Pregnancy Lounge

Tag: trying to conceive

Eating to Conceive

When preparing for pregnancy, many doctors recommend a 3 to 4 month preparation period, which includes a healthy diet. While trying to conceive, it’s a good time to begin good eating habits, as well as starting prenatal vitamins, to ensure that your baby will have all the essential nutrients from the moment of conception.

Avoid junk foods, fatty foods and sugar. These foods make up the small tip of the pyramid and tend to replace more nutritious foods. If you get hungry between meals, try eating fresh fruit, vegetables, low-fat yogurt or a handful of nuts.

Make sure you eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, since they contain essential sources of many vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C. They are also helpful in keeping you regular, because they are a great source of fiber. When trying to conceive, try and eat organic, as much as possible to avoid chemicals and pesticides which can affect your hormones.

Cut down on caffeine now, because it has been proven to have a harmful effect on reproductive health. It has also been known to delay your chances of conceiving. Coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, soft drinks and some over-the-counter drugs contain caffeine. But on the other hand, tea has been known to increase a woman’s chances of conceiving. To reduce the caffeine content in your tea by as much as half, brew the tea bag for just one minute, since the shorter the brewing time- the lower the caffeine concentration. Avoid herbal teas, without first talking with your doctor, because they can be potentially harmful to your unborn baby.

Extremely poor eating habits before pregnancy can harm both you and your baby, as well as your fertility. The Food Guide Pyramid is a good model for healthy eating. The steps of the pyramid show you how to make the best food choices. Eat at least the minimum recommended servings from each level of the pyramid for optimum health.

If your planning to get pregnant, it’s best to refrain from drinking alcohol. Even moderate alcohol consumption can reduce your chances of conception. And once pregnant, drinking alcohol can have very harmful effects on your unborn baby.

It is a good idea to start taking a prenatal vitamin (that contains folic acid) about 3 months before conceiving, if possible. Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. But keep in mind that even if you are taking a daily prenatal vitamin, eating a balanced diet is still the best nutrition.

August 27, 2012
Cervix and Changes

A combination of charting your basal body temperature (BBT), cervical mucus and cervical position and shape will indicate when the most fertile time of your cycle is. Cervical change signals general fluctuations in your estrogen levels and can be very helpful and fairly reliable in predicting your fertility. Checking your cervical position and shape takes some practice. Also, to chart this particular sign, there are some guidelines you should follow to achieve the best results.

Your Cervical Changes and Shape

Right after your period ends, the position of your cervix is low, hard and closed. At this point in your cycle, it should be easily reached by your fingertip and feel as if you are touching the tip of your nose. A firm, pointed shape generally indicates low estrogen and you are considered to be infertile during this time.

As estrogen and fertility increase (immediately prior to ovulation), your cervix softens, opens up and rises to it?s highest point within your body so that it?s harder to reach. The opening increases as well, which makes the slit or tiny hole feel much larger, becoming more receptive to sperm, allowing them to make their way more easily through your cervix. Your cervix remains this way until after ovulation has taken place.

Once ovulation has occurred- when estrogen levels suddenly drop, you can feel your hardened, closed cervix back in its lower (pre-ovulatory) position. Keep in mind that women who have given birth previously may notice that their cervix feels slightly open, even after ovulation. When the position of your cervix drops, it will become easy to reach once more. At this point, you are considered infertile once again and cannot get pregnant.

You should begin observing your cervical position and shape the first day after your period ends. Cervical position can be monitored throughout the day and be done while checking your cervical mucus. Before checking your cervix, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. The best time to check it is right after you have showered. Sitting on the toilet or with one foot on the toilet seat (or bathtub) may be the most comfortable positions for checking your cervix. You can check your cervical position by gently inserting your finger and feeling for your cervix, which is located at the top of your vagina. Record if it?s hard to reach (high position) or easier to reach (low position) and also if it feels firm or soft. It normally takes a few months to see all the changes in your cervix during your cycle and notice a pattern.

–Tracking your basal body temperature (or BBT)
–Observing changes in your cervical mucus
–Monitoring your physical and emotional symptoms
–Checking the position and shape of your cervix

Read more on Fertility Charting

August 8, 2012
Cervix, Changes and BBT

A combination of charting your basal body temperature (BBT), cervical mucus and cervical position and shape will indicate when the most fertile time of your cycle is. Cervical change signals general fluctuations in your estrogen levels and can be very helpful and fairly reliable in predicting your fertility. Checking your cervical position and shape takes some practice. Also, to chart this particular sign, there are some guidelines you should follow to achieve the best results.

Your Cervical Changes and Shape

Right after your period ends, the position of your cervix is low, hard and closed. At this point in your cycle, it should be easily reached by your fingertip and feel as if you are touching the tip of your nose. A firm, pointed shape generally indicates low estrogen and you are considered to be infertile during this time.

As estrogen and fertility increase (immediately prior to ovulation), your cervix softens, opens up and rises to it?s highest point within your body so that it?s harder to reach. The opening increases as well, which makes the slit or tiny hole feel much larger, becoming more receptive to sperm, allowing them to make their way more easily through your cervix. Your cervix remains this way until after ovulation has taken place.

Once ovulation has occurred- when estrogen levels suddenly drop, you can feel your hardened, closed cervix back in its lower (pre-ovulatory) position. Keep in mind that women who have given birth previously may notice that their cervix feels slightly open, even after ovulation. When the position of your cervix drops, it will become easy to reach once more. At this point, you are considered infertile once again and cannot get pregnant.

You should begin observing your cervical position and shape the first day after your period ends. Cervical position can be monitored throughout the day and be done while checking your cervical mucus. Before checking your cervix, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly. The best time to check it is right after you have showered. Sitting on the toilet or with one foot on the toilet seat (or bathtub) may be the most comfortable positions for checking your cervix. You can check your cervical position by gently inserting your finger and feeling for your cervix, which is located at the top of your vagina. Record if it?s hard to reach (high position) or easier to reach (low position) and also if it feels firm or soft. It normally takes a few months to see all the changes in your cervix during your cycle and notice a pattern.

–Tracking your basal body temperature (or BBT)
–Observing changes in your cervical mucus
–Monitoring your physical and emotional symptoms
–Checking the position and shape of your cervix

Read more on Fertility Charting

August 8, 2012
Cervical Mucus and Charting

In conception, cervical mucus is an essential element because it nourishes and protects sperm, keeping them alive for up to five days inside your cervix, until ovulation occurs and fertilization can take place. Slippery cervical mucus also provides channels, which help sperm swim through your cervix. Without enough fertile mucus, your cervix is blocked and conception can’t happen.

Whether your cycles are long, short, regular or irregular- charting your cervical mucus patterns (along with your BBT) is a great way to pinpoint your most fertile days and predict when you will ovulate, so you can be sure of which days lovemaking may result in pregnancy.

In charting the changes in your cervical mucus, you will be looking for changes in consistency, quantity and color. The consistency of your cervical mucus changes throughout your menstrual cycle based on the hormonal shifts that are associated with ovulation, caused by estrogen and progesterone.

Once your period has stopped, your cervical mucus is typically dry or it may feel dense, tacky, chalky or crumbly. The number of dry days after your menstrual bleeding ends, varies from cycle to cycle. Sperm are prevented from penetrating your cervix on days when there is no mucus. As you get closer to ovulation your cervical mucus will get thinner, because of increased levels of estrogen.

Eventually, your cervical mucus turns to a consistency similar to raw egg whites (about 1-3 days prior to ovulation), which helps sperm to penetrate your cervix. This cervical mucus is very slippery and stretchy, sometimes changing in color, appearing fairly clear or yellowish. It may feel abundant, wet (similar to what you feel at the beginning of your period) and can be stretched into a thread between your fingers. This type of cervical mucus signals that eggs are developing and indicates that you are highly fertile. You and your partner should make love every day that you see or feel this type of fertile cervical mucus, for the best chance of conceiving.

After ovulation you will notice that your cervical mucus typically gets thicker, sticky or dries up all together, becoming a protective barrier against sperm once again. This is caused by a decrease in your estrogen levels and an increase in your progesterone levels.

You should start checking your cervical mucus on the first day after your period, and check it several times during the day. You can check it externally by wiping downward with toilet tissue, while sitting on the toilet. It can be more accurate to insert your index or middle finger (making sure your hands are clean), and observe your cervical mucus by feeling it and recording your observations on your chart.

–Tracking your basal body temperature (or BBT)
–Observing changes in your cervical mucus
–Monitoring your physical and emotional symptoms
–Checking the position and shape of your cervix

Read more on Fertility Charting

August 8, 2012
Tips for Getting Pregnant

Trying to conceive or getting pregnant can be as simple as discontinuing contraception for some women, but for many others it can take a while to increase fertility. A healthy couple has only about a 25 percent chance of conceiving during each cycle. Only 75 to 85 percent of all couples get pregnant within the first year of trying. It takes time.

There are certain things that can boost your odds of getting pregnant or while trying to conceive, whether you just started trying to become pregnant or have been trying for a while. There are also specific steps you can take to improve your chances of having a healthy baby, while trying to conceive. Planning ahead will boost your chances of having a healthy pregnancy, as well as giving your baby the best possible start in life. Consider looking through this article, Women’s Health.gov that offers more tips for getting pregnant.

Lubricants to Aid in Getting Pregnant

Don’t use lubricants when trying to conceive (especially petroleum jelly, which is very harmful to your vaginal membranes). Some believe that water soluble lubricants are okay, but in fact even these can be extremely hostile towards sperm. If you are having trouble producing enough arousal fluid, try to spend more time working up to intercourse, since intercourse can be painful without it. Natural lubrication may increase when you and your partner take the time to kiss and caress for at least a half hour prior to intercourse.

Cervical Mucus

Right before and during ovulation, your body produces wet, slippery and sometimes stretchy cervical mucus. This mucus signals fertility and keeps sperm alive when normally natural acids in the vagina will kill sperm within a matter of hours. Also, the slippery fertile mucus permits sperm to easily swim through the cervix, multiplying your chances of conceiving.

Be aware of your body as you go about your daily routine and also observe your cervical mucus before and after each bathroom visit, to see if there has been any changes from your other observations. This my help in getting pregnant. More wetter, more lubricative or stretchier mucus indicates increasing fertility and chances of getting pregnant and conceiving. If there is no mucus from morning until evening, and you’re dry, or the mucus feels stiff or crumbly, then you’re most likely infertile.

Positions for Conception

Every wonder what the best positions are for getting pregnant? While no position prevents pregnancy, the missionary position (with the man on top) is said to be the best for succeeding in pregnancy. Keeping a pillow under your hips, remaining still and staying in bed for 20 to 30 minutes (or better yet, for the rest of the night), may also help more sperm find their way to your cervix.

January 7, 2012