How do you Get Pregnant and Trying to Get Pregnant

I recently read an article on "how to" get pregnant and how confused some women can be due to cycle variation.  I though I should share.

According to Allen Wilcox, M.D., chief of the epidemiology branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says  "Because most women's cycles vary from month to month, it's no wonder most couples have some mistaken notions about predicting when ovulation will occur and when you're most fertile."

 

Few Steps to take

Get informed: Lack of knowledge can add unneeded frustration and delay. For instance, many women assume that the minute they stop using birth control, they'll conceive. Or that if becoming pregnant with their first child was a snap, things will go like clockwork the second time around. When it doesn't, they panic.

 

Seek Medical Advice: A visit to your gynecologist can help clear up some of the confusion. In fact, it's essential to visit your doctor before trying to conceive; you need to make sure you've had a German measles vaccine and that you're getting enough folic acid (both critical for preventing birth defects). Your doctor may also suggest testing for certain genetic diseases.

 

How to get Pregnant

First, you need to do to make pregnancy happen is figure out when you're most fertile. According to a groundbreaking 1995 study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences a woman's fertile period lasts six days: the five days leading up to, and the day of, ovulation the time of the month, about midway between menstrual cycles, when an egg is released from one of your ovaries. What's more, the study showed that the likelihood of pregnancy decreased from about 36 percent (if intercourse occurred two days before and/or on the day of ovulation) to 10 percent (if it occurred four to six days before). Since sperm may live up to five days, even "old" sperm can fertilize an egg, although it's not as likely.

There are a few ways to time sex to correspond with when you ovulate, explains Susan Board, M.D., a gynecologist at the Spence Center for Women's Health in Chevy Chase, Maryland. One method is to have intercourse every other day between days 10 and 18 of your cycle (counting the first day of your period as day 1), since this is the time during which ovulation typically occurs.
You can also detect ovulation by watching for changes in your cervical mucus, the fluid normally released from your vagina, says Dr. Board. "At the start of the menstrual cycle, this mucus is sparse, tacky, and dense, but around the time of ovulation it becomes increasingly plentiful and slippery, with qualities very similar to the white of a raw egg," she explains.

"There's no reason to get into the business of getting pregnant right away -- it puts too much pressure on the process," says Joe Leigh Simpson, M.D., professor and chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.  "I think it's better to simply make love slightly before the time you think you might be ovulating and let the whole project be relaxed for the first months." What's more, you could be hurting your efforts. "If you've gotten to the point where you're anxious about your ability to conceive, it's time to see a doctor, who will tell you if, when, and how you need to begin testing for ovulation," says Alan H. DeCherney, M.D., chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California at Los Angeles.

How Often to Do It
It's long been thought that a man should abstain from sex for several days prior to his wife's fertile time in order to "build up" his sperm count. Part of this presumption is true -- studies have shown that the more frequently a man ejaculates over a period of several days, the lower his sperm count.
But as it turns out, it appears not to matter. Although your husband's sperm count may get lower the more often he has intercourse, it's still plenty high enough for achieving pregnancy. In fact, the Environmental Health Sciences study found that the more sex you have, the greater your chances of getting pregnant.

So does that mean you need to make love every day to maximize your baby-making potential? No, says Dr. Wilcox, senior author of the study: "We found that couples who had intercourse every other day during their fertile days still had very high odds of conceiving" specifically, a 22 percent chance of conceiving per cycle, compared to 25 percent for those who had sex every day. However, couples who made love weekly reduced their chances of conception to 10 percent per cycle, since they were more likely to miss the key baby-making window of opportunity.

What should I eat?
What you eat will also feed your baby. Junk food like potato chips, soda and cookies won't have the right nutrients for your baby. You want to make sure you get plenty of calcium, folic acid (see box below), protein and iron. Talk with your doctor about what nutrients you need and how to get them. You might also need to make some changes if you follow a vegetarian or weight-loss diet. Talk with your doctor before taking extra vitamins and minerals. Some may actually be harmful, like high doses of vitamin A.

What about weight?
If you're overweight, your risk during pregnancy is higher for things such as high blood pressure and diabetes. You may also be less comfortable during pregnancy, and your labor may be longer. If necessary, use the time before getting pregnant to lose extra weight.

Do I need to change my habits?
Using tobacco, alcohol or drugs can seriously harm your baby and can even cause a miscarriage. If you use tobacco, alcohol or drugs, get help from your doctor to quit.

Smoking. Smoking can cause miscarriage, bleeding, premature birth and low birth weight. It's also linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), in which infants suddenly die of no obvious cause. Children of smokers may also do less well on IQ tests and their physical growth may be slower.

Alcohol. Drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS can lead to many birth defects, including mental problems, slow growth, defects of the face and a head that is too small. Doctors do not know how much alcohol it takes to cause FAS, so it is important to avoid alcohol completely during your pregnancy.

Illegal drugs. Using marijuana, cocaine and other illegal drugs increases the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and birth defects. With some drugs, the child will be born addicted to the drug that the mother abused and will go through withdrawal.


Read more on fertility from Redbookmag