First understand your body
If
you understand when you ovulate you stand a much greater chance of conceiving.
The time in which you have intercourse can have a huge bearing on
getting pregnant or not, because your fertile window is made up of a few days
each month when pregnancy is possible. Sperm can survive for a maximum of five
days inside a woman but your egg survives for just one day. This means that
your fertile period is six days long comprised from five days before you
ovulate and one day after. Pregnancy is possible on any one of these six days
but your chances will increase if you have intercourse on the three days
immediately leading up to and including your ovulation day. So this means you
have a practical fertile window of just three days. Confused? Work out which
days you ovulate with our ovulation calculator. Simply input the date of the first day
of your last period and how long your cycle usually lasts for, and the
calculator will work out when your most fertile days are over the next year!
Sex!
Yes,
you do have to have sex to become pregnant unless you’re going down the artificial insemination route. There are many old wives tales
about the type of sexual positions that can help you to become
pregnant, but the aim is to keep the sperm inside you for as long as possible,
so all it takes is a little common sense. Missionary position seems to work for
most couples (Man on top) and some people swear by putting a pillow under the
woman’s hips so that her cervix is tilted upwards and the sperm have more
chance of staying inside and finding that egg!
Orgasms
According
to research, a women’s fertility is increased when she has an orgasm during or
after the man does. This is because your partner’s ejaculation deposits a pool
of sperm at the back of your vagina. When you reach orgasm your cervix pushes
forward, dipping into this pool of semen, increasing the chances of the sperm
entering your uterus and finding the unfertilized egg.
Having sex in your fertile period
It’s
essential that you have sex in the few days a month when you’re most fertile.
If your menstrual cycle lasts around 28 days (which is the average) you’re most
likely to ovulate 12-14 days before your next monthly period. The trick is to
work out when you might be ovulating so that you can ensure you have
unprotected sex around this time – your vaginal mucus offers a clue, becoming
wetter and stretchier, almost like egg white, at the time you ovulate. You can
also buy an ovulation predictor kit at your pharmacy.
Getting healthy for conception
Cutting
out alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine should be one of the first steps
on your route to pregnancy as they all pose a risk to your reproductive health.
It’s also worth trying to achieve a healthy weight before you get pregnant – being
overweight or underweight can interfere with ovulation. If you’re seriously overweight
this can also cause problems once you’re pregnant, as it can lead to
complications such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and pre-term birth. Try to get at least 30
minutes’ exercise a day – see our feature on fitness for fertility. You’re also more likely to fall pregnant if you eat a healthy balanced diet – and remember to start taking folic acid supplements well before you plan to conceive,
as folic acid helps cut your risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect
such as spina bifida.
See
the science of conception for a reminder of how babies
are made...
The information in this feature is intended for
educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the
health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a
doctor or other healthcare professional.
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Last Modified: 02/05/2007
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