The two week wait can be a frustrating wait, especially if you have been actively trying to conceive. It’s during this time that many of us start to analyse our bodies in case it gives us some clues as to the early pregnancy signs and symptoms that we might be experiencing.
This blog post will go over some of the early signs of pregnancy (even some very early signs) so that you can see if you have some of these symptoms too.
‘Feeling’ Pregnant
Some women just claim to know when they are pregnant, long before they ever take a pregnancy test. If your intuition is buzzing that there is a bun in the oven then you just might be correct.
Tender Breasts
One of the very early signs of pregnancy is sore and tender breasts. When your body is preparing for pregnancy one of the first things it does is release hormones which in turn can make your breasts swell in preparation for milk production later down the track.
So you might start to notice that your breasts look bigger, have some bluish veins appear or the nipples could darken in color.
This is especially noticeable at night-time if you sleep on your side or your stomach, as your breasts become uncomfortable in those positions.
Tiredness
Tiredness and fatigue is another early pregnancy sign and if you are feeling like you just want to lie down and take a nap all day, it could be because the hormones that your body is releasing are causing this.
Nausea
While nausea and morning sickness doesn’t usually appear until you are 5 or 6 weeks pregnant, many women are extra sensitive to the pregnancy hormones and start to feel sick very early on. If you are feeling a little queasy and it isn’t from your greasy lunch, then it might be due to pregnancy.
A Final Note
I must admit that when I was trying to conceive I waited for every little sign or symptom that I could and because many symptoms are the same or similar to what you get before your period is due anyway so it can be confusing.
In fact, most months I was convinced I was pregnant when in fact I wasn’t. (Ironically the two times that I was pregnant, I didn’t have nearly any signs and was convinced that AF was arriving – both times I even wore a pad because I kept thinking I would need it because I felt crampy (another pregnancy sign by the way)).
Anyway, the only real way to be sure that you are pregnant is by taking a home pregnancy test or getting a blood test by the doctor which will confirm it.
In the meantime, don’t stress too much and enjoy the two week wait.
So you have a feeling that this month just might be the one. You’re in the dreaded two week wait (that seems like an eternity) and you have a pregnancy test in your hands just counting down the days to when you can pee on a stick and find out once and for all if you really are pregnant this month or not.
Whoa, slow down sister – I know it’s tempting (I’ve been there myself), but you really need to wait if you want to get a accurate answer.
If you take the test too early it might give you a false negative (you might be pregnant but just don’t have enough pregnancy hormone for the test to show a positive result) and seeing a negative test can be heart breaking and disappointing, especially if you have been trying to conceive for some time.
So when should you take a pregnancy test?
According to FertilityFriend.com most people started to get a positive result around 12 DPO when using a early pregnancy test.
While some women will show a positive result before this, most will not. So save yourself some heartache (and money) and wait a few more days until at least 12 DPO or even longer if you can hold out.
The reason is that home pregnancy tests (HPT) measure the amount of hCG in your urine and it needs to be at a certain level before the test will show positive. While sensitive tests can detect small amounts of hCG a few days before your period is due most require you to wait around two weeks after ovulation (about when AF is due).
What about a blood pregnancy test?
Ok, so we’ve established when you should take a home pregnancy test, but what about a blood test from your doctor, will that show up earlier?
In theory yes, because a blood test can often pick up smaller amounts of hCG than a home pregnancy test. However that isn’t always the case with many women going to the doctor after a positive HPT but it not showing up with the blood test.
I guess the only real option therefore is to wait a few days, until around the time you expect your period and then take the test to be sure.
Good luck and baby dust.
One of the questions that most people ask when they first start trying for a baby is how long does it take to get pregnant? If I believed my biology teacher, it would have happened the very first time that I had unprotected sex. Alas he has a lot to answer for because for me it took quite a lot longer than that.
Even for perfectly healthy couples, unprotected intercourse does not always result in a positive pregnancy test the first month that they try. For the average couple, the statistics seem to indicate that:
50% will get pregnant within 4 months
75% will take up to 8 months
90% will conceive with 1 year
That means the odds are in your favour that you will fall pregnant within twelve months of trying. Of course that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t explore fertility options before that time. In fact many doctors recommend that the older you are when you are trying to conceive the earlier you should seek to rule out any other possibilities that could be causing your infertility.
Which Factors Influence How Long Should it Take to Get Pregnant?
There are certain factors that can determine whether it will be faster or slower for you to get pregnant. These include:
Age: It’s much easier to get pregnant under the age of 35 than over. It takes the average older mom around double the time to conceive than it does a women in her 20′s.
Medications: Certain medications that you are taking will affect your fertility and chances of getting pregnant. If you are uncertain whether yours might be one of them, discuss your options with your doctor about a safe alternative.
General Health: The healthier and fitter that you are, the easier it is to get pregnant. Many studies have shown that couples with a more active lifestyle increase their chances of conception over couples that don’t. That includes giving up harmful substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.
Stress: I know it’s annoying when people tell you to ‘just relax’ when you are trying to conceive, but there is some basis of truth to it. By treating your stress in a positive manner such as taking a yoga class or indulging in a warm bubble bath each night, you can boost your odds of getting pregnant.
Enjoy Sex: It’s true that couples that have a healthy and enjoyable sex life usually have an easier time of getting pregnant. Once sex becomes a chore then it can decrease your fertility, so try and spice things up again and enjoy sex.
How Long Will it Take to Get Pregnant After Stopping Birth Control
If you’ve been taking birth control pills or other hormone control methods including Depo Provera then it might take you a little longer to get pregnant than someone who was using barrier methods such as condoms to avoid pregnancy.
The reason for this is that it might take at least three to four months for your body to return to normal and your fertility to be restored. Usually a good indicator that you are back to peak fertility is when your menstrual cycles return to a regular schedule again.
But of course every woman is different and some women are able to get pregnant almost immediately after stopping birth control.
How Long Did it Take You to Get Pregnant?
For me it was a struggle to conceive and for my first child it took 18 months and my second just over 2 years. Of course I had issues with a short luteal phase and unbalanced hormones and both times I needed a little boost to help things along.
For my first pregnancy what worked for me was taking a Chinese herbal medicine that included herbs such as Dong Quai and False Unicorn Root. It tasted disgusting, but I took it everyday and in the second month of taking it found out I was finally pregnant.
My second pregnancy wasn’t quite as easy (and yes I did try the Chinese herbs) and in the end it was the fertility drug Clomid that helped me conceive. I was only my third cycle of Clomid when I found out that it had worked and I was finally pregnant again. Funny thing was, because it had taken so long to get pregnant, I didn’t believe the pregnancy test at first and thought the Clomid had caused a false positive! LOL.
Trying To Conceive (TTC)
Trying to Get Pregnant Tips – What You Need To Do Right Now to Increase Your Odds of Conceiving
If you have been trying to get pregnant for some time (or even if you only just started) then you probably want to know what you can do to sway the odds in your favour. It’s not just a matter of making love and nine months later a baby will appear (ahh I wish it were that simple).
Instead the road to having a baby can be a long one, but never fear because you can increase the chances with some of these top three trying to get pregnant tips.
Tip #1: Have More Sex
Most often, if everything else is working fine, the biggest factor is that couples don’t have sex around the right time that the women ovulates. Most people assume that every women ovulates on day 14, but that actually isn’t the case at all (that’s just the average day). You might ovulate before or after that day and if you are timing intercourse for day 14 you could be missing out on your peak fertility day.
Therefore by having more sex, around every second day from day 10 through day 20 (or even every day if you like) then you’ll increase the likelihood of the sperm reaching the egg and conceiving.
Tip #2: Know When you Ovulate
If all of that sex seems too much and you want to know exactly when you are most fertile then you need to know when you ovulate. The best way to determine this is either by charting your temperature, using ovulation predictor kits or other prediction methods including the new Ov-Watch which tells you precisely when you are about to ovulate and therefore when you should be trying for that baby.
Tip #3: Use Gravity to your Advantage
Why not give the sperm a little helping hand in getting to the egg by using gravity to your advantage! Place a cushion or pillow under your bottom to allow the angle of your vagina to hold the sperm in better. And after sex you can use the bicycle method by ‘cycling’ your legs in the air for at least 5 minutes afterwards to help things along.
Bonus Tip: Yes you Should Orgasm!
And while you are there, it also helps if you can orgasm after your partner has as the uterine contractions will help draw the sperm up into the uterus so they don’t have to travel as far.
Trying to Get Pregnant After the Pill
If you’ve been on birth control pills and are now trying to get pregnant you might wonder how long it will take. The truth is that it can vary from woman to woman. Some women seem to get pregnant the first month after stopping while other’s can take up to twelve months to conceive.
It will depend on a number of factors including how long you have been taking the pill for, your age, which strength or hormone combination of pill you took and your general health.
You can usually help things along by trying to lead a more health lifestyle, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes and exercising.
Generally though it usually takes most women around 3 to 4 months for your hormone balance to restore to its original fertility so that you are able to have a healthy pregnancy.
Trying to Get Pregnant After a Miscarriage
If you’ve recently suffered a miscarriage then you are probably quite nervous to try and get pregnant again in case you have another miscarriage.
Whether you want to try straight away or wait awhile is up to you and how you felt about the miscarriage in the first place. Obviously the further along being pregnant that you were when you lost the baby, usually the harder it is to cope with and the longer you will probably want to wait.
When you are ready to start trying again you should take things slow. If you do find out that you are pregnant then try some things to help lower your stress about whether this baby will be ok or not. Don’t hesitate to call your doctor at any time if you are feeling anxious.
The good news however is that the majority of women who have miscarried go on to have perfectly healthy babies the next time.
Tips on Trying to Get Pregnant
Of course I could keep writing and provide you some more tips on trying to get pregnant, but then this post would be very long indeed. Instead I invite you to have a look at some of the other posts on this blog that go into more depth on getting pregnant.
If you have been taking birth control pills and now want to have a baby then you are probably wondering how long after taking the pill will you get pregnant? While the pill itself will not affect your fertility, you might expect that getting pregnant will take a little longer after stopping it.
Usually nearly 90% of all women will become pregnant within a year of stopping the pill. That’s about on par with most other couples looking to conceive who have used other forms of birth control.
Of course, it might happen at any time. You could get pregnant the first month after quitting your birth control or find that it takes closer to six months. It really depends on your body and your how soon your monthly cycle returns to normal.
Usually though it takes a few months for your cycle to return to normal and you start ovulating regularly. You can start tracking or charting your cycle so that you know when exactly in your cycle that you ovulate so you can pinpoint the best times to have intercourse.
The Pill stops ovulation so that’s why you need to be sure that you are ovulating again to be able to fall pregnant.
What if your period doesn’t return to normal after stopping the pill?
Like I’ve mentioned, for a few women it does take a while for their cycles to return to normal, but what happens if your period hasn’t come back after two or three months? While it’s actually quite common for this to happen, you should rule out if you are already pregnant by taking a pregnancy test. If that’s not the case then it’s worth seeing your doctor to see if they can restore your hormonal balance so that you become fertile again.
If you are considering having a baby then you should immediately start taking a good folic acid supplement, quit smoking and eat as healthily as you can to ensure you are in tip top shape to ensure that you have a healthy baby.
The chances of getting pregnant on birth control, if you take it correctly, are actually pretty low.
Women have been taking the pill as birth control since the 60′s to help prevent unplanned pregnancies, and while birth control pills are effective at preventing pregnancy in 99% of all cases, there have been rare occurrences where some women have gotten pregnant.
Forget a day or two?
Usually it’s because the she has forgotten to take the pills on one or more days, or even taken it much later in the day that usual. This can be easy to do especially with today’s busy lifestyles. To be effective birth control needs to be taken at the same time every day. Miss a day and you are at a higher risk of conceiving if you are sexually active.
Don’t mix brands
You also shouldn’t mix different birth controls as many of them have different formulations. That means if you are away you can’t take one of your friends unless she has the exact same brand and prescription as you.
Be aware of other medications you are taking
Another factor that could cause the pill to be less effective is if you are on certain medications like antibiotics, anti-fungal and anti-seizure medications. Even some herbs and vitamins can interfere with its contraceptive strength.
Check your health
If you are sick, especially if you have severe diarrhea you also might want to use other forms of birth control for a week or two to lower your chances of getting pregnant.
If you suspect that you might be pregnant while taking birth control pills it’s important to see your doctor straight away to find out. They can take a blood test to find out if you have conceived, or you can even take an at home pregnancy test yourself if you prefer.
It’s still unlikely that you are pregnant, especially if you have been taking your contraception regularly and on time, but it’s still worth finding out for sure.
However if you want to get pregnant and are wondering when to stop taking the pill then you find more answers at that link.
If you have been wondering (or worrying) over your chances of getting pregnant on your period then you’ll probably be relieved to know that it’s probably unlikely to happen. The reason is that ovulation usually occurs around fourteen days after the start of your period (give or take a few days) and it’s only at that time where it’s possible to get pregnant.
Ovulation is when your body releases an egg ready to be fertilized by the sperm. If there is no egg, there is no chance of conceiving a baby. Your period, or menstruation, is when the body shed’s the uterine lining that has been built up in case you do conceive. If you have your period it means that you are not pregnant.
Of course having said that, there have been rare cases when a women has actually gotten pregnant while on her period – but remember these cases are very rare and the probability of it happening to you is quite low.
The only way it would be a possibility is if you either ovulate extremely early in your cycle, or that you have a period that lasts close to fourteen days instead of the usually 5 or 6.
Let’s have a look at these possibilities in further detail.
Short Menstrual Cycle
If you have irregular or very short cycles (21 days or less) then it’s possible that you may ovulate as early as day 7. That means that if you have sex either on, or just as your period finishes then theoretically you might get pregnant.
Super Sperm
Most sperm can live for up to 3 or 4 days inside the female body after intercourse. However some women are highly fertile and produce conditions inside their body that allows the sperm to live for a few extra days. You can tell if you are fertile as you will produce lots of egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) during those days. Therefore having sex right after your period, it might be possible for the sperm to live long enough to be ready to fertilize the egg when it is released.
If you have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) then you’ll know that getting pregnant can prove more challenging than for women without it. It can affect your fertility by a number of ways including over mature eggs (due to extended cycles), miscarriages, hormone imbalances and sometimes blockages.
But don’t dispair because the good news is that most women with PCOS can and will get pregnant and go on to have happy healthy babies. This article will go over some of the treatment methods that you can try to improve your fertility and chances of having a baby.
The main criteria as to whether you’ll be able to get pregnant or not is whether you ovulate. It doesn’t matter if you ovulate irregularly, late or even skip months. As long as your body is releasing an egg it’s possible to conceive.
Your first step is to start living as healthy a lifestyle as possible. I know that you were probably expecting me to recommend a pill of some kind, but getting yourself in shape will help improve your hormone balance significantly and shouldn’t be overlooked as a starting point. That includes a good diet, exercise and stress relief regime.
If you are overweight then losing weight into a health weight range can improve your hormone balance as well. Many women with PCOS are usually over the recommended weight and by losing a few pounds this can sometimes correct your fertility.
Vitex (Angus Castus) is a great herb to help improve your chances of falling pregnant because it works by balancing the oestrogen and progesterone in the body. It does take a while for the herbs to do their magic but many women with PCOS (and other fertility issues) claim great success by taking Vitex.
Charting your cycles for a few months will let you know if you are deficient in either oestrogen (you will ovulate early with short cycles) or progesterone (short luteal phase and/or frequent miscarriages). If the latter is the case (which is more common) then taking a progesterone suppository or cream (available from your doctor) can be enough to conceive and deliver a healthy child.
And of course there are always fertility drugs like Clomid to help you get pregnant. In fact Clomid is said to work within 6 months of taking it for around 70% of women with PCOS. It’s usually the first step in treating fertility problems and works for many women (including me).
Overall don’t give up. Getting pregnant with PCOS is not only possible for most women it’s also likely so if one method doesn’t work for you keep trying until you do. Good luck and baby dust.
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.
So let’s go over some of the easy and simple things that you can do right now to improve your chances of getting pregnant faster. Continue reading “Tips on Getting Pregnant – Top 4 Things You MUST Do Today” »
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!
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