Whether you are trying to achieve or avoid pregnancy, knowing how to track your menstrual cycles can help you. Knowing how to identify where you are in your menstrual cycle can help you to pinpoint the best times to become pregnant. It can also...
Getting pregnant naturally seems like it should be a simple thing, but some couples encounter difficulty even after months of trying to conceive. For many women, the key to achieving a successful pregnancy is to understand how the body works and...
Many couples prefer to use natural family planning (NFP) or the fertility awareness method (FAM) to achieve or avoid pregnancy. According to Toni Weschler, MD, author of "Taking Charge of Your Fertility," FAM is as effective as the barrier method...
When you have decided that the time is right to conceive a baby, you may feel impatient and upset if you do not get pregnant within the first month or two. "Fitness" magazine points out that it takes the average couple four to six months to...
Natural family planning, also known as fertility awareness, is the practice of monitoring naturally occurring symptoms in your body to determine when you are fertile. Natural family planning can be used as a method of birth control or as a means...
The symptom-thermal method of natural family planning involves monitoring and recording naturally occurring symptoms produced by your body during your menstrual cycle. By learning how these various symptoms work together and observing recurring...
Once a woman decides she is ready to conceive, she should schedule a pre-conception visit with her doctor or midwife. At this appointment, she will discuss her personal and family histories, as well as any current medical and general lifestyle...
Planning your family is wise whether you want to get pregnant in the near future, put off pregnancy for a period of time or avoid pregnancy altogether. Choose the family planning tools that allow you to meet your objectives. Consult with your...
Progesterone is a steroid hormone involved in the fertility cycle of a woman. During ovulation, progesterone is produced by the ovary and is responsible for the maintenance of a pregnancy. Following conception, moderate levels of luteinizing...
Natural family planning is a low-tech birth control method that couples who are either unable or unwilling to use chemical, barrier or surgical birth control methods choose. You can use natural family planning methods whether you want to try to...
The basal body temperature is your body temperature at rest, usually taken as soon as you wake up in the morning. Women trying to get pregnant often take their basal body temperature, or BBT, every morning to watch for the drop in temperature that...
Folk methods of choosing a baby's gender have been around for generations, but none has ever been proven to increase the chances more than the 50-50 split that nature provides. In recent years, scientists who study the way that conception works...
Getting pregnant is more challenging for women at 40 than it is for their younger counterparts. This is because around the age of 32, according to the Mayo Clinic, a woman's fertility begins to decline. According to the American Society for...
According to the Mayo Clinic, advanced age is one of the leading causes of both male and female infertility. In fact, it reports that after age 32, a woman's chance of getting pregnant begins to decline. The likelihood of a woman over 40 having...
Some women swear by their pregnancies from the moment they occur, while others may not realize they are pregnant until much later. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that most women will not have symptoms until between...
Many women think that achieving pregnancy will come easily, but this is not true for all women. However methods of fertility awareness can help women conceive naturally, in only a few months' time. Fertility awareness methods use physical signs to...
All sexually active adults must consider family planning issues. According to the World Health Organization, family planning is not just about preventing pregnancy, but also about timing conception so that every baby is wanted and planned. The...
Becoming pregnant is something many women think will happen quickly once the decision is made to become a mother. For a variety of reasons, sometimes pregnancy does not happen as quickly as desired. There are several things that can be done to...
A woman is most fertile during the three days before and the day of ovulation. While the average women ovulates on or about day 14 of her menstrual cycle (counting the first day of her menstrual period as Day 1), it can vary considerably from...
Yes, it is possible to get pregnant naturally after age 40. Pregnancy may take longer to achieve at this age, and if a woman has already started skipping periods or has irregular cycles each month, her fertility may already be impaired. How can a...
Throughout the majority of history, women and couples had to count solely on prayer and luck for family planning. Some couples who desired children were not able to have them. Other couples have desired fewer children or pregnancies that were...
According to the National Institutes of Health, a woman's chance of getting pregnant begins to drop after she reaches 30. Women over 40 may also have the added complication of health problems that come with age, according to the Mayo Clinic....
Growing a plant from a seed brings your child closer to nature. Children who are exposed to the sprouting and growth stages of developing plants may continue to enjoy plants and eventually garden on their own. Whether you live in the country,...
Basal body temperature (BBT) is the term used to describe the temperature of the body upon waking each day. A special thermometer, called the basal thermometer, is made to be incredibly sensitive and to measure as accurately as possible. The...
Many men discover that conceiving a child is not as easy as they expected it to be. In fact, an average healthy couple only has a 25 percent chance of conceiving a baby in any given menstrual cycle, even if they had sexual intercourse every single...
A healthy diet helps keep your reproductive system functioning properly. Eating nutritious foods also regulates hormone levels in your body, which keeps your menstrual cycle on track. Women with a diet very low in foods containing antioxidants...
When you and your partner are ready to have a child, nutrition for both of you plays an important role. Fertility depends on a variety of factors, including the vitamins and minerals you eat. Your physician may recommend supplements to improve...
The chance of conceiving is only 20% each month, which assumes that the timing is perfect and neither partner has fertility issues. While it seems like conception is easy, the reality is far from it. It takes 4 to 6 months for the average couple...
Many items may come to mind when thinking about birth control, but a calendar usually isn't one of them. However, using a calendar to identify days of the woman's menstrual cycle when she is fertile and abstaining from sexual intercourse during...
