Many women today are delaying getting pregnant in order to feel secure when they are financially stable and their marriage is good. Then how to increase chances of getting pregnant become their most concerned question. Now, you’re ready to join the baby bump generation and start your family. Unfortunately, your body doesn’t always go along with your plans. You may need to kick start the process and increase your chances of getting pregnant. As luck would have it, you live in an age when there are a number of ways to jump into the fertility game and nudge your body forward.
Common Ways on How to Increase Chances of Getting Pregnant
1. Get Yourself a Preconception Test
As soon as you decide that now it is the time for you to start your family, get a complete health check-up with your physician. Let him/her know that you are planning to get pregnant and ask about starting on folic acid supplements and prenatal vitamins right away. Most physicians agree that increasing folic acid prior to pregnancy helps prevent several known birth defects such as spina bifida. According to Dr. Hilliard, a respected gynecologist in the U.S., you should start taking folic acid supplements at least one full cycle before your first attempt.
You also need to discuss with your doctor about any inherited health problems known in your family and your husband’s family history. Remember that, any potential problems should be under regulation before your get pregnant.
2. Have Sex in the Right Frequency
You may be asking yourself if there is actually a “right” way to have sex. Yes, but it’s not about positions – it’s about desiring sex. Some couples believe that more frequent sex will lead to greater chances of getting pregnant. That is not always true whether you are 17 or 32. It only takes one time to get pregnant and just has to be the right one.
If you normally have sex every two or three days, you should continue that pattern. Sperm motility decreases slightly if you wait more than 5 days between sexual activitiesor have sex every day. Therefore, to increase your chances of getting pregnant regarding sex, you just have to continue your normal pattern of intercourse instead of trying to force your lovemaking.
3. Have Sex at the Right Time
If you are trying to know how to increase chances of getting pregnant, one of the essentials is to have sex at the right time, which relates a lot to your ovulation cycle. Ovulation cycles vary slightly from one month to the next. To track your ovulation cycle, you need to keep a record ofthe first day of your periodfor a minimum of 3months and preferably 6 months to visually see if there is a pattern in your cycles. Once you have an accurate record of your periodic cycle, you can get a fairly good estimation of your ovulation cycle. Usually, 4 days before ovulation hold the highest probability of pregnancy for the women trying to conceive. However, it is important to know that ovulation can actually occur at any time during your cycles.
With a recent research study done at the University of North Carolina, it has become apparent that ovulation is more closely associated with what is called cervical mucus. Changes in the mucus in your vaginal discharges – either becoming milkier or thinner or more fibrous – seems to be the time that women are most likely to get pregnant and the ovulation is actually occurring.
Here is a video sharing steps on tracking your ovulation cycle and determine your most fertile days:
4. Protect Sperms
No woman gets pregnant alone. Sperm quality has an impact on how and whether you become pregnant. There are several tips tokeep the quality and concentration of a man’s sperm to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
- Wearing tight fitting jeans may look cool and be sexually attractive, but when it comes to delivering healthy, happy little sperms that are ready for the marathon swim to the egg, such a jean may cause the little guys a slowdown in the process.
- A man who uses a hands-free device and keeps the cellphone close to his testicle produces a relative bad quality of sperms.
- Eating edamame and soy based recipes leads to less concentration of a man’s sperms compared to men who doesn’t eating soy foods. During the process of conceiving, a more concentrated group of sperms are more likely to survive and reach their target rather than separated sperms.
5. Keep Exercising and Maintain a Healthy Weight
For women, being healthy is essential to quickly becoming pregnant. Both overweight and underweight women have more difficulty in getting pregnant and the reasons are similar. Fat or thin body can cause your periods to start, stop or be irregular. In turn, this affects the majority of women’s ability to conceive.
If you are heavier than the general healthy weight, this is not the best time to launch a rigorous exercise program. Increase your daily activities by walking next door to talk to your friend instead of calling on the phone – this should give you plenty of exercise! If you have a yard, get outside and plant a small garden and weed it at least every other day, which keeps you moving.
Learn how to properly calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). The BMI and your weight can be good indicators of your health according to the latest findings. Any BMI over 25-28 or less than 15-19 may leads to lower fertility rates for both men and women.
6. Live a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is always a good idea but when you are trying to get pregnant, it’s more essential. Both mom and dad should stop any consumption of alcoholic beverages at this time. If you don’t want to completely stop, limit yourself to one drink a week.
- Avoid all intakes of alcoholic beverages no matter how small the content before you get pregnant, especially in the first three months.
- Both parents-to-be should stop smoking before pregnancy. Smoking decreases fertility and sperm mobility. Second hand smoke inhaled by the mother affects the baby once she is pregnant.
- Ask your physician about any medication including herbal extracts, supplements and over the counter pills, which may affect your ability to become a Mom and Dad.
- Some studies have shown a link between caffeine consumption and a woman’s ability to conceive, but others have found none. So you can discuss with your doctor for taking caffeine drinks depending on your own conditions.
7. Relieve Your Stress
Choose healthy ways to relieve stress like swimming, bike riding or dancing all of which can work to relieve your stress. Choose exercises that make you smile and feel like a child again. Some cases show that people can get relieved by acupuncture treatment and increase chances of getting pregnant.
More steps on how to increase your chances of getting pregnant are shared in the video:
When to See a Doctor
Unless you have a family history that causes you to be concerned with your ability to become pregnant, stop looking at your calendar and wondering if you will become pregnant this month. Most women get pregnant within 18-months after deciding to do so. If you don’t get pregnant in the first 12-months, see your physician and find out if there are medical problems that you need to concern.