Are you and your partner trying to get pregnant? Here are some tips
It is the ultimate sign of your love, it’s your miracle and it’s the most beautiful thing that ever happened to you. Having a baby sounds wonderful, but actually getting pregnant is not always that romantic or easy. So, here are eight tips on how to get pregnant – in addition to having sex, of course.
1. Get to know your cycle
Every woman knows when to expect her period. Yet, many do not realize what the rest of the cycle will look like. In addition, how long the cycle lasts, differs from one woman to the next. Some women have a cycle of 27 days, while others have a cycle of 29 days. If you know exactly what your cycle looks like – even though it may differ from month to month – you can calculate when you ovulate.
2. Calculate when you ovulate
As we’ve mentioned above, you can calculate when you ovulate if you have knowledge about your cycle. Do you know the date on which your most recent period started and how long your cycle lasts? If so, you can use this internet tool to calculate the days that you will be fertile. Note: this gives only a rough estimate.
3. Buy an ovulation test kit
You can use an internet tool to find out when you are fertile, but there are also tests nowadays that tell you more specifically. They look like pregnancy tests, and when you use the test you will see within five minutes if that day is a fertile day.
4. Don’t have sex every day
If you and your partner love having sex every day, keep doing it. But if you’re having sex for the purpose of conceiving a baby, you don’t have to do it every day. Women are fertile for six days per cycle. Five days before ovulation and the day after. Research shows that it is not necessary to have sex every day during those six fertile days. Dr. Mary Ellen Pavone advises not to have sex every day if you’re only having it for the purpose of getting pregnant. And Pavone would know. She is a fertility specialist and medical director of a fertility and reproductive medicine department in Chicago. By having sex every day, you often put pressure on yourself and your partner, she says. But again: if you enjoy a horizontal tango every night and you both feel no pressure, just keep doing it.
5. Strive for a healthy weight
Slim, medium, full-bodied: we think all figures are beautiful, and it is important that you feel comfortable with your own body. Are you trying to get pregnant? Then it may be good to keep an eye on your weight. If a woman is overweight, it can lower her chances of getting pregnant. If a woman is too light, it can actually make her pregnancy more difficult. Again, it’s still possible to fall pregnant if this is the case, but it’s not a given. It is always good to monitor your body weight so that it does not fluctuate too much.
6. Swallow prenatal vitamins
Dr. Pavone advises women to take prenatal vitamins if they want to fall pregnant. It is good to start taking them before you fall pregnant. In this way a woman can find a prenatal vitamin that works best for her and she can continue to take it during pregnancy.
7. Ensure a good sports balance
It is good to follow an intense training program to have a strong body. After all, your body has a lot to sustain during pregnancy. But if the training is too heavy, it can disrupt a woman’s ovulation. Dr. Pavone tells Live Science that women regularly experience menstrual disorders when they train too often and too hard. If they want to become pregnant, they have to adjust their sports schedule.
8. Stop smoking
It is always a good idea to quit smoking. Do you and your partner want to become pregnant? Then we have another reason for you to stop. The chemicals in a cigarette, such as nicotine, can make men and women less fertile.
