Making a baby is not always as simple as the story of the birds and the bees would have you believe. It may be simple for some people, but if you are not one of those types, it would be in your best interest to understand some basics. You might have better success if you learn to predict when you are ovulating, how often you should have sex and which lifestyle choices to make.
Step 1
Visit your gynecologist before you start trying to conceive, suggests “Redbook” magazine. Your doctor can assess your health, help you make good lifestyle choices and check you for certain genetic diseases. Your doctor can also answer any questions you may have.
Step 2
Have sex every other day between days 10 and 18 to try to hit your fertile time, says Dr. Susan Board, a Maryland gynecologist, in “Redbook.” You ovulate about midway between your menstrual cycle, and you are fertile five days before you ovulate and the day of ovulation, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sperm can live for a few days, which is why you are fertile before ovulation. One way to know when to have sex to maximize your chance of getting pregnant is to count the first day of your period as Day 1.
Step 3
Maintain a healthy weight to increase your chances of conceiving. Being underweight or overweight can make it more difficult for you to get pregnant. Underweight woman could experience fertility problems because they lack important nutrients, such as vitamin B12, zinc, folic acid and zinc, according to MayoClinic.com. If you are overweight because of a sedentary lifestyle, that could cause infertility problems, too.
Step 4
Stop smoking. Tobacco changes your cervical mucus, according to MayoClinic.com. If that happens, the sperm may not reach the egg. If you resume smoking once you become pregnant, it can increase your chances of having a miscarriage and deprive your baby of nutrients and oxygen.
Step 5
Find out from your doctor if your medications are making it more difficult for you to conceive. If so, find out if a substitution is available.
Step 6
Get therapy if you suffer from depression. Women who have a history of depression report fertility problems twice as often as women who do not suffer from depression, says Dr. Alice D. Domar, director of the Mind/Body Center for Women’s Health at Harvard Medical School in “Redbook” magazine. Domar points out that researchers do not yet understand why depression may be a factor, only that it may be a factor.
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