How to get pregnant

Before Trying to Get Pregnant

A few months before officially trying to conceive, you will want to make some healthful lifestyle changes. Healthy living can be key for successful conception and a healthy pregnancy. (Note, this is not the case for many who are able to get pregnant regardless of their state of physical or emotional health. However, if you are not one of these people and want to increase the odds of a healthy pregnancy, these steps are wise ones to take.) If you have already conceived or want to start immediately, and do not have time to follow the steps below, do not worry. Simply begin taking these steps as soon as possible and work with your doctor to make sure they agree.

• Begin taking prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins are loaded with many of the essential vitamins and minerals to help sustain pregnancy and develop a healthy baby. Ideally, it is optimal to start taking prenatals 3-6 months before pregnancy.
• Adopt a healthy diet. This means eating a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, proteins, whole grains and dairy. If you have dietary limitations, work with a nutritionist to see about getting guidelines of what you should be eating. If possible, try eating fresh and organic produce. Minimize the amount of saturated fats and fishes with too much mercury.
• Stop smoking. If you are a cigarette smoker, stop. Smoking has been proven to hamper fertility.
• Stop using recreational drugs. If you smoke pot, use cocaine or other "party" drugs, stop. Drugs are hard on the body and take much energy to process. Regular use of drugs has been negatively correlated with fertility.
• Reduce stress levels. If you are under stress of any kind, see if you can minimze or eliminate it. Studies have proven that high levels of stress hamper fertility. Women who are having issues with getting pregnant often get pregnant right away when the cut stress out of their lives. For some, this might mean cutting back on work. For others, this might mean working with a psychotherapist to work through stressful situations or worries.
• Healthy exercise. Healthy levels of exercise are positively correlated with fertility. Women who exercise regularly as more likely to get pregnant and have healthy pregnancies than those who lead a sedentary life. On the other hand, women who do regular strenuous exercise often have problems with fertility. The key is finding a form of light, healthy exercise such as walking, yoga, and light aerobics. If you are unsure what this is, check with your doctor.
• Acheive your ideal body weight. It is recommended to enter a pregnany at your optimal weight- this means neither overweight nor underweight. If you do not know your ideal weight you can use a Body Mass Index online.
• Know your cycles. As early as a year before trying, it is helpful to start monitoring your menstrual cycles. Ideally, you want a get a sense of when you ovulate and how long your luteal phase is. You can do this by becoming familiar with the Fertility Awareness Method. Knowing this will significantly increase your odds of getting pregnant.
• Optimize the health of your partner's sperm. He can do this by eating a balanced diet, taking a multi-vitamin with zinc and selenium, eliminating drugs and too much alcohol, and also minimizing his stress levels. See article on Ways to increase sperm count for more information.

While Trying to Get Pregnant

There are many little tricks that will increase your chances of getting pregnant. Below are a few well-known tactics that have had success for many women who do not have more serious underlying fertility issues.

Nail Down your Ovulation

To really maximize your chances of getting pregnant, it is essential to know when you ovulate. Ideally, you would have started to figure this out during your months of pregnancy preparation. Knowing your signs of ovulation will significantly improve your chances of pregnancy. It might even help you get pregnant within the first few months of trying. Here are the main ways to figure out when you are ovulating:

Chart your Temperature
Chart your temperature every morning. Hopefully, you have been doing this for the past few months to get an idea of when you are ovulating. If not, start charting right away at the beginning of your period. Download a free BBC (Basal Body Chart) from any number of fertility/pregnancy sites. You can learn a lot about how to chart your temperature from the book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. Read the article: signs of ovulation for a more in-depth explanation on how to chart your temps.

Monitor your Cervical Fluid
Closely monitoring your cervical fluid may be the easiest way to identify your most fertile periods. This is especially true if taking your temperature seems to be much to inconvenient for you. Around the time of (or right before ovulation) the cervical fluid gets wetter and more lubricated. During the most fertile day/days the fluid turns to an eggwhite consistency.

Determine Cervical Position
During the infertile phase of the month, the cervix is hard and low. It can sometimes be felt during intercourse when the penis pushes up against it. However, during ovulation, the cervix becomes softer and higher in the body. It tends to open a bit to make space for the sperm to swim up and into the uterus.

Eat Healthfully, Light Exercise

Eat healthfully while you are trying to get pregnant. You want to gets as many nutrients from your foods as possible. Do not drink alchol, smoke, and also significantly limit or eliminate your caffeine intake.

Continue with light to moderate forms of exercise, unless otherwise told not to do so by your doctor.

Minimize Stress

It is really important to stay as calm and stress-free as possible during this whole process. Much easier said then done when trying to get pregnant can be quite exciting and nerve-racking! This being said, here are some ways to reduce stress:

• Cut back on too much work
• Limit taxing social engagements
• Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night
• Practice yoga and/or meditation to keep the body and mind calm
• Maintain a sense of humor... afterall, the act of trying to get pregnant can be really enjoyable in itself! So try to be "less goal-oriented" and enjoy what is right in front of you.

Have Sex

• While this seems like the statement of the obvious, some people actually do underestimate the importance of having lots of sex. Having lots of sex is especially valuable if you do not know exactly when you are ovulating.
• Some say it makes the most sense to have sex every other day during the 2 weeks around when you ovulate, while making sure you have it the 2 days before the actual ovulation. However, if your partner's sperm count is good (he is young, healthy, does not drink much, smoke or do drugs, or ride bikes) then go ahead and have sex every day. And enjoy the process!
• Some believe that sex in the missionary position is the optimal position for conception, although there is no proof this is the case. However, if you want to play it safe, stick with this old fashioned mode of love making.
• During sex, make sure your partner's penis is as high up towards your cervix as possible (without pushing directly on it.) As he ejaculates, he should stay still so that the sperm shoots straight up the cervix.
• After sex, stay lying down (even with the hips propped on a pillow) for 20-30 minutes. While there is no proof that this will help with conception, it cannot hurt to keep the semen in the body as long as possible.

Try Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been proven to have much success with fertility and pregnancy. Acupuncture is known to help with the following:

• Anovulation. Women have stopped getting a period or do get a period but are simply not ovulating have found acupuncture to effectively in jump-starting their cycles.
• Implantation. Acupuncture can really help with implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterine lining. Given this, it is important to have a relationship with an acupuncturist before getting pregnant and then making sure you visit them at key times around the time of possible implantation.
• Holding on the fetus. It is possible that acupuncture is also effective in decreasing the chance of a miscarriage. Because acupuncture helps to bring greater balance to the body as a whole, it is likely to make the body stronger and healthier for pregnancy.

Once pregnant

The importance of maintaining optimal health while pregnant is obvious. Maintaining general good health is really important throughout the pregnancy.

Eat Pineapple, Walnuts and Yams

Many foods are known to be beneficial for pregnancy. It is important to be educated on what all these foods are. Some believe that a few foods are particularly good during implantation and early pregnancy.

• Pineapple is thought to help with implantation of the embryo. This is likely due to the bromelain (a digestive enzyme) that is inherent in pineapples.
• Walnuts are also thought to help with implantion or an early pregnancy. This could be due to the Omega 3 content as well as it being a good source of B-vitamins.
• Yams are believed to be high in progesterone. Since an increase is essential for a healthy pregnancy. Those women who may be deficient in progestorone production may find it helpful to eat yams (during the first trimester.)

Continue Healthy Lifestyle Changes

• Do not drink alcohol, smoke, or use drugs
• Minimize or completely eliminate caffeine from your diet.
• Take your prenatal vitamin regularly.
• Eat a very balanced diet or fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, and dairy products. Try to not to fill up on "empty calories" or foods that have very little value. Consider that everything you put in your mouth can contribute to the overall health of your growing fetus.
• Drink lots of water. Dehydration is not healthy for the mother or the growing fetus. 10-12 glasses of water a day are recommended.
• Keep stress to a minimum. The better condition the mother is in, the greater the chances for a healthy pregnancy.
• Continue with a light and regular exercise regimen. (For those who are going through IVF treatments or have suffered from multiple miscarriages, exercise will likely be prohibited for the first trimester.)

Get Prenantal Care

Meeting with your OB/GYN early on in the pregnancy is recommended. The sooner you get prenatal nare, the better for the developing baby. Your OB/GYN or midwife will help monitor your blood levels to make sure you are getting all the nutrition you need. They will also perform ultra-sounds to chart the development of your baby. If you suspect that anything is going wrong with your pregnancy (bleeding or significant cramping), contact your doctor right away.

Related articles

• Signs of ovulation
• Implantation spotting
• Early signs of pregnancy
• The role of progesterone during pregnancy
• Pregnancy
• Yoga and pregnancy
• Ways to increase sperm count