For some, getting pregnant happens quickly and easily. For others, however, getting pregnant proves more difficult. Following some simple tips, from engaging in regular sex to improving your diet and monitoring ovulation, will increase your chance of conceiving. Remember, if you do not immediately conceive do not give up hope, for you can always try again next month.
Talk to Your Doctor
Before attempting to conceive a child, talk to your doctor. Your provider can assess your health and help you decide on lifestyle changes that should be made, according to the MayoClinic website. You may also use this visit to discuss any concerns, genetic risk factors and proper pre-conception nutrition. Your doctor can also advise you regarding any medications you should avoid or stop taking while trying to conceive.
Monitor Ovulation
Ovulation occurs when an egg is released from your body and travels to the fallopian tubes. To increase your chance of conception, monitor your ovulation and plan sex accordingly advises the MayoClinic website. You can monitor ovulation using a calendar, which requires you to mark the day your period begins and track how many days your period lasts. If you have a typical 28 day cycle, ovulation will begin about 14 days after your period began. You may also track ovulation by monitoring changes in vaginal secretions. You will want to watch for clear, slippery secretions similar to the consistency of egg whites, which indicates ovulation. After ovulation, your secretions become cloudy or disappear entirely. Tracking your basal, or resting, temperature also helps you track ovulation. When your temperature raises about one degree above your typical temperature, you are probably ovulating. Lastly, you may choose to use a ovulation predictor kit, which tests your urine for increased hormones that are released during ovulation.
Have Sex Regularly
Having sex often increases your chance of conception, as you will more likely engage in sex during a fertile period. The MayoClinic website advises couples trying to become pregnant to have sex at least two or three times per week. However, when trying to conceive a child, there is no such thing as too much sex. Regular sex often results in pregnancy without any further assistance needed.
Eat Healthy
According to the Baby Center website, you are more likely to get pregnant if you eat a healthy diet. Make sure to include several servings of fruits and vegetables and eat whole grains and foods rich in calcium every day. Eating healthy is also important if you want to monitor ovulation to increase your chance of conception, as not eating enough nutrients may affect your periods and make it difficult to predict ovulation. Healthy eating also leads to healthy body weight, which is important because if you are under or overweight you may not ovulate at all.
Avoid Unhealthy Habits
Unhealthy habits such as smoking, consuming alcohol or using illicit drugs may decrease your chances of becoming pregnant, according to the Mission Health System website. In addition to detrimentally affecting your fertility, use of these substances is harmful to an unborn child. If you do not quit these habits when trying to conceive, you take the risk of inadvertently exposing your child to these substances in the first month of gestation when you have not yet confirmed the pregnancy. To increase the chance of conception and ensure the well-being of your child, quit any unhealthy habits while you try to conceive.
