Getting Pregnant Blog

Is there a perfect time for getting pregnant? This post will go over the best time to get pregnant in your reproductive cycle so that you can time things to give you the best chance.

Obviously the best time is going to be when you ovulate (when your body releases an egg). So you need to have a good knowledge of when that might occur in your cycle.

For most people, ovulation occurs around 14 days before the start of your next period. So if you have a typical 28 day cycle, then you would likely ovulate on day fourteen. If you have a 30 day cycle then you would probably ovulate on day 16, and so on.

However not everyone has perfect cycles. While I do have a 28 day cycle, I typically ovulate on day 16 or 17. Therefore it’s wise to track your basal body temperature (BBT) over a few cycles so you get to know when this will occur for you. You will notice that your temperature is always slightly higher in the second half of your cycle than in the first half. Getting a special BBT will be able to detect even the smallest changes in temperature.

You can also monitor your cervical mucus as the closer you get to ovulation, you will notice that it changes from dry to wet and slippery. The most fertile cervical mucus is called egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) and usually indicates the best time to get pregnant.

It’s also helpful to get a fertility book such as Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is considered one of the best fertility books on the market.

If you don’t want to spend time looking at your cervical mucus everyday or taking your temperature, you can always get some ovulation predictor kit’s which detect changes in the hormones in your body. Very similar to a pregnancy test, you pee on a stick on the days prior to when you think you’ll ovulate. When the test turns positive it usually means that you will ovulate in the next 24-48 hours after that.

The better knowledge you have about your body and your menstrual cycle then you’ll know what is the best time to get pregnant for you.

If you are in a hurry to have a big family and you’ve always dreamed of having twins or if you are running out of time to start a family then you probably would like to know how to get pregnant with twins.

Trying for twins can be a lot of fun, but of course even if you try all of the tips on this page there is still only a slight increased chance that you’ll have two babies.  Even couples who have the twin gene somewhere in their family (or are a twin themselves) still have no guarantees that they’ll get them.

But if you would like to give it a go then here are some tips that will help you to improve your chances of getting pregnant with twins.

Eat Yams

In Nigeria there is a tribe where their diet consists mostly of yams.  They also have the highest incidence of twins than anywhere else in the world.  The theory is that yams contain a potent chemical which increases fertility (yams are also recommended for women who are struggling to conceive).

Wait until you are Older

As the mother get’s older there is a higher likelihood that she’ll release more than one egg at a time resulting in twins.  The statistics say that a women in her late 30’s has nearly double the chance of having twins than someone in her early twenties.

Use Fertility Drugs

It is well known that certain fertility drugs that stimulate ovulation such as Clomid increases your chances of twins or multiples.  This is because it can cause the ovaries to release multiple eggs at once.  However Clomid is only prescribed to women who are having trouble conceiving so you won’t be able to get any from your doctor if you have perfect fertility.

Go Dairy Free

While not recommended for your long term health, women who are depleted in calcium have a higher incidence of twins than those with great diets.  The reason is thought to be that the lack of calcium causes a fertilised egg to split more easily than in a women who is healthy.  If you do find out that you are pregnant though make sure you increase your calcium levels again as it is needed by your baby.

So there you go.  Slightly controversial, but still interesting tips none the less.  And remember that knowing how to get pregnant with twins, and actually falling pregnant with them is still no guarantee.

Before I fell pregnant with my second child (after a two year struggle), many of my highly fertile and well meaning friends would offer me tips on getting pregnant. The one I heard most often was ‘Just Relax, It’ll Happen’. Don’t you just want to smack people in the head when they tell you that? I know I did.

But over the years I did pick up quite a few good tips that have helped women like you and me to increase their fertility and improve their odds of conceiving.

In this blog post I’ll go over some of the easy and simple things that you can do right now to improve your chances of getting pregnant faster.

See Your Doctor

If you haven’t gotten pregnant naturally within six months of trying then this really should be your next step when you are trying to conceive because you want to be sure that you have no reasons why you couldn’t fall pregnant such as blocked tubes, a hormone imbalance, or a condition such as PCOS or Endometriosis.

And that goes for your partner as well. In fact it’s much easier for your guy to get his sperm checked that it is for you to undergo blood tests for your hormones and a laparoscopy to check your internal reproductive system.

Get Healthy

That means exercising and eating a good healthy balanced diet. To ensure optimum fertility you need to be healthy both inside and out. If you are overweight (even by a small amount) in can significantly impair your chances of conceiving.

You also want to ensure that you are getting all your essential vitamins and minerals so that your hormones will be running efficiently. If they get even slightly out of whack it can harm your chances of having a baby.

Also certain unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking and high amounts of caffeine have been proven to reduce your odds dramatically of conceiving.

Take supplements

There are many good supplements on the market that can improve your fertility.

Folic Acid (Folate) – Not only is this vital for all women trying to conceive to help reduce the risk of birth defects including spina bifida, in can also helps your reproductive system stay healthy.

Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) – Increase the amount of fertile cervical mucus you produce which the sperm need to swim through to reach the egg

Vitamin B6 – Well known for balancing your hormones and improving fertility for many women.

Vitex (Angus Castus) – Also know for balancing hormones and improving fertility.

Is there really a way to increase your chances of having more than one baby? While there are no guarantees that trying for twins will result in success, there are a few factors that will increase your odds of how to conceive twins.

According to published studies and reports you can improve your chances for conceiving twins if you fall into one of the following categories.

Age

You have a much higher chance of getting two babies at once if you are over the age of 30 when you fall pregnant. Women in their 30’s have a 5% or more chance of conceiving twins than a women in her twenties.

Race

It has been shown that Caucasian and African American women have a much higher chance of having twins than Hispanic or Asian women.

Previous Pregnancies

If you already have children, then the likelihood of having a multiple birth in your second or subsequent pregnancy is higher by around 3%.

Family History

Twins do run in the family, so if there is a history of twins on the maternal side (your mother’s family) then you have a higher chance of having them too.

Foods

Many women swear that eating yams will also help improve your odds since the main Nigerian diet consists of yams and they tend to have the highest rate of conceiving twins than other parts of the world.

Fertility Drugs

Fertility drugs which stimulate ovulation (such as Clomid) often result in more than one egg being released at a time producing twins. Usually these twins are non-identical since they have come from two different eggs.

In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

IVF has the highest success rate for conceiving twins, increasing your odds by a whopping 25%. Of course as we all know with stories such as OctoMom and Kate Plus 8, IVF and IUI procedures also carry the risk of triplets or more as well.

While all of the methods outlined in this blog post will increase your chances of how to conceive twins, there are still no guarantee’s, but as we say here on the getting pregnant blog – have fun trying!

While I’m not convinced that food alone can determine whether you will have a girl or boy baby or not, there is some evidence that it can indeed play a role in the chance of you conceiving a girl. Diet along with intercourse timing and different positions can help boost the odds in your favour of buying pink for the nursery.

Let’s talk a little about the science behind diet first. We all have heard that you are what you eat, and that certain foods can have different effects in the body. When it comes to conceiving a girl, the optimum environment for the female sperm to thrive in is acidic vaginal levels.

Therefore you would want to include such foods in the diet that increase the acidity of your vagina as well as the proper nutrients to ensure that you have a balanced diet full of the essential nutrients needed for both your personal health and your reproductive health.

According to a study by Oxford University the following findings regarding diet can increase your chances of conceiving a girl.

• High calorie diets are were more likely to product boys so if you are aiming for a girl – try and still to your daily limit for your weight and age.
• Breakfast eaters usually had boys, and those that skipped breakfast more often had girls.
• Eating cereal increased your odds of a boy while reducing the amount of cereals you ate to no more than 2 or 3 bowls a week favoured your chances of getting a girl.

So which foods should you diet on the Conceiving a Girl Diet?

• For breakfast, choose fruit smoothies, yoghurt, fruit and/or nuts.
• For other meals lean towards, fish, cheese, eggs, bread, fruits, vegetables (particular green leafy vege’s) and nuts.
• For drinks, try high acidic juices such as cranberry, orange or grapefruit juice.
• Avoid high calorie and sugary foods if possible.

It has been said that the diet for getting pregnant with a girl baby is far more healthy that that for conceiving a boy.

While following this diet, it is important that you take a supplement and eat a balanced diet to ensure optimum fertility.