Now that the facts are on the
table and the myths have been
dispelled, it's time to learn
what the birds and bees already
know: Getting pregnant can take
a little effort. There are some
tips and tricks that can help a
healthy, fertile couple's
chances for conception increase.
Trying them can, in some cases,
help speed along the process or
at least hedge the bets in favor
of a healthy pregnancy once the
goal has been achieved.
Stop
birth control. If the
desire is to get pregnant, this
is a must. To clean out the
system from hormonal medications
before trying to conceive,
consider using an alternative
means of control during the
first one to three cycles.
Treat
yourself like you are pregnant.
While it might take a little
time to conceive, one of the
best ways to ensure a healthy
start is to begin early. This
means cutting out smoking,
drinking and caffeine in advance
of conception and even starting
on folic acid early to lessen
the chances of birth defects
down the road.
Prepare
your body by getting into shape.
While there's no guarantee for
conception and no way to
determine the outcome once it
has happened, healthy women tend
to have healthy babies. With
this in mind, it's not a bad
idea to get weight into check
and other health issues
addressed beforehand. There are
some studies that show women who
are under or overweight have a
harder time conceiving.
Time
ovulation. Getting
pregnant absolutely requires
good timing. To ensure having
sex during the right time of the
month, there are ovulation
calendars, ovulation predictor
kits and more to help. In
general, the egg is released on
the 12th to 16th day of a cycle,
but this isn't always the right
window in every woman. Learning
to track ovulation can greatly
increase chances for having sex
on the right days and actually
successfully fertilizing an egg.
Positions
can help. This sometimes
falls in the myth category, but
there are experts who believe
positions that offer the deepest
penetration during sex can help
ensure sperm is deposited as
close to the cervix as possible.
The suggested positions here
include man on top, or
missionary, and the man behind
with both facing in the same
direction.
Pregnancy
Strategies
In
brief. Men can help in
the process by getting rid of
constricting pants and
underwear. Boxers
tend to be better for allowing
sperm counts to rise,
which can increase chances for
conception.
Getting
pregnant might seem like a snap,
and it is for some women under
some circumstances, but this
just isn't always the case. Even
when a couple is completely
healthy and fully fertile,
conception is a crapshoot at
best. There are things couples
can do to increase their chances
at conception. While practice
does make perfect, a little
planning can sometimes speed
things along. Avoid the myths
and do seek medical advice if
concerns arise. When the payoff
arrives, the effort will seem
quite small in return.
