10 Top Tips For Getting Pregnant
Once you’ve planned for a baby, you need to do some top important things for getting pregnant. It’s not 100% guaranteed but there are few things you can do to maximize your chances of getting pregnant. As per opinions of experts, given below are 10 top tips for getting pregnant:
1. Have sex – The First And Foremost Thing!
Having regular and unprotected sex for a year makes about 84% of couples pregnant. The experts at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence advise to have sex every two to three days throughout the month. In short words, you must have sex 10 to 12 time within a month.
Zita West, leading fertility expert confirms that: As the fertile time of woman varies, no one can accurately pinpoint the best time for having sex, so just have sex at least three times a week throughout the month.
Emma Cannon, author of The Baby Making Bible says: “Prioritize sex; do it at perfect time and in the proper sense, and make it priority, don’t just diary it in as another thing to do;”
You should have sex throughout the month, don’t rely on ovulation sticks to determine your sex life.
2. Know Your Cycle
Even though, experts advise for regular sex throughout the month, it’s important to know your cycle. Let’s talk about basics here, you can only get pregnant when an egg meets a sperm and that egg only comes usually once a month, around day 14 in your cycle.
That egg only survives for a day or two, so there’s only a short period time each month during which you can actually get pregnant. For getting pregnant, having better quality sperm is necessary, continue to do sex throughout the month, but keep it in mind that the most fertile time is around the time of ovulation.
During ovulation, some women feel a twinge of pain in one side and cervical mucus may become thin and slippery. If you have an irregular cycle or feel you need extra help, you can buy ovulation prediction kits to help you find out when you are most fertile.
READ: What is Ovulation?
3. Positions
After many researches and experiments on the best sexual positions for baby-making, Emma Cannon, author of The Baby Making Bible says: “Having sex in the ‘missionary position’ is best as it helps the sperm travel through the cervix.”
“You can even put a cushion under you to tilt the pelvis further – some women have a tilted uterus and this can really help.”
4. Ensure Your Sperm is Healthy
Healthy sperm plays a vital role in getting pregnant. Researches proved that wearing loose boxers instead of tight pants help in healthy sperm and man’s fertility. Cool testicles increase man’ fertility.
Zita West says that for production of healthy sperm, a man’s testicles need to be below body temperature, so men should avoid any prolonged exposure to heat, from steam rooms, Jacuzzis, saunas, hot baths or hot tubs.
She says: “the heat generated by using laptops, long-distance driving, and hot tubs affect badly sperm quality.”
5. Folic Acid and a Check Up
Women who are planning about getting pregnant should take a 400mg folic acid supplement each day. Women with diabetes or coeliac disease are advised to take a 5mg folic acid supplement each day. Taking folic acid for at least three months before conceiving and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy reduces the risk of having a baby with conditions such as spina bifida.
It’s also recommended to have a check up with your Physician. They will make sure you are immunized against rubella as the infection can harm unborn babies. You can be vaccinated before you try to get pregnant.
6. De-stress
Zita West says: “Psychological preparations for getting pregnant are key player. Couples lead busy lives, climbing the career ladder, with lots of things going on in their lives. Making a baby can be an added stress.”
Emma Cannon says: “Take care of your emotions, manage your stress levels and take time out to relax and switch off,”.
7. Give Up Smoking
We all know that smoking is bad for our health generally, but it also affects fertility as well. The current advice from experts at NICE is that smoking may affect a woman’s chances of getting pregnant. For men, smoking affects badly on sperm health.
8. Cut Alcohol
The experts at NICE say there is no safe quantity of alcohol that women can drink during pregnancy, and hence it makes sense to stop drinking while trying to conceive too.
9. Be a Healthy Weight
If you are in a healthy weight range you have a body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 – 24.9. NICE says women who have a BMI of more than 29 can take longer to conceive than women whose weight is in the normal range.
“Being underweight is just as bad for fertility as being overweight.”
Emma says: “Exercise but do not exercise too much, and make sure you have a healthy BMI – not too high or too low”.
According to Jackie: “Excess weight is associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, resulting in a hormone imbalance which can affect fertility and may cause miscarriages.”
10. Don’t Leave It Too Late
A woman’s fertility level is at peak in her early twenties but these days more women are leaving it later to have a baby. More women are holding out until their thirties and forties to start a family.
Emma says: “Having a baby before the age of 35 improves your chances no end, but women can have babies into their 40s if they are fit and healthy and in good health.”
When to Consult Physician
Fertility problems affect two in seven couples in the USA. More than seven out of 10 couples who have regular sex without contraception will get pregnant within a year. If you’ve been trying for a year with no luck, consult a physician.
