You’re all set to get pregnant. so let’s discuss – How to get pregnant – Now is the time. When you’re about to start a family, the last thing you want to do is wait.
While Mother Nature has a hand in the timing, there are certain things you can do (or not do) to further improve the odds of being pregnant as soon as possible. Continue reading for seven expert-approved pregnancy guides.
Get a pre-conception examination
For a checkup before you consider attempting to conceive. Ask the doctor for folic acid-fortified prenatal vitamins, which can help prevent birth defects like spina bifida. Folic acid is effective in the early stages of pregnancy, which is why it’s important to get plenty of it right before you become pregnant.
“Do this cycle before you start trying,” says Ann Smith, MD, a Stanford University professor of obstetrics and gynecology. “Before you can easily get pregnant, you must have any underlying medical conditions under control.”
Get to know your cycle
Do you have a good understanding of the menstrual cycle? According to Smith, knowing where you’re most fertile requires a deep intuition. The easiest time to get pregnant is through ovulation. Smith advises, “Now is the time to dwell on having sex.”
It is beneficial to become mindful of ovulation signals, such as a decrease in cervical mucus. When you’re most fertile, the skin turns thin and oily. A one-sided twinge of discomfort can also be experienced by some women.
According to James Alex, MD, director of the infertility program at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, ovulation prediction kits will also help you determine the right time to get pregnant. They can not only confirm that you are ovulating, but they can also advise you when to have sex to improve the risk of being pregnant, he says.
The below is how it works: Day one in the menstrual cycle is considered the first day. Joanne Dr. Sharma, MD, an associate professor of gynecology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., says, “Start checking on day nine and keep going before you get a positive.” Women that have a 28-day cycle ovulate on day 14 of their cycle. However, since certain women’s periods are longer or shorter, throwing a large net will help you be certain.
And if you’ve been on birth control for a while? Is it necessary to wait a while before attempting to conceive? Not at least, according to Alex. “Years back, it was common sense to wait a certain period of time after halting birth control before attempting to conceive, but this is no longer the case. You should begin attempting to reproduce as soon as you avoid taking birth control “According to Alex. The only thing to bear in mind is that you could get pregnant before you get your period, making measuring ovulation and determining your due date more complicated. As a result, he adds, “some people can feel safer waiting before they have one cycle of their own”.
Don’t be concerned with the right positions for conceiving
How to get pregnant – There are several misconceptions about the optimal places for conceiving, but they are just that: myths. When it comes to improving the odds of having a son, there is no statistical proof that the missionary role is stronger than the woman being on top.
Alex advises MediUpdates that “only rarely, a woman’s cervix is in an odd condition where those positions will make a difference.”
However, those gravity-defying positions during intercourse, such as sitting or standing, can prevent sperm from moving upstream. “It’s a question of gravity,” Smith explains, “because you don’t want all the semen to run out because semen are fast little critters.”
Relax for a while in bed right after sex
How to get pregnant – You’ve already heard this one: after having sex, lay in bed with your feet in the air to improve your risk of being pregnant. What’s the verdict? This is (completely) untrue.
“It’s a safe idea to lie in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after sex,” Alex says, “so you don’t need your feet in the air.” “When you lift your legs into the air, your pelvis does not move.” He also advises against using the restroom at this period. “The sperm that will get into the cervix will be in the cervix if you wait 10 to 15 minutes.”
Don’t overdo it
Having sex every day, even though ovulation, does not guarantee that you can get pregnant. “In general, becoming pregnant every second night around the time of ovulation increases the chances,” Alex says. Sperm can last in your body for up to 5 days. The best advice is to have sex on a daily basis, even when you’re ovulating and when you aren’t.
When it comes to semen, “tight-fitting clothing will reduce sperm count,” Dr Sharma says. Spending time in a hot tub or Jacuzzi may also be beneficial. Your man’s mobile phone behavior could still use some improvement. Men who used a hands-free interface with a mobile phone and kept their phone close to their testicles had lower sperm production, according to a report published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.
They will still have to give up edamame and other soy foods for a bit. According to a study conducted online in Human Reproduction, men who consume a lot of soy foods have lower sperm concentration than men who don’t eat soy foods.
Relax in every way you can
How to get pregnant – Don’t get too worked up over starting a family. When someone says, “Just relax and it will happen,” you might roll your eyes, but stress will potentially prevent ovulation. As a result, the more at ease you are the better!
Anything that makes you de-stress as long as it’s safe is perfect. According to Alex, “there is some support that acupuncture may help you relieve depression and improve the risk of being pregnant.” And, while drinking so much alcohol while trying to conceive isn’t a good idea, a glass of wine won’t hurt.
Maintain a Healthy lifestyle
How to get pregnant – Exercising is a good habit to develop, particularly if it helps you maintain your optimum weight. However, much as anything else, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. “Too much exercise will prevent you from ovulating,” says Alex.
How much is too much? It could be different for each woman. If you’re a hard-core exerciser who always has your period on time, he says, your workout routine is probably not a challenge. However, according to Alex, if you exercise too much, your menstrual cycle isn’t the first one to go. “The first thing that happens is that the second half of your time becomes shorter. After you ovulate, you should have a cycle for 14 days, but excessive exercise will shorten this period.” This is the first sign that you can reduce your workout routine. The only way to tell for sure, he says, is to keep track of how long it takes you to have a cycle until you ovulate.
How to get pregnant – According to Alex, the safest way to improve the odds of becoming pregnant and getting the health benefits of daily exercise is to do two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week (think brisk walking) (or at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week).
To raise the odds of becoming pregnant, Smith recommends quitting smoking. Apart from the many detrimental health consequences of smoking, this bad practice also reduces fertility. “Estrogen levels and ovulation are affected.”
Also, don’t be too concerned with your day planner. “Within a year of trying, 85 percent of women will become pregnant,” Smith says.
