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.
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 to see if you CAN fall pregnant. Getting pregnant is a journey that both of you take and fertility problems can occur from either partner.
Your doctor can then help treat any issues or hormonal related disorders before you spend twelve months or more trying to conceive.
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 getting pregnant. Getting healthy also usually helps with depression and balancing your hormones too.
Take supplements
There are many good supplements on the market that can improve your fertility and give you much higher odds of getting pregnant quickly.
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
Fish Oil – I attribute fish oil with helping me conceive my second child. Take the highest dose as it helps regulate your brain function and therefore your hormones.
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.
Know When You Ovulate
Getting your body prime for conceiving is one thing, but you’ll also need to know exactly when you ovulate – you can do this by charting your temperature using a body basal thermometer (BBT) or keeping track of your cervical mucus looking for fertile signs such as egg white cervical mucus.
Many sites also have calculators including ovulation calendars and due date calculators to help you to keep track. One of my favourite online free tracking software is that from fertilityfriend.com – this website also has a great support forum group.
There are plenty more getting pregnant tips on our website. Feel free to have a look around and hopefully you’ll be seeing two lines on your pregnancy test very soon.
That is the most frustrating comment ever when trying to get pregnant! “Just relax…” I never know what to say to these people, usually I tell them, I don’t think relaxing will do it when you have been through 6 IVF cycles!!! Now that I finally have my miracle baby, I am hearing it more than ever. “Now that you have had one, you will get pregnant naturally…” It took us three miscarriages and 6 cycles to get one! Good luck to everyone!
hi
please advise on how can i fall pregnant,im 28 years old,and my firts born is 8 years old.i have never used contraceptives ever in my life.
you advised on this matter will be highly appreciated
kind regards
Mrs Mashamaite