Conceiving isnt always easy. Even very healthy couples have around a 25% chance of conceiving every month. Here are some tips. In this articlePre-Pregnancy Check UpOvulationFolic AcidSexPre-Pregnancy Check UpAs soon as you decide to start a family, make it a point to have a complete health checkup. Your doctor will then advise you what changes you need to make in your lifestyle, if any, to increase your chances of not just becoming pregnant, but also of having a healthy pregnancy.Remember, getting pregnant means that your body will be undergoing a lot of changes, and it needs to be in the best of healthto do this. It is important that you divulge your entire medicalhistory to your doctor. Also, let your doctor know if you are takingany medication, including regular over-the-counter drugs.Your doctor may recommend that you get afew tests done, such as pap smear, blood test, blood pressure, urineanalysis etc. If you have not had rubella, your doctor may advise youto get a vaccination, in which case you need to wait a couple of monthsbefore conceiving. Also, if you have any STD, it may be advisable towait until the infection completely clears before trying to conceive.OvulationOnce you have the green signal from your doctor and all tests have beenclear, it is time to start working on getting pregnant. You are mostfertile when you are ovulating, but it is a little tricky to figure outwhen exactly that is.Although you are most likely to get pregnant around 14 daysafter your period, this method is not always completely reliable,especially if your periods are irregular.Possibly the most accurate way to determine when you are ovulating is to take your basal body thermometer and check your cervical mucus.A basal body thermometer will show you very minute changes in your bodytemperature. Take your temperature at the same time everyday, as soonas you wake up, before getting out of bed, and note it down in a chart.The day your bodytemperature is the highest in the month, is the day you are mostfertile. Also, check your cervical mucus regularly. The day yourcervical mucus is thick and a little transparent, almost theconsistency of raw egg white, should coincide with the day yourtemperature is at its highest. This is when you should haveintercourse.Folic AcidStart taking folic acid or Vitamin B9 supplements.This reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects. Around 400 mcg aday should be appropriate when you are trying to conceive, and if you are pregnant, you may need around 600 to 800 mcg. In any case, this is a water soluble supplement, and so your bodyflushes out the excess. The only problem is that taking excessiveVitamin B9 supplements may conceal a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, oftenfound in vegetarians. B9 is also found in foods like green leafyvegetables, lentils, wheatgerm, asparagus, broccoli, eggs, cannedsalmon and papaya, amongst others.Now youve seen what you should be eating, heres what you should avoid when you are trying to conceive.Cigarettes, alcohol, drugsCoffeeBlack teaChocolatesSoft drinks containing caffeineToo much Vitamin A, C or D. Once again, do take folic acid supplements.Undercooked meats and eggs. Avoid half boiled eggs.SexHave sex in the morning, since the semen has the highest spermcount then. Try to have sex in the missionary position, since itdeposits the sperm closest to the cervix. Also, after sex, raise yourhips to encourage the sperm to flow towards the egg.
Conceiving isn't always easy. Even very healthy couples have around a 25% chance of conceiving every month. Here are some tips.
As soon as you decide to start a family, make it a point to have a complete health checkup. Your doctor will then advise you what changes you need to make in your lifestyle, if any, to increase your chances of not just becoming pregnant, but also of having a healthy pregnancy.Remember, getting pregnant means that your body will be undergoing a lot of changes, and it needs to be in the best of healthto do this. It is important that you divulge your entire medicalhistory to your doctor. Also, let your doctor know if you are takingany medication, including regular over-the-counter drugs.Your doctor may recommend that you get afew tests done, such as pap smear, blood test, blood pressure, urineanalysis etc. If you have not had rubella, your doctor may advise youto get a vaccination, in which case you need to wait a couple of monthsbefore conceiving. Also, if you have any STD, it may be advisable towait until the infection completely clears before trying to conceive.
Ovulation
Once you have the green signal from your doctor and all tests have beenclear, it is time to start working on getting pregnant. You are mostfertile when you are ovulating, but it is a little tricky to figure outwhen exactly that is.Although you are most likely to get pregnant around 14 daysafter your period, this method is not always completely reliable,especially if your periods are irregular.Possibly the most accurate way to determine when you are ovulating is to take your basal body thermometer and check your cervical mucus.A basal body thermometer will show you very minute changes in your bodytemperature. Take your temperature at the same time everyday, as soonas you wake up, before getting out of bed, and note it down in a chart.The day your bodytemperature is the highest in the month, is the day you are mostfertile. Also, check your cervical mucus regularly. The day yourcervical mucus is thick and a little transparent, almost theconsistency of raw egg white, should coincide with the day yourtemperature is at its highest. This is when you should haveintercourse.
Folic Acid
Start taking folic acid or Vitamin B9 supplements.This reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects. Around 400 mcg aday should be appropriate when you are trying to conceive, and if you are pregnant, you may need around 600 to 800 mcg. In any case, this is a water soluble supplement, and so your bodyflushes out the excess. The only problem is that taking excessiveVitamin B9 supplements may conceal a Vitamin B-12 deficiency, oftenfound in vegetarians. B9 is also found in foods like green leafyvegetables, lentils, wheatgerm, asparagus, broccoli, eggs, cannedsalmon and papaya, amongst others.Now you've seen what you should be eating, here's what you should avoid when you are trying to conceive.Cigarettes, alcohol, drugsCoffeeBlack teaChocolatesSoft drinks containing caffeineToo much Vitamin A, C or D. Once again, do take folic acid supplements.Undercooked meats and eggs. Avoid half boiled eggs.
Sex
Have sex in the morning, since the semen has the highest spermcount then. Try to have sex in the missionary position, since itdeposits the sperm closest to the cervix. Also, after sex, raise yourhips to encourage the sperm to flow towards the egg.
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