which numerous studies have found to be critically important for baby at every stage of developmentplus, it helps promote ovulation, encourages fertilization and supports early embryo survival, says Audrey Gaskins, ScD, an instructor of nutrition and dietetics at Harvard Medical School. Your ob-gyn can prescribe a prenatal vitamin or offer recommendations for some good over-the-counter options. Foods like strawberries, spinach, beans and orange juice are also naturally high in folate.
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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Sex Positions That Can Make It Easier To Get Pregnant According To Ob
If youre trying to make a baby, youll need to have sex, obviously. But are some positions better than others? Many ob-gyns are skeptical, and theres scant science proving that one position will lead to more pregnancy success. When it comes to conceiving, the most important factors include the age and health of parents-to-be, say fertility experts, not to mention getting it on at the most optimal time in your cycle.
That said, the ob-gyns we spoke to did say that certain positions can make it more likely for sperm to reach an egg and conception to commence. If youre hoping for a bun in the oven, these are the six positions they advise you to add to your bedroom repertoireand why they might increase your chances.
Missionary
Of all the possible sexual positions, missionary gives you the best odds of success, Scott Roseff, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at IVFMD in Boca Raton, tells Health.
Doggy style
Lots of couples love this sex style because it allows the male partner to go deep. And any position that offers more depth will increase your chances of having a baby, Jennifer Landa, MD, an ob-gyn at BodyLogicMD in Orlando, tells Health.
Legs on shoulders
Reverse cowgirl
The wheelbarrow
Side-by-side scissors
How Do I Increase My Chances Of Getting Pregnant
One of the best ways to increase your chances of getting pregnant is knowing what days you ovulate , and planning vaginal sex or insemination around those days.
Everyones body is different, but ovulation usually happens about 14 days before your period starts. An egg lives for about 1 day after its released , and sperm can live in the body for about 6 days after sex. So people are usually fertile for around 7 days of every menstrual cycle: the 5 days before you ovulate, and the day you ovulate. You can also get pregnant a day or 2 after ovulation, but it’s less likely.
Some people have very regular cycles, and some peoples cycles vary from month to month. Many people track their menstrual cycles and other fertility signs to help them figure out when theyre ovulating. This is called fertility awareness some people use it to prevent pregnancy, and others use it to try to get pregnant.
You can use a fertility chart to keep track of your cycle and when youre most fertile . There are apps that can make it easy to chart your cycle and figure out your fertile days.
You can also use ovulation predictor kits urine tests that tell you when youre ovulating. You can buy ovulation predictor tests in the drugstore, usually near the pregnancy tests. Ovulation predictor tests look for a hormone called luteinizing hormone, which increases in your body right before you ovulate.
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Don’t Forget These Other Sperm
These other fertility foods may also belong on the menu when you’re trying to conceive:
- Oysters. Were not sure if oysters are an aphrodisiac, but we do know that their zinc content pumps up the production of sperm and testosterone. If your partners not a fan, he can get his share of zinc from lean beef, poultry, dairy, nuts or eggs, though oysters have the highest concentration of this nutrient.
- Fruits and veggies. Produce is rich in the vitamins that can help protect sperm from cellular damage. He can get folate from leafy greens men who dont get enough of this B vitamin tend to have sperm with abnormal chromosomes. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and berries provide vitamin C, which can boost sperm quality. Carrots, red peppers and apricots have lots of vitamin A, which keeps sperm from getting sluggish. Sweet potatoes are rich in all three folate, A and C!
- Pomegranate juice may up sperm count and quality, per some animal studies. While it remains to be seen if it has the same effects on humans, you can always try swapping out the usual morning glass of OJ.
Tweak Your Habits Now
Now is the ideal time to revisit some of those New Years resolutionsto drink less, lose a couple pounds, exercise regularly. Chances are, you wont need to completely overhaul your life, but ideally you want to be in decent health before you get the positive pregnancy test.
If you are overweight or obese, even a small weight loss can make a huge difference says Patel. If you have a higher BMI, even a 5 to 10 per cent loss of your current weight will help improve your chances of conceiving, says Patel.
If you are currently smoking or taking any recreational drugs, its recommended that you quit as soon as possible. As well its good time to cut down or even start to avoid any alcoholic drinks. A large number of conditions is now linked to fetal alcohol syndrome and as Hamoudi says, There is no safe level of exposure. Also its a good idea to cut down on the amount caffeine you have each day from coffee, soda, tea and chocolate now.
In terms of what you should have, youll want to start taking prenatal vitamins. To cut the risk of neural tube defects for instance, its recommended you have 400 mg of folic acid a day, and to start taking it for at least three months before you conceive.
There is no clear evidence that colouring your hair is unsafe during pregnancy. However we always tell patients for the first few weeks of pregnancy to minimize any exposure to chemicals, says Hamoudi. So if you are planning to get pregnant, get your hair done first.
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