Are you trying to have a baby? There are many ways to get pregnant and give your body the best chance of conceiving. This article will go over some of the best ways you can increase your fertility and finally have that baby of your dreams.
The most common misconception when it comes to trying to get pregnant is that you must have intercourse on Day 14 to conceive a child. The reason for this myth is that the average day for someone to ovulate is on day 14; however it is just an average. You might ovulate later or earlier in your cycle and could be missing your peak day.
So your first step to getting pregnant is determining your ovulation day. You can do that in any number of ways, but the most popular are by charting your temperature, using ovulation predictor kits, saliva monitors, checking the position of your cervix or keeping track of your fertile cervical mucus. You can either do one method or two or three to find out your ovulation day.
The next step is to make sure that your cervical fluid is plentiful as this is what the sperm uses to swim up the fallopian tubes to find the egg. You’ll notice that your cervical fluid (cf) becomes wetter and slippery as you approach your ovulation day. The most fertile cf is said to resemble egg whites and be stretchy and clear.
You can increase the amount of fertile cervical fluid that you produce by drinking lots of water, as this is what your body uses to make it. There are other tricks to increase the amount too, like eat carrots and take evening primrose oil to improve its quality.
You should also try and conceive using positions that involve deep penetration as this deposits the sperm close to the cervix and so they have a better chance of reaching the egg (and don’t have as far to swim).
Getting pregnant is becoming a problem in our world with now 1 in 6 couples experiencing problems trying to conceive. Knowing how to fall pregnant will help you give yourself the best chance of having a baby.
Today there are so many women struggling to fall pregnant (I know because I’m one of them) and so I’ve searched around for the best tips I know to help you speed up the process to having a baby. So keep reading so I can show you how to get pregnant fast.
Now I’m going to assume that you don’t have any medical reasons why you can’t conceive such as blocked tubes or endometriosis (if you are unsure it’s worth getting checked out by your doctor).
But if you are like me and the doctors can’t find anything wrong with you or your partner then here are some tips to help you conceive much faster.
First off you need to make sure that you are as healthy as can be. That means eating good food, including lots of healthy fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. This goes for your partner as well – since you want to make sure that his sperm is also strong and healthy.
Next you need to do some exercise. I know, I hate exercise too – but just walking for half an hour day will help you to get pregnant fast because it increases your circulation. You need good circulation if you want all those reproductive hormones to function correctly.
Drinking water also helps increase your metabolism and circulation and can help balance your hormones.
Now that you are in good shape it’s time to determine your ovulation day. I’m not going to go into too much detail about that here (if you have been trying to fall pregnant for any length of time I’m sure you know how to determine your ovulation day).
So now you need to have sex around your ovulation day including the day prior, the day of and the day after to make sure you catch that egg. Try and enjoy intercourse as studies have shown that women who have an easier time falling pregnant have a healthy and enjoyable sex life.
And finally just relax. I know, I hate it when people tell me to ‘just relax’ too – sometimes I want to just smack them, but stress hormones can interfere with fertility so try deep breathing, yoga or other relaxation techniques. At the very least it will keep you sane during this already stressful time.
My blog is filled with lots more tips and advice on how to fall pregnant, so feel free to have a look around. Baby Dust to you.
Gender Selection - Boy Baby
Want to Conceive a Boy Baby? The Three Things the Father MUST Do!
If you’ve done any research about how to conceive a baby boy then you’ll know it’s a lot about timing ovulation and altering the pH of the vagina to help the male sperm to reach the egg first. But what I bet you didn’t know is there are things that the Shettles method recommends that the father must do as well. This article will show you the three main things that the father can do to help you get that baby boy.
1. Keep the Boys Cool
And by ‘boys’ I mean his testicles. (But I’m sure you knew that already). You see the temperature of your man’s testes is important for optimum potency of his sperm. And since the male chromosome sperm is not as strong as the female chromosome sperm you need to do everything you can to make sure that as many of them live as possible.
So that means that he must not take hot showers or baths. And he should wear boxer shorts instead of briefs as this keeps the testicles away from the body, lowering the temperature of his ‘boys’ by a few degrees.
2. No Ejaculation for 4 Days
Leading up to the optimum day for lovemaking for making a boy baby (which is ovulation day), the father must not ejaculate for at least four days prior to this day. The reason for this is to make sure there is lots of sperm ready to go and this will put the odds in your favour for conceiving and getting pregnant.
This means that the father will not be able to have intercourse or masturbate during this time (but tell him that it will be worth it once you get your baby boy).
3. Drink Coffee
While coffee isn’t recommended for women since it can decrease fertility and increase the chance of miscarriage, this isn’t the case for men – it can actually help to wake up his sperm and get them moving faster.
So prior to lovemaking, the male should drink a caffeinated beverage such as coffee or cola. This will allow the sperm to reach their destination slightly faster and give the male chromosome sperm an advantage over the slower (but stronger) female chromosome putting the odds in your favour of conceiving a boy baby.
Bonus Tip
Another thing that the man can do prior to ovulation day is to relax. Actually this is important for both couples since it has been shown that stress can interfere with both male and female fertility. So give your man a massage (and make sure he returns the favour) so you both can stay calm during the period that you are trying for a baby.
Of course there are many other things you need to be aware of when it comes to getting pregnant with a boy baby and you can read more about how to conceive a boy here.
But if you’d prefer to find out how to conceive a girl baby instead, then I recommend the o+12 method.
Gender Selection - Boy Baby , Supplements That Help Fertility
The Top Foods to Eat to Conceive a Boy Baby
You might have heard many old wives tales about eating certain foods can influence the chances of having either a boy or girl baby, but is it true? Can certain foods really influence the chances of conceiving a boy or girl?
Actually there is some science behind this because there are foods that can change the composition of the cervical fluid and pH of the vagina, and that in turn can help or hinder either the male or female sperm from reaching the egg first.
For getting boy babies, you want to try and make your cervical fluid to a low pH level (or alkaline levels) to help the Y chromosome sperm (for a male) reach the egg first.
So which foods are best for getting a boy baby?
Let’s start with breakfast. Studies have shown that women who eat breakfast every morning have nearly doubled their chances of conceiving a boy. The reason is that eating kick starts the metabolism, and you want your metabolism working as soon as possible in the day to help put your body in the optimum condition.
But skip the bacon and eggs, it’s good old cereal that’s best for a boy. The best cereal to choose is one that is high in fibre and also contains healthy vitamins and minerals such as All Bran.
If you like, follow up your breakfast with a banana. Eating banana’s is very beneficial for making the cervical fluid more alkaline which is beneficial to the male sperm. Banana’s are high in potassium, and this is what influences the pH levels of the vagina. The more alkaline, the better the Y chromosome sperm likes it.
But banana’s are not the only food that is high in potassium. You also have nuts, figs, apricots and baked potatoes with the skin on them.
There are also more foods that can have a alkalizing effect on the vagina including nearly all vegetables (although skip the corn). Green leafy vegetables are your best bet to add to your dinner plate each evening.
Now that you know what to eat, what about what to drink?
Well good old water is beneficial not only for conceiving a boy but fertility in general, but what I bet you didn’t know is that orange juice can also lower the pH of your cervical fluid. Most people assume that orange juice would be acidic, but it actually has an alkalising effect on the body making it a great choice if you are trying to get pregnant with a boy.
As you can see, eating to conceive a boy baby is actually quite a healthy diet, but there is still a lot more that you can do. Click over to this blog post on conceiving a boy for more tips.
You can find more great articles on fertility and how to fall pregnant fast on this blog.
Birth Control , Trying To Conceive (TTC)
How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant After Taking The Pill?
Taking birth control is a great way to prevent pregnancy and the pill is a good option for many women who are not ready to start a family. But usually there will be a time when you ARE ready to make babies and so you quit taking the pill and wait … and wait. What? Why aren’t you pregnant already?
The truth is that while some fertile women will get pregnant immediately after stopping birth control, for the majority of women it does take some time.
Most pill’s work by preventing ovulation (when the body releases an egg) so if you are not ovulating then you can’t conceive. Depending on how long you’ve been on the pill, it can take a few months for your regular cycles to return to normal.
For most women their cycles usually resume after around two to three months, but it’s possible to take up to twelve months for the hormones in the body to restore full fertility.
While you are waiting it can be a good idea to start charting your fertile signs so that you know if you are ovulating or not and when in your cycle that you do. Most women who have been trying to conceive will chart their cycles so that they have a better understanding of what is going on in their bodies.
You can do this with a body basal thermometer and recording your temperature on a chart. You will need to take your temperature at exactly the same time everyday when you wake up. Even before you get out of bed.
You will notice that in the second half of your cycle your temps will be slightly higher indicating that you have ovulated. The reason for this is that the hormone progesterone that is released in the second stage increases your bodies temperature slightly.
Other signs that your body is able of getting pregnant is taking note of your cervical mucus. During your most fertile phase, you will notice that your cervical mucus changes from creamy to an almost eggwhite quality. This is a good sign that your body is about to release an egg and that you will be able to conceive.
Most women who have taken the pill will conceive within twelve months of stopping but if it seems to be taking you longer or you don’t notice any of the fertility signs I’ve mentioned then visit your health care professional for advice.
Jump over to how to fall pregnant fast for some more tips and ideas.
If you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) then you’ll know how much it can affect your whole life, especially if you have been trying to start a family. The good news is that there have been numerous studies that show that diet and lifestyle changes can greatly improve PCOS even with small changes.
PCOS is actually quite common and can affect up to 10% of women. Many people don’t even realise that they might have it and see the symptoms as something unrelated. Usually it contributes to depression, weight gain, excess facial hair, high blood pressure, irregular periods and as I’ve already mentioned – infertility which can be frustrating if you want to know how to fall pregnant fast.
Losing weight is usually the first thing that doctors recommend for women with PCOS. Reducing just a few pounds can help the way the body processes insulin and can improve both acne and your fertility. However many women have trouble losing weight when they have the condition even when exercising and eating a healthy diet.
Usually the most successful diets for improving PCOS are low carb diets and low GI diets. But you shouldn’t cut carbohydrates out completely. Instead of eating highly processed carbs such as breads, pasta and cereals, instead think brown rice, beans and pulses and fresh fruit and vegetables.
You should also aim to include enough protein to help balance the glucose levels in the blood.
Of course it goes without saying that you should avoid unnecessary sugars in your diet that have no nutritional value and are just empty calories. These include cakes, donuts and sweets. This also includes artificial sweeteners which can also spike insulin levels.
Supplements are also recommended for women with PCOS to make sure they are regularly getting a good balance of the right vitamins and minerals. Omega 3′s are also important as they can reduce inflammation in the body and balance hormone levels.
Some of the better diets for sufferers include the Glycemic Impact Diet, South Beach Diet and Weight Watchers.
Low impact exercise done regularly can go a long way in improving PCOS symptoms. Walking, swimming and yoga are all great forms of exercise that will help to regulate your blood pressure. Yoga is especially beneficial because it also helps reduce stress levels and stress is well known to interfere with hormonal balance.
Of course it’s always best to try a healthy diet with the guidance of your health professionals who may also suggest fertility stimulants such as Clomid if you are trying to conceive.
Supplements That Help Fertility , Trying To Conceive (TTC)
Secret Foods That Promote Fertility and Boost Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
It is becoming well known now that foods can help and even heal certain conditions and that is definitely true for fertility. With the rise in awareness about the effect food has on our hormone levels is it any wonder that in today’s nutrient deficient menu now has thousands of women unable to fall pregnant. So if that’s true, how can you fix it?
Well the first thing to remember is that old saying ‘you are what you eat’. That means you need to eat foods that nourish the hormone system and increase fertility. By doing so you will allow your body to know how to fall pregnant fast by itself.
Many specialists are recommending that you eat and act like you are already pregnant. And that includes no alcohol, no smoking and drinking lots of water. Try and pretend that you are at a luxury health spa and eat as healthy as you would there if you were on a body cleanse program.
So that’s fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish and whole grains. While that makes sense, there are also some foods your probably haven’t thought about that can help promote fertility. They are:
Goji Berry
Many women also swear by taking extra nutrient rich foods such as the goji berry which contains high levels of antioxidants, essential amino acids and vitamins A and C. Many practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine also recommend the gogi berry.
Floradix
Other nutrients that many women are lacking are enough iron in the diet. There have been studies that suggest that low iron is linked with infertility. So eating foods high in iron such as beans or taking an iron supplement like Floradix can help improve your iron levels and therefore increase the odds of conceiving.
Grapeseed Oil
Women trying to get pregnant should cook with oil that has essential fatty acids as these are well known to balance hormonal levels. Grapeseed oil is a good oil to choose and it tastes delicious as well.
Wheatgrass
Folic acid is important for preventing birth defects like spina bifida and it also can help you produce healthy eggs. One of the most nutrient dense ways of getting your folic acid requirements is by taking a wheatgrass shot.
Maca Root
And finally another important ingredient for conception is maca root which has very high levels of zinc. While maca root can be hard to find (it’s grown in the Peruvian mountains but you can probably find supplements in your local health food store) it can be worth it, as studies are suggesting it’s a potent fertility booster.
So there you go, some of the secret fertility foods that you may not have thought of.
Fish oil is a great supplement for improving your fertility, especially if you suffer from inflammatory conditions such as PCOS. And as an added benefit you’ll improve your cervical mucus which is necessary for the sperm to reach the egg when you ovulate.
But fish oil isn’t just good for women, it’s also good for men too as it can improve sperm motility. Many male infertility issues that relate to sperm can be corrected by taking an omega 3 supplement.
So why is fish oil so good?
Our bodies need essential fatty acids (EFA’s) for optimum health. EFA’s are made up of Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids. These help many conditions including inflammatory conditions, they lower cholesterol and improve mood disorders. If you have a hormone imbalance, they can correct this too – which is why they are considered a super food.
In fact fish oil can help with many different fertility issues. Women who take a fish oil supplement have reported things like clearer charts (for those who are charting), decreased menstrual cramps, improved egg white cervical mucus and less PMS symptoms.
By improving their menstrual cycles, some women who had previously had trouble conceiving , were able to get pregnant within a few months of taking a fish oil supplement.
Helping women with PCOS get pregnant with fish oil
One of the main causes of infertility in women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Fish oil has been shown to help regulate PCOS conditions by decreasing inflammation in the ovaries and also balancing the hormones associated with ovulation. By doing this, as well as helping to make their menstrual cycles more regular, it can help enough to be able to conceive.
If you choose to try fish oil to improve your fertility, then make sure you take a high dose supplement (around the same dosage that arthritis sufferers take) for the best results.
Does Iron Help with Fertility?
In a nutshell, yes.
In a recent study, a group of women who had no history of infertility were given iron supplements to determine the effect on their fertility.
The results were that those women who took around 41 milligrams of iron, significantly lowered their risk of ovulatory infertility (the condition where women cannot product healthy eggs or ovulate infrequently).
Most good multivitamins do contain iron so check with your doctor to make sure you are getting the correct dosage.
Symptoms of low iron include tiredness, headaches, shortness of breath and weak brittle nails.
You might have already heard that iron can help improve your fertility, and it’s true that it can. Studies have shown that women who take an iron supplement have 40% less chance of having ovulatory infertility compared to women who didn’t take a supplement. And by increasing the dosage to over 40 mg they have lowered their risk even further by 62%.
That’s good news for women trying to conceive! Most good prenatal vitamins usually have around 40 mg included anyway, but you can increase your iron levels through food as well.
Foods that are high in iron include fortified breakfast cereals, beans and pulses, and of course meat (particularly red meat) and eggs.
It’s also a good idea to take a Vitamin C supplement or take your iron vitamin with a glass of orange juice because vitamin C helps the iron to be absorbed more readily into your body.
As an added benefit, iron will help improve your energy levels but don’t take too much, because too much iron can make you constipated.
What the study found:
The study found that a low iron intake in women led to ovulatory infertility which is where the body can’t product healthy eggs. If your eggs are unhealthy they are unlikely to result in a pregnancy no matter how good your timing is.
The women in the study had no previous history of infertility and ranged in age, weight and other lifestyle factors. Each woman was prescribed either a different dosage of iron supplement or asked to increase their iron levels through food in order to test how it affected their fertility.
The women in the study that took 41 mg or more iron per day showed the best results as it decreased their risk of ovulatory infertility by 62%. Those getting their iron from food (non-heme iron) had the best results.
Good sources of non-heme iron are:
• bread (both white and whole wheat)
• broccoli
• prune juice
• spinach
• beans
• lentils
• apricots
So can caffeine affect your fertility? Yes it can. Studies have shown that a high caffeine consumption (that’s around 5 cups per day of coffee) can contribute to decreased fertility in women. While the findings are not exactly clear on why this is the case, it’s worthwhile to lower your intake of coffee, tea, cola drinks and even chocolate while trying to conceive.
One particular study found that women who had more than 300 mg of caffeine per day had lowered their chances of getting pregnant by 27% compared to women who didn’t have any at all. However some other studies have shown no correlation at all between caffeine and fertility so it can be confusing to know who to believe.
You are going to have to decrease your caffeine levels anyway when you do get pregnant as it can affect the baby (and in some cases has been linked to miscarriage), so starting now is worthwhile for your health anyway.
So how much is too much when it comes to how much caffeine you can have when trying to conceive?
You should aim to consume no more than 200 mg per day. That’s the level that is linked to raising the chances of miscarriage.
To put that into perspective, a regular cup of coffee contains 100 mg, a soda drink has 50 mg and energy drinks usually have around 80 mg per can. That means that even if you can’t live without your morning coffee, as long as you limit yourself to no more than two cups per day then you’ll be fine.
If you do currently have more than that, don’t go cold turkey as this can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as headaches. Instead wean yourself off gradually by lowering your intake by a small amount every few days. You can alternate with decaffeinated drinks or add more milk to your coffee.
Below are some tables of the caffeine levels of certain regular drinks and foods:
Caffeine Charts
Coffee
coffee, generic brewed 8 oz 102-200 mg
coffee, Starbucks brewed 16 oz (grande) 330 mg
coffee, Dunkin’ Donuts brewed 16 oz 206 mg
caffÉ latte or cappuccino, Starbucks 16 oz (grande) 150 mg
caffÉ latte or cappuccino, Starbucks 12 oz (tall) 75 mg
espresso, Starbucks 1 oz (1 shot ) 75 mg
espresso, generic 1 oz (1 shot) 30-90 mg
coffee, generic instant 8 oz 27-173 mg
coffee, generic decaffeinated 8 oz 3-26 mg
Tea
black tea, brewed 8 oz 40-120 mg
green tea, brewed 8 oz 30-50 mg
decaffeinated black tea 8 oz 2 mg
Starbucks Tazo Chai Tea latte 16 oz (grande) 100 mg
Nestea 12 oz 26 mg
Snapple 16 oz 42 mg
Lipton Brisk iced tea 12 oz 10 mg
Soft drinks
Coke 12 oz 35 mg
Pepsi 12 oz 38 mg
Jolt Cola 12 oz 72 mg
Mountain Dew 12 oz 54 mg
7-Up 12 oz 0 mg
Sierra Mist 12 oz 0 mg
Sprite 12 oz 0 mg
Energy drinks
Red Bull 8.3 oz 80 mg
SoBe Essential Energy, berry or orange 8 oz 48 mg
SoBe No Fear 8 oz 83 mg
Desserts
dark chocolate 1.45-oz bar 31 mg
milk chocolate 1.45-oz bar 11 mg
coffee ice cream or frozen yogurt 8 oz 50-60 mg
hot cocoa 8 oz 3-13 mg
Supplements That Help Fertility
What are the Best Prenatal Vitamins to Take Before You Get Pregnant?
If you are thinking about having a baby, then one of the first things that you can do, before you even conceive is start taking a good prenatal vitamin.
Not only will it help give you and your baby the best start in life, but it can also improve your fertility! So what should you look for when choosing a prenatal vitamin supplement?
What to look for in a good prenatal vitamin supplement
Folic Acid (Folate)
While including folic acid is usually standard in prenatal vitamins (and even some regular multi vitamins) you need to make sure that they include the correct dosage so that you are getting enough of this important nutrient. Make sure that your supplement includes at least 400 mcg of folic acid. This will help protect your baby against neural tube defects like spina bifida. For the best way to lower your risk of your baby getting it, then you should be taking folate BEFORE you get pregnant.
Calcium
You’ll need extra calcium to help you grow a healthy baby when you are pregnant, so look for a supplement that has 1,000 mg per day. You can also get your daily calcium needs by eating foods that are high in it such as milk, yoghurt and cheese.
Iron
Iron is especially important when you are pregnant because it will help to combat fatigue and prevent anaemia. A good prenatal vitamin will have around 30 to 40 mg per day.
Vitamins that help improve fertility
If you are taking a prenatal vitamin to help improve your fertility you should also make sure it contains vitamin B6, manganese and zinc.
Other factors to consider when choosing a prenatal vitamin
You also need to take into account other factors such as the size of the supplement (smaller vitamins are easier to swallow than large ones – especially if you do get pregnant and are suffering from morning sickness). If you can’t stomach swallowing your supplement you might even prefer one that you can chew or dissolve in water as an alternative.
Price might also be a contributing factor to which brand you purchase. Don’t always assume that the most expensive brand is going to be the best – most supplements are quite similar in composition, so read the labels carefully to decide.
There are many great prenatal vitamins that are available at your health food or grocery store that will not only help improve your fertility but also put you in your best shape when you do conceive.
Supplements That Help Fertility
Eating for Fertility – How Diet & Food Can Help Get You Pregnant
Yes, it’s true – food can help improve your fertility so much so, that previously infertile couples are making babies just by changing their diets.
The reason being that food and diet play an important role in the balance of hormones for both men and women and works as a sort of internal medicine for improving your health. Using food for health is nothing new, we have been told for years that eating right will improve certain conditions, help us lose weight and even cure diseases, so it makes sense that fertility diets can also help us get pregnant.
The food pH levels itself will not affect you getting pregnant or not, but it can influence the gender of your child.
So what sort of foods should you be eating to make sure that you conceive a healthy baby?
First let’s cover what you shouldn’t be eating – and that’s junk food (refined sugars and saturated fats), caffeine and artificial substances (preservatives, colours & flavours).
These foods not only make you unhealthy, they are widely known for their effect on the hormones of your body, particularly ones like oestrogen which are needed for a healthy menstrual cycle. Have too much oestrogen and not enough progesterone and it will be difficult for you to conceive (you’ll likely have a short luteal phase if this is your problem).
People with PCOS are particularly sensitive to foods that cause hormonal imbalances.
Instead you should be eating a variety of healthy foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Good sources of whole grain’s include brown rice, oatmeal and whole wheat breads. The best vegetables are the green leafy vegies and also fruits and vegetables that have lots of colour such as carrots, mango, berries, peppers and more. The more colour it has, the higher in nutrients it is.
You’ll probably also hear that you should or shouldn’t eat dairy or meat. The reason being that these foods can affect your hormone levels either for the positive or negative depending on your condition.
If you suffer from any sort of ovulatory infertility such as PCOS, then full fat dairy is your friend, and can actually help you get pregnant. If that isn’t your problem then you should decrease the amount of dairy you eat and stick to low fat.
Meat can affect some people’s fertility but not all. That’s why some fertility diet books recommend going vegan or vegetarian when trying to get pregnant. It’s definitely worth a try if you’ve ruled out everything else – you can always start eating meat again once you know there is a baby on the way.
It usually takes around two to three months to see any real changes in your body and menstrual cycle when starting a diet aimed at improving your fertility so stick with it because you just never know if that apple is going to help you finally get that baby you want.
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