Skip The Lubeand Douches
Lubricants can slow down sperm because of how viscous and thick they aresperm cant swim through that, says Masterson. You also should not douche, since that affects your pH levels and the sperms viability.
If you cant live without lube, Masterson says you can use Pre-Seed, an FDA-approved fertility-friendly lubricant developed by doctors. Its pH-balanced to match fertile cervical mucus as well as the pH of his sperm, so it wont hurt your odds of conceiving.
What Is The Two
The two-week wait is a challenging time for couples trying for a baby, Hirshfeld-Cytron says. âThe two-week wait is the time period between ovulation and an expected menstrual cycle. Once the two-week waiting period is over, a woman can take a pregnancy test,â she says.
During this two-week wait, experts say there are some things you can do, and things you can avoid, to help assist this process. And while there arenât really specific ways you can control implantation happening, according to Hirshfeld-Cytron, itâs still important to remain as stress-free and healthy as possible.
Chances Of Getting Pregnant After A Positive Ovulation Test
and subscribe to her blog atwww.getthegoldenegg.com.
Keep reading to find out your chances of getting pregnant after a positive ovulation test.
Once you get a positive ovulation test, you probably know what to do next start trying! But you may still be wondering what the actual chances are of getting pregnant after a positive ovulation test. Keep reading to find out!
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Depo Shots Can Affect Menstruation Long Term
Its recommended that women who wish to get pregnant in the near future do not take the Depo Provera shots, since the body can take months to get back into a menstrual groove after coming off of the shots.
This could seriously impact your family planning.
Because the shots can weaken the bones, its recommended that your usage of the Depo Provera shots be limited to two years use.
One of the most unfortunate side effects of the Depo Provera shots is a lingering inability to become pregnant due to their long-lasting impact.
So, in order to become pregnant youll have to consider your approach and timing.
It can take several weeks to months for your period to return to a normal state.
Some women have reported it taking as long as 18 months to get pregnant after stopping the shots.
Abstinence is of course the only foolproof method of 100% avoiding a pregnancy, so know that there is always a chance of becoming pregnant even immediately after stopping the shots.
You can also become pregnant while taking the depo shot, even when given properly and in a timely fashion.
The longer you were on the shots and how consistent you were with their administration will both factor into how quickly you can get pregnant afterwards.
Prescription Medications And Conception
It’s also possible to have a medical condition that doesn’t affect ovulation or fertility, but to be on medications for that condition that do affect ovulation or fertility. For example, there’s no reason to think that people with mild musculoskeletal pain would have issues with ovulation. But a recent study showed that the medication used to treat pain in a group of these women nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs decreased progesterone levels and impaired ovulation, both of which negatively impact chances of conception. There’s also evidence that medication for mental health conditions, like antidepressants, can have an effect on fertility.
If you have a diagnosed medical condition or are taking prescription meds, talk to your doctor before TTC. They will be able to give you crucial insight into how your diagnoses and meds may impact your chances of conception , and suggest steps to help you maximize those chances.
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Strive For A Healthy Body Weight
A woman’s weight can also impact the chances of conceiving: Being overweight or underweight may reduce those odds. Research has shown that a woman who is overweight can take twice as long to become pregnant as a woman whose body-mass index is considered normal weight, Pavone said. A woman who is underweight might take four times as long to conceive, she said.
Having too much body fat produces excess estrogen, which can interfere with ovulation, according to the Cleveland Clinic. A 2017 study suggested that couples in the study in which both partners were very obese, with BMIs of at least 35, took from 55% to 59% longer to become pregnant, compared with couples who were not obese, the researchers reported in the journal Human Reproduction.
In a study published in 2020 in the journal PLOS One, researchers looked at data from more than 50,000 couples in China trying to conceive over the course of a year they found that women’s ability to conceive within a given timeframe decreased as their BMI increased.
Male obesity, which can disrupt the male endocrine system as well as sperm viability and concentration, can also affect a couple’s ability to become pregnant, scientists reported in 2020 in the journal Andrologia.
Women who are underweight, with a BMI less than 18, might not be getting regular periods or could stop ovulating, which also hinders their ability to become pregnant, according to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority.
How To Help Implantation During Fertility Treatments What To Expect
If youâre working through fertility treatments like IVF, Dr. Alan Lindemann, obstetrician and maternal mortality expert, has some other tips that may help with implantation. âDay one of your cycle is the first day of your period. From the third or fourth day of your cycle, follicle-stimulating hormone shots are given daily until about the middle of your cycle,â he says. âUsing ultrasound, the egg is measured. When the egg reaches 2.2 centimeters, the FSH shots are discontinued and luteinizing hormone shots are given daily. Sometimes to prepare the uterus, progesterone suppositories are given during the last half of the cycle as well.â
These are obviously tips to discuss with your healthcare provider, and theyâll be able to answer specific questions for you and help you stay as healthy as possible.
Experts:
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Have Fun And Don’t Rush
Some research has found that lengthier foreplay and increased sexual arousal may increase the quantity of sperm in men. For women, foreplay often means more cervical fluids. Cervical fluids are essential in helping sperm swim and survive the vaginal environment.
Longer foreplay also may increase the chances of female orgasm, another possible boost to conception. If you only have time for a quickie, by all means, don’t skip having sexespecially if it’s a fertile time of the month. But whenever possible, take your time. Even if your lovemaking doesn’t yield a pregnancy, it will likely enhance your relationship and help to ease any anxiety you may be having around trying to conceive.
Not Eating A Fertility Based Diet To Increase Implantation Success
Theres a diet for everything now-a-days and that includes fertility. Getting pregnant is big business and you need to be in top physical condition. To increase your chances of a successful implantation, start eating a fertility based diet! The Fertility Diet is fairly straight forward and easy to follow.
Here are some key points from the diet to give you a crash course:
- Avoid processed forms of soy
- Avoid sugary drinks
- Eat whole foods over processed ones
- Avoid artificial sweeteners and eat natural sugars instead
- One to two servings of full-fat dairy per day
- Eat more plant protein, less red meat and more fish
- Substitute processed carbs for complex carbs
- Increase plant-based fats
Obviously, this is an extremely quick crash course! To better understand the diet just purchase The Fertility Diet book. Thats literally all you need to increase your overall fertility and increase implantation success.
While The Fertility Diet book will provide you with an easy science backed diet plan, it only comes with a weeks worth of food ideas. Honestly, to take the guess-work out of meal planning, purchase a cookbook based around the fertility diet.
Clear Signs Of Ovulation To Detect Your Most Fertile Time
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Make Sure Youre Using A Fertility
The kind of lubricant you use during sex can actually make conception more difficult, so much so that the Food and Drug Administration now categorizes certain lubricants as fertility friendly.
This is because the ingredients in many lubricants, such as petroleum, silicone, parabens and glycerin, can harm sperm function. A lubricants pH can also have an effect.
How Often Should You Have Sex To Get Pregnant
You may think that cutting down on sex to “save” your guy’s spermor only having sex during ovulationwill make getting pregnant easier. But abstaining too much can throw off conception. Indeed, while holding off on sex can increase sperm count, it can also decrease sperm motility. What’s more, “it’s easy to miss the fertile period if sex is limited only to when you think you’re ovulating, because many women believe they’re ovulating when they actually aren’t,” says Samuel Wood, M.D., medical director at The Reproductive Sciences Center in La Jolla, CA.
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Counseling And Support Groups
If you’ve been having problems getting pregnant, you know how frustrating it can feel. Not being able to get pregnant can be one of the most stressful experiences a couple has. Both counseling and support groups can help you and your partner talk about your feelings and help you meet other couples struggling with the same issues. You will learn that anger, grief, blame, guilt, and depression are all normal. Couples do survive infertility, and can become closer and stronger in the process. Ask your doctor for the names of counselors or therapists with an interest in fertility.
When Should You See A Fertility Doctor
Most heterosexual couples should wait one year before seeing a fertility doctorbut in some cases, it’s best to make an appointment sooner rather than later. “If you’re 35 or older, you should see a fertility specialist after six months of trying without success,” Dr. Chen says. And if you’re younger and have irregular periods or a history of sexually transmitted infections , ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease , or other health issues that may affect fertility or pregnancy, Dr. Chen says it’s a good idea to seek out a specialist right away.
Also important to note: When a couple has a difficult time getting pregnant, they shouldn’t be so quick to blame the woman. “From day one, couples need to think it could be the woman, the man, both, or simply unexplained infertility,” says Dr. Chen. “About half of infertility issues have to do with the woman, 40 percent with the man, and the other 10 percent is both or neither.” The best thing, she adds, is for both partners to be assessed to know for sure.
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If The Test Is Negative
Stay positive. Remind yourself that if it didnt happen this time and if its meant to be, it will happen. Dont put the rest of your life on hold because you are trying to get pregnant stay busy and have fun. Its disappointing and worthy of grieving. Dont fight that, but dont let it take over.
If its been a few months of negative tests, consider making an appointment with your OB/GYN. At some point, it may be worth considering a fertility specialist. If you and your partner have been having frequent, unprotected sex for a year with no luck six months if youre over 35 you might start to ask about seeing a fertility specialist.
Quit Drinking & Smoking
Drinking and smoking not only reduce the likelihood of conception, but can lead to various complications during pregnancy and may contribute to other medical problems as the child grows.
Smoking deprives your eggs, embryo, and fetus of essential oxygen which can hasten ovarian aging, and increase the chances of miscarriage.
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to “fetal alcohol syndrome” which can cause mental and physical birth defects and growth problems. If you want to increase your chances of conception and a healthy pregnancy, the best advice is to quit these habits as soon as possible.
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Two Things To Do To Increase Your Chances Of Successful Implantation
75% of failed pregnancies are considered to be due to implantation failure . In other words, the egg is fertilized, but it does not implant.
So what can you do about it during the TWW?
Im going to give you the honest truth, because you will see a lot of bloggers posting Tips to Boost Implantation During the TWW and Natural Ways to Increase Implantation Odds During the TWW and What to Eat to Increase Implantation Odds During the TWW.
The truth is:
HOWEVER, according to the research, there are actually longer-term changes you can make that will improve your odds of implantation. Read on!
**AND an UPDATE: See below how I eventually got pregnant after 2 1/2 years I think it was an implantation issue that I corrected!
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Not Taking A Multivitamin
Most people cannot get all their needed daily vitamins and minerals from diet alone. Thankfully, a multivitamin will take care of your nutritional gaps.
Your body depends on certain vitamins and minerals to function properly. Without certain vitamin needs being met, even the menstrual cycle will begin to suffer. Once anything reproductively decreases, implantation also begins to suffer, lowering your chances to increase implantation success.
Although a regular womens multivitamin will give you your daily dose, there are specialty multivitamins designed for women who are trying to conceive.
Fertility Enhancing Multivitamins:
- FertilHerb Herbal & Multivitamin For Women
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How Can You Track Ovulation
Many women follow the textbook rule that ovulation occurs 14 days after the first day of their periodbut the reality is that cycle lengths vary, and ovulation doesn’t always occur at the same time each month, says Machelle Seibel, M.D., Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Some women think they can detect ovulation symptoms. “If you’re in tune with your body, you may notice that you have an increased clear egg-white-like vaginal discharge a few days before ovulation,” says Yvonne Bohn, M.D., OB-GYN and co-author of The Mommy Docs Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy and Birth. But many women miss this, and some mistakenly think their normal discharge is a sign of ovulation.
Instead of guessing, Dr. Seibel says that using an ovulation predictor kit can give a more accurate answer. Charting your basal body temperature or tracking your menstrual cycle can also help identify ovulation for the best days to get pregnant.
Basal Body Temperature Charting
Basal body temperature is the temperature when the body is at rest.
Charting BBT for a series of months by measuring every morning after waking up will help predict ovulation.
During or when ovulation approaches, there is a slight increase in BBT. A person can use a digital thermometer to track these small changes in temperature.
Monitoring BBT can help tell when ovulation occurs and therefore predict the days in the cycle when pregnancy is possible.
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Know When You’re Ovulating
Since there is only a very short window of time each cycle in which you can conceive, make the most of your increased fertility by knowing when you will be ovulating.
Your fertile window begins 5 days before you ovulate, and the most fertile days are the three days leading up to, and including, ovulation day. Having sex during your most fertile days will improve your chances of conceiving within any cycle. Each cycle, your body provides clues as to when you’re most fertile and when you are about to ovulate. The most common of these include:
- Checking your cervical fluid and/or checking your cervix position, texture and opening. Learn how.
For more information on how to detect ovulation with these methods and others, please see this article: The 12 Best Ways To Detect Ovulation – Signs & Symptoms
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.”
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What Next After Ovulation
Even if the egg hasnt been fertilised, the same processes occur in a womans body. Its all about preparing for conception, even if it didnt happen. The corpus luteum is formed from the empty follicle where the egg was released. The corpus luteum secretes oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones help to build up the lining of the uterus so its ready to receive the fertilised egg.
If fertilisation has occurred, the egg finds its way to the uterus,- there the lining has become thick and covered in mucous. This helps the zygote to be supported until the placenta takes over.
If the egg has not been fertilised, the egg still travels along the fallopian tube into the uterus. Over a day or so the egg dissolves and is absorbed by the womans body. The corpus luteum begins to dissolve after around 14 days. The levels of progesterone and oestrogen drop and a signal is sent for menstruation to begin.
After a woman ovulates and before she menstruates, her basal body temperature stays slightly higher than normal. After ovulation the cervical mucous changes again from being less clear and slippery to thicker.
