Take A Pregnancy Test
Over-the-counter pregnancy tests are the cheapest, fastest, and most accurate way to find out whether pregnancy has occurred. Home pregnancy tests are available from most pharmacies and even grocery stores.
Most home pregnancy tests can be used from the first day of a missed period, but more sensitive pregnancy tests can be used before that.
Most tests claim to be 99 percent effective if taken after a missed period. To be sure, you could purchase two tests and compare the results.
A false negative is possible, especially early on in a pregnancy, so be aware of early pregnancy symptoms.
Visit A Primary Care Doctor Or Ob/gyn
The best place to start the path to parenthood is in the office of ones regular doctor. A routine check of both the male and female partner can help determine potential health issues that could prevent or complicate a pregnancy, as well as proposed potential lifestyle changes that increase a couples odds. Women should visit their OB/GYN prior to trying to conceive to determine the state of their reproductive health and to discuss any family history of infertility or any concerns about other health conditions that could cause potential infertility.
Are These Tests More Accurate Than The Home Pregnancy Tests
Both pregnancy blood tests and home pregnancy urine tests test for the same hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. The body begins producing hCG as soon as a fertilized egg successfully undergoes implantation. The hCG level doubles roughly every 48 hours. The best home pregnancy tests are able to detect hCG approximately 12 14 days after implantation.
You can take a urine-based pregnancy test in the comfort of your home, and many of them claim to be 99% accurate when performed correctly, making them more convenient than a pregnancy blood test.
If youre asking yourself, How do I get a blood test for pregnancy? these tests are performed in a doctors office or lab, and you will need to wait longer for pregnancy blood work results. Depending on where you live or your type of medical insurance, this may cost money as well as time.
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Reduce Your Caffeine Intake
Research shows that consuming too much caffeine while you are trying to conceive can increase the risk of miscarriage. The research shows that this applies to both women and men. Too much caffeine in pregnancy has also been shown to be harmful to the developing baby.
If youre planning to conceive, you and your partner should consider limiting your caffeine intake to 200mg a day.
Best Apps For Tracking Your Fertile Window
When it comes to tracking your menstrual cycle and your fertile window you can go as high-tech or low-tech as you want. Whether you want a basic calendar or an app that syncs with all your devices, choose something you know you can use consistently.
There are hundreds of apps to help identify your fertile window, but only about 20 that research has considered to be reliable and easy to use. Its important to choose an app that is based on accurate scientific data. The app that I recommend to my patients is the Glow App. Its available on the iTunes App Store and on the Google Play Store. There are both free and paid versions. You can even join online communities with people who are trying to conceive .
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How About Just Putting Sperm Into Your Vagina
Another option for getting yourself pregnant is at-home insemination. There are some benefits of at-home insemination, including:
- You can be in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
- Its less expensive.
- Its done with the help of a practitioner, such as a midwife.
In an at-home procedure, the practitioner uses a needleless syringe to insert semen into your vagina . You can also buy at-home insemination kits. They come with containers for semen and syringes to insert it into the vagina. Although the procedure may seem simple, it might take several attempts before youre able to do it successfully.
Its important to know that at-home inseminations arent as regulated as inseminations performed in a medical office. A home environment can increase the risk of infection, while a clinical environment is a more sterile option. For this reason, its important to thoroughly educate yourself about the procedure and discuss it with the person performing the insemination.
What Are Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant Every Month
Generally, a woman whos trying to get pregnant has between a 15% and 25% chance of doing so each month. Despite those odds, most couples conceive within the first year of trying.
Whether you will conceive depends on several factors such as your overall health, age, your and your partners fertility, and having sex at the right time during your cycle.
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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.
Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Couples Get Pregnant
Difficulty conceiving can be a result of factors that affect both men and women. This includes lifestyle factors well within the control of both partners.
Find out what lifestyle factors may be affecting your chance of pregnancy
Couples should consider making some of the following lifestyle adjustments before and during their efforts to conceive.
Do eat a healthy, well balanced diet. A healthy diet helps with weight management. Research shows that a healthy diet can help mitigate the relationship between weight and infertility, as obese, overweight or underweight women can experience a decrease in fertility. Obesity also negatively affects mens sperm count and quality.
Do start taking prenatal vitamins. A large body of research shows that women who take folate-containing vitamins or folic acid supplements prior to conceiving and through the course of their pregnancy can reduce the risk that their offspring will be born with birth defects.
Do continue moderate exercise. Moderate exercise looks different for every individual, based on their fitness level and fitness goals. Exercise can help manage stress, which can interfere with female ovulation, and help men and women manage their weight, which can impede fertility.
Dont use tobacco products or other recreational drugs. Tobacco products, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, electric cigarettes or vape pens, and chewing tobacco, negatively impact fertility in women and men.
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Take Vitamins And Folic Acid
Take a vitamin and mineral supplement that includes at least 0.4 milligrams of folic acid.
- Folic acid reduces the risk of birth defects, especially problems with the baby’s spine.
- Start taking a vitamin with folic acid before you want to get pregnant.
- Avoid high doses of any vitamin, especially vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins can cause birth defects if you take more than the normal recommended daily amounts. Regular pregnancy prenatal vitamins do not have excessively high doses of any vitamin.
Is It Safe For Baby
Getting a manicure during pregnancy is safe for you and your baby, provided you go to a clean, well-ventilated salon that uses safe, non-toxic products, says Dr. Andrea Chisholm, an OB/GYN practicing in Cody, Wyoming.
The main risk is exposure to toxic chemicals and infection. If the mother gets an infection from a nail treatment, there is a small risk that it could travel to the baby and get them both sick, explains Dr. Chisholm.
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When Should I Test
Home pregnancy tests can be very accurate , especially if you wait to test until after your period is officially late. Some tests claim to accurately detect pregnancy up to a week before your missed period, so if you’re experiencing some pregnancy symptoms and are champing at the bit, go for it.
You’re more likely to get an accurate test result if you wait until your period is late, according to the Mayo Clinic, because the hormone that’s detected in home pregnancy tests, hCG, doubles every two to three days after an embryo attaches to your uterus, meaning there’s more to detect in your urine if you wait a few days.
Because this hormone can sometimes take a while to build up, false negative results aren’t uncommon in early pregnancy. It’s much more rare to get a false positive. If you get a positive test result, you are very likely pregnant, or experienced a recent pregnancy loss, and can confirm the pregnancy through a blood test or ultrasound.
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The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Can I Go To Urgent Care For A Uti
Urinary tract infections can happen to any woman, pregnant or not. And they are not fun. However, during pregnancy, women are more prone to UTIsdue to the expansion of the bladder and urethra, as well as the concentration of urine. All of these things can encourage bacterial growth and lead to an infection.
Untreated, a urinary tract infection can cause serious health problems for both mom and baby. You should go to urgent care if you experience any of the following symptoms of a UTI, as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control :
- Pain or burning while urinating
- Frequent urination
- Pressure or cramping in the groin or lower abdomen
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Natural Fertility Options To Help You Get Pregnant
To start, there are a few basic things you should understand about conception. Your age, your state of healthin terms of exercise, weight and smoking, for exampleand your family history, can all affect your fertility.
Its important to understand that many couples dont conceive right away. In fact, of all couples trying to conceive:
- 30 percent get pregnant within the first cycle
- 60 percent get pregnant within three cycles
- 85 percent get pregnant within twelve cycles
At Moreland OB-GYN, we take pride in helping women understand pregnancy, from conception through to birth. Below, our team of expert obstetricians shares three natural fertility options you may want to consider trying as you prepare for pregnancy. In addition, we offer some tried and true advice on fertility and minimally invasive options to help you get pregnant.
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.
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Using Ovulation Test Kits
Ovulation predictor kits are available from chemists and are fairly simple to use. They work by detecting a hormone in your urine that increases when ovulation is about to take place.
The simplest ovulation test kits check for luteinising hormone , which surges 24-36 hours before ovulation. This will help to identify the best two days for conception, although a woman can be fertile for a day or so before and after this time.
It is best to become familiar with your usual menstrual cycle to help figure out when you should start testing. If you have an irregular cycle then an ovulation predictor kit can help you identify the time of ovulation, but expect to use more of the test strips.
After Having Sex How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant
Depending on the time of ovulation, the egg and sperm join and create a fertilized egg within five days of sex. Then, the fertilized egg can take 610 days to implant in your uterus. Pregnancy can be detected after implantation.
The best way to determine whether youre pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test after your period is delayed. Home pregnancy tests are available at drugstores and pharmacies, or you can visit a health center and take a pregnancy test there.
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What Kinds Of Fertility Treatment Are There
There are several kinds of fertility treatment. You, your partner and your provider can decide which treatment gives you the best chance of getting pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy. Common treatments include:
- Surgery to repair parts of your or your partners reproductive system. For example, you may need surgery on your Fallopian tubes to help your eggs travel from your ovaries to your uterus.
- Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation
You can find out about other kinds of fertility treatments at resolve.org.
What Is Controlled Ovarian Hyperstimulation
Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation is a kind of fertility treatment that uses medicines to help your body ovulate . If youre having COH, your provider can adjust your treatment if she thinks youre likely to release more than one egg. The medicines used for COH include:
- Clomiphine citrate . This medicine comes as a pill. Its the most common medicine used to help women ovulate. You may have side effects from the medicine, like feeling sick to your stomach, feeling moody and having hot flashes and sore breasts.
- Gonadotropins. You get this medicine in shots. Side effects include feeling bloated or having pain in your lower belly.
If youre getting COH, have sex a few days before and the day that you ovulate. The more often you have sex during this time, the more likely you are to get pregnant. Your provider may recommend that along with COH you also have a treatment called intrauterine insemination . In IUI, your provider places sperm inside your uterus when you ovulate.
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Ask About All Your Options
More couples are waiting to start families after age 35. If you’re concerned about your future fertility options, talk to your doctor about them now. Fertility does decline as you get older, but not everyone will have difficulty conceiving.
If you are single or otherwise not in a position to start trying to have a family, this is also an important topic to discuss with your health care provider. You might choose to consider egg freezingthough it is expensive and is not without risk. Ask your doctor if egg freezing would be an option for you, given your specific situation.
Identify Your Fertile Window And Start Tracking Ovulation
Your fertile window usually occurs mid-cycle and is the time period in which your chances of getting pregnant are at their highest. 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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Start Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Each new menstrual cycle is marked by the first day of your period. And tracking your cycle along with any daily symptoms youre experiencing can be incredibly helpful. Why?
Tracking your cycle helps you get to know your body better, including how long your cycle is. The length of your cycle is what determines your fertile window, which well get to in the next section.
Tracking the symptoms you experience such as changes in sex drive, mood or cervical mucus can help you identify patterns throughout your cycle, including what you typically experience leading up to your most fertile days.
How do you get started? When your next period arrives, start tracking since that is Day 1 of your cycle. You can keep a journal and write things down, or you can use mobile apps such as Fertility Friend and Clue.
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.
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