Tips on How to Get Pregnant

Once the couple has decided that they are ready to enter the state of parenthood, the most common question they ask their doctor is 'which is the best time to get pregnant?' or 'how to get pregnant fast?'. Well, quite often doctors may advise them to take the prenatal vitamins or increase the frequency of love making during the ovulation period. However, along with these, there are many other factors that can increase the chances of pregnancy, as some may conceive within a satisfactory time-line and others may require some considerable time. Therefore, the article enlightens you with some tips on getting pregnant, that can improve the possibilities of conceiving without much of stress and time.

But before knowing the tips for how to get pregnant, one has to know when is the best time to get pregnant and for that a woman has to keep a track of her reproductive cycle. Conception normally occurs at the time of ovulation, when the ovary releases the egg and the level of hormone L.H (Luteinizing hormone), secreted by pituitary gland is high in the body. The egg released travels to the uterus and remains there for nearly 12-14 hours. During this short span of time the egg must be fertilized, as after that it starts degenerating.

Tips on Getting Pregnant

Tracking Your Monthly Cycle
One of the most important tips is to know when you are ovulating and for that you need to keep an account of your menstrual cycle on regular basis. Usually women have 28 to 30 day cycles, to determine yours, count the days from the first day of menstruation to the day before the next period begins and then count back 12 to 16 days from that day. Suppose if you find difficult to keep a count on these days, you can refer a Body Basal Temperature (BBT) chart to determine when you are ovulating. For this, you have to measure your body temperature everyday and when the ovulation period starts, you'll observe a slight rise in your body temperature.

Love Making Positions
Try making love in those positions that will help the sperm swim up the vagina. The missionary position (men on top) will be most helpful whereas sitting, standing, straddling, or on top of your partner should be avoided. Keeping a pillow under your hips while having sex will give the sperm extra time to travel to the cervix. Making love early in the morning or afternoon can also increase the chances of conceiving, as the sperm levels are high.

Stop Taking Contraceptive Pills
Trying to conceive while on birth control will certainly impair your chances, therefore, stop taking the pills. Though you may experience certain irregularities in your cycle or some hormonal changes, you'll return to normal within few months.

Folic Acid, Prenatal and Omega-3 Supplements
Almost every doctor will encourage you to start taking folic acid, prenatal and omega-3 supplements to ensure a strong pregnancy and healthy fetal/infant development. Folic acid, as we know, is the B vitamin that decreases the risks of certain birth defects, especially around the brain, spinal cord or neural tube. Therefore, you should start taking prenatal supplements containing minimum of 400mcg folic acid before and during pregnancy, as physiological fetal structures like the neural tube begin developing very early in pregnancy.

No Smoking, Drinking and Caffeine
Smoking is not only injurious for your health, but will be bad for your baby's health also. Therefore, quit smoking, drugs, or drinking alcohol as they can lead to premature babies, unhealthy birth-weights, miscarriages, birth defects and fetal malformations. Caffeine consumption should also be avoided, as even minute quantities of caffeine, especially found in some varieties of green tea can decrease the odds of conceiving.

Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Being overweight or underweight can impact your health and hormonal balance, therefore, it's essential to maintain a constant and correct body weight or a healthy body mass index, that will support hormonal balance, cycle regularity, and regular ovulation which will help you in getting pregnant faster. For this, you can consult your doctor to provide you with a healthy and balanced diet chart and an exercise regime that you can follow regularly.

Being Aware of Fertility Problems
Infertility affects nearly one in every five couples and so approximately 15% of couples have difficulty in conceiving. However, most of these problems are treatable and by making healthy changes in your diet or using a fertility supplement or taking a prescription fertility drug under a doctor's supervision, one can overcome these issues.

However, the above mentioned tips on how to get pregnant are surely helpful but you shouldn't forget that pregnancy will not happen overnight and so you should relax and be patient. Living a stress free and a happy life will radically improve your chances of conceiving and you'll get pregnant fast. Good luck!