5 tips increasing your chances of getting pregnant

Conceiving a baby should be fairly straight-forward right?  Not necessarily.  According to the National Institutes of Health, about 9% of men and about 11% of women of reproductive age in the United States have fertility problems.  It is often assumed that the problem of not being able to conceive primarily is blamed on the woman.  However, the blame of infertility is evenly distributed – in one-third of infertile couples, the problem is with the woman; in another one-third of infertile couples the problem is with the man; and in the other one-third the problem can’t be identified or is with both the man and woman. 

Many couples look forward to starting a family but if they have stopped using birth control and have tried for at least one year without conceiving, there are certain steps to consider in increasing the odds of success.  Even couples, who are not yet actively trying to conceive, can follow these 5 steps improving their chances of holding their bundle of joy as soon as possible once that time comes.

1.  Have a prenatal checkup

Part of family planning is deciding when to start trying to have a baby.  And the best time to get a prenatal checkup making sure a woman is healthy is before trying to conceive.  Women should ask their doctor about any prenatal vitamins to take.  It is generally advised that women should take a multi-vitamin containing 400 (mcg) micrograms of folic acid which helps protect against neural tube defects such as spina bifida.  It is recommended to begin taking a multi-vitamin with folic acid at least 3 months prior to becoming pregnant to help reduce the odds of birth defects. 

Another reason for a prenatal checkup before pregnancy is to discover any underlying medical problems that need to be under control in order to conceive and for a safe pregnancy outcome.

2. Know your menstrual cycle

An important key to getting pregnant is to figure out when ovulation occurs or when an egg is released from the ovary. Once a month a woman will ovulate and if no baby is conceived, a woman will have her monthly menstrual cycle.  Even though there is no magical way to know exactly when ovulation happens, there are a few different methods on predicting when it happens. 

Women who have irregular periods will have a more challenging time of determining ovulation and should consult with her healthcare provider on pinpointing when it occurs.  

3.  Timing of sex

Once a woman knows the time frame for ovulation, the time to have sex is two to three days before ovulation up until the day she ovulates.  If a woman is unsure when her fertile time is, aim to have sex every day or every other day during the second and third weeks of your cycle.  Doing so ensures that healthy sperm will be in your fallopian tubes whenever her body releases an egg.

As far as any best position for getting pregnant, don’t worry, there really are none.  There is no scientific evidence that the missionary position is better or any other for maximizing conception. 

4.  Stay lying down after sex

One thing that may help increase the odds of conception is for the woman to lie on her back after sexual intercourse for about 10 to 15 minutes before getting up and using the bathroom.  While lying on her back, a woman may also consider placing a pillow under her hips giving the sperm an even better advantage in their race to be the first to fertilize the egg.  One thing not to do when working to get pregnant is to douche after having sex.  Douching alters the pH balance of the vagina.  Sperm need the alkaline-acid levels to be more or less balanced in order to live.  In addition, douching flushes out the cervical fluid which makes it easier for sperm to swim to the fallopian tubes. 

5.  Give sperm a boost

To enhance the best chance of fertilizing an egg, there are several things a man can do improving his fertility by having strong, healthy sperm:

·      Skip tobacco and recreational drugs

·      Limit alcoholic drinks to no more than two a day

·      Reach a healthy body weight if significantly overweight

·      Consume a diet of foods rich in zinc, folic acid, and vitamin C – each are important for producing strong and plentiful sperm

·      Avoid hot tubs, saunas, or taking a hot bath.  Heat kills sperm which is why the testicles are outside of a man’s body making their temperature a couple of degrees cooler than normal body temperature.