When you are first trying to have a baby, you naturally worry about how long it will take. People aren’t very good at getting things done, so the process usually takes a while. The good news is that there are things you can do right now that will naturally improve your chances.
This page will talk about a lot of different ways how to increase fertility, giving you useful information and inspiration on your way to becoming a mother. This article tells you everything you need to know to improve your chances of getting pregnant, from how to live a healthy life to how to understand your ovulation cycle.
How to Predict Ovulation?
If you know when you ovulate and are steady five days before and on the day of ovulation, you have a much better chance of getting pregnant.
During ovulation, an ovary releases an egg that is fully formed. Once the egg is free, it falls into the fallopian tube and stays there for 12 to 24 hours, where it can be fertilized. If everything goes as planned, sperm can stay in a female’s reproductive system for up to five days after touch. When you ovulate, and there are live sperm in your fallopian tubes, your chances of getting pregnant go up.
Every 28 days (standard cycle), a woman’s period comes and goes. Ovulation usually happens about 14 days before the next period starts. Cycle lengths and the time between ovulation and the start of the next period are very different for each person. Keep track of your period on a calendar to find out how long it lasts and where the middle of it is if it’s not exactly 28 days.
Besides having a schedule, you can look for other signs and symptoms of ovulation, such as:
- Changes in vaginal secretions (cervical mucus). You may have clear, wet, stretchy vaginal liquids (looks like an egg white) right before you ovulate. The cervical mucus usually gets thinner, cloudier, and less noticeable after ovulation;
- Changes in basal body temperature. Your basal body temperature (BBT) goes up a little when you ovulate. Before you get out of bed in the morning, use a thermometer made just to measure BBT to check your temperature. Write down what you found to find the trend. You are most likely to get pregnant two to three days before your fever gets worse.
If you want to try something different, you could also buy an ovulation kit. If these tests find the jump in hormones in your pee before ovulation, it means that ovulation will happen about 36 hours after a positive result.
Maximizing Fertility
Follow these easy steps to improve your chances of getting pregnant:
- Have sex regularly. Most babies are born to couples who have sex everyday or every other day.
- Have sex near the time of ovulation. If you can’t or don’t want to have sex every day, try having it every two to three days a week after your period ends. This makes it more likely that you’ll have sex when you’re most fertile.
- Consider preconception planning. Talk to your doctor about planning ahead before you get pregnant. They might look at your overall health and tell you what changes you should make to improve your chances of having a good baby. Folic acid should also be taken a few months before you get pregnant to lower the risk of spina bifida (a birth defect in which the spinal cord and bones around it are not made properly) and other problems with the neural tube.
To improve your chances of getting pregnant:
- Don’t smoke. Tobacco is bad for your health, the health of your fetus, and your ability to have children. Tobacco contains toxic chemicals that cause cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to preterm birth, low birth weight, and developmental issues. Before you try to have a baby, talk to your doctor about how to stop smoking.
- Avoid alcohol. Heavy drinking may make it harder to get pregnant. You should not drink alcohol while you are trying to get pregnant.
- Limit caffeine. Taking less than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is about one to two cups of six to eight ounces of coffee, has not been shown to affect ovulation.
- Avoid strenuous exercise. If you work out hard for more than five hours a week, you might not ovulate as often.
- Review medications with your healthcare provider. A lot of drugs, even over-the-counter ones, can make it harder to get pregnant. Talk to your doctor about any medicines you take.
To increase your chances of getting pregnant, focus on time, living choices, and health habits that keep you from getting sick. Learn when you ovulate, stay at a healthy weight, don’t smoke or drink booze, limit your coffee intake, and do some light exercise.
Talk to your doctor about drugs, and to improve your chances even more, start planning ahead before you get pregnant.
You might want to use the Femia app to get personalized health and food tips while you’re pregnant. This tool will help you make choices that are good for your health and the health of your unborn child.
