10 Get Pregnant Naturally Methods

Congratulations, you and your significant other decided it's time for you to get pregnant! You're looking forward to the moment when you come home from the doctor's with a smile on your face knowing that your little one is arriving in less than nine months. Now that you know you want to have a baby, it's time to figure out how to get pregnant. Rest easy with the knowledge that plenty of natural ways are available for you and your significant other to try out.   Gear yourselves up to have sex often; at least three times per week. Your goal is to make love to the point that you give you and your significant other the chance to conceive but not frequently enough that you see a reduction in his sperm count. Avoid lube because it can kill off the sperm before it reaches a woman's uterus, according to an article written by Alisa Ikeda titled “10 Tips for Conceiving,” for the website pregnancyandbaby.com. Sleep for your recommended seven to eight hours to enjoy the maximum chance of getting pregnant. Having enough sleep keeps the hormone leptin at the recommended amounts for you to become pregnant. Refrain from consuming more than 200 mg of coffee per day, which equals out to two cups. Remember that caffeine comes from other sources such as tea and soda; check the labels to make sure you're drinking below the recommended amount. Stop smoking well before you plan to get pregnant because engaging in the health destructive activity causes problems with the cervical mucus, which can reduce the chances of one of your eggs becoming fertilized. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and other healthy foods because you want to ingest enough antioxidants and vitamins to keep your body at its optimum health level. Know your window of opportunity for getting pregnant, which is three days before you ovulate and up to 24 hours afterward. Keep away from harmful chemicals found in some household cleaners. Stick to natural cleaners such as a mix of baking soda and water. Talk to your man about what happens when he wears clothes that are too tight while you're working towards getting pregnant. The reason for this is that he can experience a reduction in the production of sperm if his testicles become overheated. Relax and enjoy the love-making part of trying to get pregnant because, years down the road, you'll want to look back fondly on the day when your baby was conceived.   Follow one or all of these tips on how to get pregnant and you'll soon find yourself planning the details of your baby shower.

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Low Estrogen Levels and High Basal Body Temperature

When you are actively trying to get pregnant, an internal state that combines low estrogen levels, with a high basal body temperature is the Holy Grail, the magic formula that can mean the difference between having your next period as usual, or embarking on a nine month pregnancy.   The mid-point of your menstrual cycle, Days  14 – 15, are the most exciting time of all if you are trying to conceive (or conversely, if you wish to avoid getting pregnant, then this is definitely time for  ‘Uh uh!!  Not now, dear!’)  This is the high peak of your monthly reproductive cycle, and things are heating up – quite literally.  Hopefully if conception is on your mind, then you’ll be feeling distinctly hot, hot, hot!   Physiologically, your basal body temperature – you can check this temperature first thing in the morning, before any exertion – will now rise, as ovulation has just occurred. This happens when the egg, stimulated by a rise in LH or Luteinizing hormone due to high levels of oestrogen, comes out of its ovarian follicle – the place in the ovary where the egg is nurtured - and starts its journey down the fallopian tubes.   Once embedded in the uterus, it awaits the miracle of conception.  The egg will only survive for around twelve to twenty four hours.  Though sperm, having entered the cervix, can stay around for several days – and incidentally the X bearing chromosomes, which create girls, are stronger and tend to last longer - it is the life of the egg (or in the case of multiple births, eggs) that determines how long a woman will remain fertile during her reproductive cycle.   Determining high fertility levels is the tricky part, whether you wish to get pregnant, or conversely, if you want to avoid getting pregnant!  Either way, this is a life changing (or life forming) decision, so every trick in your arsenal is worth employing.  Measuring your bodily temperature is the first port of call.   Basal body temperature is the resting level of your body heat, in other words, your temperature before any exertion, so its optimum testing time is as soon as you wake in the morning – ie, before you have generated enough energy for it to rise.  Usually this is around 97.2 – 97.7 F, but when you ovulate, and are therefore at your most fertile, it will rise by typically between a half to one and a half degrees.   It will remain higher until your period, at which point your body will enter its ‘cool’ phase.  Your basal body temperature drops, and your estrogen levels rise again, thus triggering LH the following month.  At this point, when ovulation begins all over again, estrogen levels quickly drop as your body heat rises.   Some women experience discomfort, usually lower back pain when they ovulate. If you want to get pregnant, this could be sweet pain indeed, as it may be the green light you [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

How to Give Birth to a Girl

Pink for a little girl, blue for a boy – these are not just the words to the eternal song of motherly love, telling us that little girls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice.  They also hint at the ‘old wives’ tale – that if you want to give birth to a girl, then eat lots of sugar, chocolate and sugary foods before you conceive.   ‘You’ll find your wedded bliss, if you just remember this’.  The old tales also tell us that if you want a baby daughter, you should place a pink ribbon beneath your pillow as you sleep each night, before you conceive your child.  Oh, and sleep on the right hand side!   You should stay on the right when you actually lie with your partner – preferably beneath a full moon, though at the actual point of conception, the woman should be on top.  In both senses of the word -  as if she wants to give birth to a baby girl, she must initiate lovemaking.   Medical science has more definite ways of choosing the gender of your offspring. Sperm Sorting methods take advantage of the greater speed of the Y-bearing ‘boy’ chromosome, or the greater weight and mass of the X-bearing ‘girl’ chromosome. The Ericcson Technique is based on speed and the MicroSort method selects by size.   The latter method uses fluorescent dye to assess which of the sperm are ‘heavier’ as the X-bearing chromosome will glow brighter due to the higher levels of fluorescence in the dye.  There is also PGD – Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis is a form of sex selection based on the removal of a single embryo cell in the lab, and then determining its gender.   The chosen sex embryo is then implanted in the prospective mother.  PGD is not guaranteed as only 20% of women will get pregnant using this method, and in certain countries it is only available for parents with a genetic predisposition to a serious illness in their offspring.   It has often been said that life is all about timing, and the power of time has been harnessed  through the ages by prospective parents. By carefully choosing when to have intercourse, ie by having sex when your body is most likely to be fertile, you are more likely to get pregnant.   It has been suggested by many medical professionals that you can also pick the optimum time to choose the gender of your child, and to conceive either a baby girl or a baby boy. The X-bearing chromosome determines that your child will be a girl. A man carries both X and Y chromosomes.   To ensure the X chromosome comes first in the race for life that takes place immediately after intercourse, it is commonly considered that you should make love about 3 days before ovulation.  As the Y chromosome swims faster and is relatively lighter, and less strong, the X chromosome will be strong enough to  [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

How to Get Pregnant with a Boy

The proud parents of daughters may long for a son, and indeed many cultures value boys above girls.  In the entire human population the overall odds of naturally giving birth to either gender are about 50/50.  However, factors can be tweaked in favour of a boy or a girl, depending on whether you trust statistical evidence, follow medical science or believe ‘old wives tales’. Though if old wives don’t know about giving birth, then who does?   According to the ‘Returning- Soldier Effect’, more boys are born in combative countries after major wars, perhaps nature’s way of replacing missing men.  Recent research at The University of Auckland says assertive women are more likely to give birth to boys, and the project leader, Dr Valerie Grant suggests this is due to higher female testosterone levels affecting the fertilised egg.  The ‘returning-soldier’ effect could be triggered by the dominant roles adopted by women when the men were at war.  Their higher testosterone levels then made them more hormonally programmed to have boys.   There is also statistical evidence that you are more likely to have a boy if you carry the toxoplasmosis parasite - passed on to humans from cats – and that women who consume small amounts of arsenic, or have multiple sclerosis are more likely to have sons.  So do you need to take poison, be infected by a parasite, lose your man to war or contract MS to have your longed for son?   Thankfully not! There are medical procedures to help choose the gender of your child, though some depend on where you live.  In the UK, Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) is only available to parents with certain gender related and genetically inherited medical conditions. In the US however, and in many countries around the world, PGD is more commonplace. After IVF (in vitro fertilisation) a cell is removed from an embryo to determine its sex, and the preferred sex is chosen for implantation. However, this is an invasive procedure and only 20% of mothers using PGD will get pregnant.   Medical science can also sort sperm to determine gender. So-called Sperm Sorting makes use of the fact that sperm bearing the Y chromosome, which produces a boy, swim faster. The Ericsson Technique chooses the fastest swimming sperm, which are then artificially inseminated into the woman.  The MicroSort Method however, picks sperm according to the size of the DNA in the chromosome – the Y chromosome is smaller than the X chromosome, and has slightly less DNA.   However, if you want a more natural route to produce your son, many couples use a method introduced 20 years ago by Landrum B Shettles, MD, in his book ‘How to Choose the Sex of Your Baby’.  As the Y chromosome sperm swims faster, he suggests intercourse should take place during ovulation, ie when the woman is at the peak of her fertility cycle.  Quite simply, the boy, or Y carrying chromosome should get to the egg first. Some sex [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

How to Get Pregnant After Giving Birth

Some mothers bounce back after the birth of their children, organized, fresh and ready to do it all over again! A baby is a miracle, and one they are eager to repeat.  After all, having your children close together is a dream scenario.  They play together, grow up together, and your years spent with demanding toddlers will be accomplished more quickly.  If this is your vision of family harmony, then go about it in the right way, to guarantee the happiness of all. Some MDs suggest you wait a year before getting pregnant again, to give your uterus time to get back into shape.   Other fertility specialists say after four months or so it is fine to start trying to conceive  again.  This can depend on your general fitness before and after birth, and  younger women may be able to get pregnant more quickly.  Ask your doctor’s advice, then go for it!   Start By Getting Fit  See how you feel before you plan your next child. Postpartum depression can be very isolating, and should never be ignored.Even if you are one of the majority of women who don’t contract this condition,  which is a real blow to your confidence as a mother, all new moms will feel overwhelmed by unfamiliar emotions – not to mention a bubbling inferno of hormones. When recovering from the birth of your first child, you can be particularly flat due to night time feeding - and day time feeding!  After all, you are at the beck and call of your little bundle of joy, 24/7.  Depending on how much help you have at home – from your partner, family, or child care providers, when to get pregnant again is a complex decision.  If this is your goal, your first priority is to get fit again. Much depends on the birth of your child.  Did you have  a natural and uncomplicated delivery, or did you undergo Caesarean section?  If the latter is the case, you need to properly heal before you consider starting again.  You may have had stitches, particularly if you had a forceps delivery.  In either case, sea salt in your bath water, or bicarbonate of soda, can really speed up the healing process.   Eat Well and Take Gentle Exercise Pay attention to your diet.  Eat well and often, preferably small portions of food throughout the day, and especially if you are breast feeding, as you are building up both yourself and your baby.  Have plenty of vegetables, lean protein and fruit, and drink lots of water and milk. Breast feeding mothers are physiologically less likely to get pregnant, as your hormone levels favour nurturing your baby over conceiving other offspring. As a nursing mother, your libido levels may be low, as you separate your role as new mom from that of enthusiastic lover.  When your breasts fill with milk they become tender and heavy, and you may feel less amorous. For mothers who do not breast feed, recovery of energy [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Can You Give Birth to Twins Naturally?

If your mother is a twin, or perhaps your grandma, then you are more likely to give birth to fraternal twins yourself, though your partner can pass the ‘fraternal twin’ hereditary factor on to his own female offspring.   With his family history of multiple births, your daughter or granddaughter may go on to have twins, for example.  If you have no twins in your own family, it is not thought more likely that you will have twins together.  Fraternal, or dizygotic twins are those born from two eggs or zygotes, which are simultaneously fertilized, and develop together into embryos.  Identical twins, on the other hand, develop from a single egg. This splits in two just after fertilization, and the genetic material, or DNA of each baby is the same. Identical twins are considered to be the result of a ‘one-off’, rare event and not to be hereditary. You are also more likely to have twins, or a multiple birth pregnancy if you have In Vitro Fertilization. Two thirds of triplets and up to 90% of quads are born after IVF. Although there is a 1 in 89 overall chance of any pregnancy resulting in a multiple birth, that goes up to 1 in 38 after IVF, though the fertility drug Chlomid can increase that to 20%, or 1 in 5!  So, if you are not in an IVF programme, and have no twins in your family, can you still give birth to twins naturally? Well, there are some inborn factors you can’t control.  For example, Nigerian women have the highest natural birth rate of fraternal twins in the world, with 1 in 22 births.  This may conceivably (!) be due to the high ingestion of yams in Nigeria. These sweet potatoes contain a chemical said to increase hyperovulation.  In other words, the mother is more likely to produce more than one egg per ovulatory cycle. So though you can’t change your race or place of birth, you can eat sweet potato! Other dietary factors may be significant.  Taking folic acid before conception protects against neural birth defects like spino bifida, and may also increase your chance of having twins.  Women who eat dairy products and red meat are also more likely to have twins than vegans, who eat no animal products. This may be due to the hormones present in cow’s milk.  Talking of milk, breast feeding women are five times more likely to have twins, if they conceive.  Which may be a tall order as you have so recently given birth, unless you really, really want twins! Diet can also be significant if it increases your weight.  According to the American College of Obstetrics аnd Gynaecology, if your Body Mass Index, or BMI is higher than 30 then you are more likely to give birth to twins. As it is important to be healthy if you want to get pregnant, then make sure you don’t get fat for the sake of it, but be sure you are not underweight [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

How to Get Pregnant Naturally

Women who wish to get pregnant naturally sometimes see it as a mission but can often get discouraged if things don’t go their way. The temptation to use fertility drugs is huge but this is not always the best option from a medical point of view. Although fertility drugs can improve your chances of getting pregnant, they are not always guaranteed solutions.   In fact, they can often be expensive and there is even evidence that certain fertility drugs can cause harmful side effects. So before you consider help in the form of fertility drugs, here are a few simple ways to improve your chances of getting pregnant naturally.   Get Your Timing Right To get pregnant, you can have sex every day of the month if you wish and this will certainly improve your chances. Unfortunately, not all couples have the time or energy to make this happen. Modern life has a habit of getting in the way. Women need to accurately predict their ovulation date.   There are a number of online guides which will quickly guide you towards an accurate ovulation prediction. You should also have intercourse every second day during the fertility window rather than every day. According to experts, this serves to increase the amount of sperm released during intercourse.   Make Love, Not War! One problem that women who try to get pregnant have is turning the process into a chore. Although timing is everything and it’s important to pay attention to your body temperature and other gauges, it’s equally important to enjoy intercourse. You need to actively involve your partner and make him want to get you pregnant.   Did you know that pressuring your partner into sex for the sake of conception can reduce his sperm count by as much as 50%? By forcing him into the act of intercourse which feels like a job rather than leisure, you cause undue stress which has a negative effect on his sperm production.   Detox If you’re unsuccessfully trying to get pregnant, there is the chance that your body needs a detox session or two. If you have a less than healthy lifestyle, toxins can accumulate which decreases the quality of your eggs and his sperm. This leads to problems with infertility and hormonal problems in both sexes. It’s possible to thoroughly detox your body with a fertility cleanse.   This involves ingesting large amounts of vitamins, minerals and herbs in order to help your body release toxins safely. You should also check your body care products and ensure that they don’t contain ingredients such as mineral oil, petroleum, sodium fluoride, bentonite and many more. These are harmful chemicals which disrupt your hormones which has a negative impact on your fertility.   Cervical Mucus In order to produce large amounts of fertile cervical mucus, you need to eat a balanced and healthy diet. Avoid large amounts of wheat products as this makes your vaginal mucus thick which hinders ovulation. It’s necessary to drink lots [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Procedure to Get Pregnant

Once a woman decides to get pregnant, it needs to be done fast or else they often get frustrated. In theory, the procedure to get pregnant is simple but in practice, conception can be a tricky process and always seems to be more difficult for those who really want to bring a child into this world. Women need to look at the basics first in order to increase their chances of getting pregnant.   The Basics Step one when it comes to getting pregnant is to keep track of those intervals between the first day of bleeding and the first day of the next menstrual cycle. If you have a regular 28 day cycle for example, you subtract 14 from 28 and this gives you an estimated ovulation date. Now, you and your partner need to have intercourse in and around day 14 of your cycle. It’s not unusual for sperm to last 2-3 days so you should begin trying for the child around day 12 and continue until at least day 16. There are a number of sites online that will do the calculations for you if you’re not sure.   The fertility window is open for between 3-5 days and this is often missed by couples who work all week and only have the time and energy for intercourse at weekends. Predicting ovulation is an excellent way for couples to increase their chances of achieving conception.   The Basal Body Temperature Taking the basal body temperature is an ideal way for women to be precise with regards to their ovulation date. A chart improves the chances of sperm being present after the egg is released. Unfortunately, this method only tells you the peak time for ovulation after the event has already occurred which can certainly be frustrating.   For this method to work, you need to take the body’s temperature every day and put it on a chart. It’s necessary to identify a change of around 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit after ovulation. Before ovulation, a body temperature of 96-98 degrees Fahrenheit is normal but this rises to between 97-99 degrees Fahrenheit after ovulation. However, as the temperature shift can happen days after ovulation, the basal body temperature method could be in vain.   Saliva and Semen Testing Did you know that ovulation predictor kits can also test saliva and are far better value for money than a regular saliva kit? What these kits do is monitor and identify the mineral content in saliva once it dries. A slide and microscope are used and if a pattern that looks like a fern leaf is discovered, it means that the woman is due to ovulate in the next couple of days.   An important part of the procedure to get pregnant involves testing the sperm of the male partner with male infertility kits available which measure sperm concentration. Although tests bought at a pharmacy are not 100% accurate and don’t compare to a semen analysis performed in a lab, it’s a [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

How deep does the Penis have to go in order to get Pregnant?

Traditionally, the pressure has always been on women when they wish to get pregnant. This is extremely unfair when you consider the vital role of the male in conception. It’s a combination of healthy ovulation on the woman’s side and healthy sperm on the man’s side that ultimately leads to conception. It’s estimated that 35% of all infertility problems come from the female side but 35% of the problems also come from the male side. The other 30% are a combination of problems which cannot be solely attributed to either party.   Depth A common question that is often asked by women who wish to get pregnant relates to how deep the penis needs to be in order for conception to occur. The answer is extremely simple: Depth really doesn’t matter at all. Once a male ejaculates inside the female, the chances of pregnancy are there. In fact, it’s possible for a woman to get pregnant if the man ejaculates on the woman’s labia. As long as the vagina’s PH is not on the acidic side and the sperm is healthy, there is a possibility of pregnancy. There is even the very small chance that a few seconds of penetration without ejaculation could result in pregnancy. Indeed, it is surprising to find out how little people really know about the act of intercourse in relation to getting pregnant. For example, even so-called ‘dry sex’ (when there is skin to skin contact of the genital area but no penetration) can lead to an unexpected pregnancy. Anytime the penis comes into direct contact with the vagina, there is the possibility of pregnancy, no matter how remote. This is because seminal fluid could leak inside the vagina.   Pre-Ejaculation The issue of pre-ejaculation is still something of a mystery to researchers who cannot come to a clear conclusion. When liquid seeps out of the penis before the actual act of ejaculation, this is known as pre-ejaculation. The Cowpers gland at the top of the urethra is where the fluid is released from. This fluid reduces the urethra’s acidity and also provides lubricant for the sperm which is to be released once the act of ejaculation occurs. The majority of men have little control over this fluid and cannot feel it coming out. There are conflicting studies on the subject. Some researchers claim that the fluid does contain sperm while others say that there is insufficient evidence.   Clothing Another medical mystery relates to the possibility that sperm has the ability to pass through clothing or other material. There is a thought process which suggests that a woman could get pregnant if her clothing was saturated in sperm because it could make its way into the vagina. However, there is no medical evidence which suggests that this is the case.   Water A final issue is that of water. If you have normal intercourse in water, this doesn’t’t affect the chances of pregnancy occurring. The sperm will be deposited in the vaginal area as [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Can you get Pregnant if you have low Lutropin levels?

You need the hormone lutropin in order to get pregnant. Lutropin is also known as luteinizing hormone and it is produced by the anterior pituitary gland. When women experience a sudden surge of lutropin, ovulation is triggered and this is when a woman is at her most fertile. In a nutshell, lutropin is vital for reproduction and you cannot get pregnant naturally without it. However, it should be noted that low lutropin levels don’t necessarily mean that you can’t conceive. As long as some lutropin is produced, pregnancy is a possibility. The only problem is, low levels increase your chances of having a miscarriage.   The Power of Lutropin When women experience menstruation, follicle stimulating hormones (FSH) help follicular growth to begin and this has a major effect on granulosa cells. Lutropin receptors also get expressed on the maturing follicle with the amount of estradiol being produced increasing. At the maturation of the follicle, an estrogen rise leads to a release of lutropin over a period of 24-48 hours. This lutropin surge triggers the process of ovulation which releases the egg and also helps the residual follicle convert into a corpus luteum which produces progesterone. This helps to prepare the endometrium for potential implantation of the egg. Women need lutropin in order to maintain luteal function for the first 14 days.   Synthetic Hormones Women that have low lutropin levels are worried that they cannot get pregnant or at best, their chances of conception are diminished. This is why they try and take synthetic hormones in a bid to increase their chances of having a baby. There are a number of synthetic lutropin products on the market including Luveris and Pergoveris. Luveris injections involve visiting a specialist and having this treatment regularly. Luveris contains lutropin alfa which is not a real version of the lutropin produced in the human body. Pergoveris is also used to stimulate follicle development. Most of these synthesized lutropin drugs normally involve being injected with one vial of the hormone per day until a suitable follicle has been developed. This process often takes up to five weeks and one vial a day is sometimes not enough. Patients may even have to mix it with another medication in order for it to be effective. If you go down this route, expect to be injected every day until positive results come. However, a positive result may not arrive and you might never get pregnant by using this method. Synthetic hormones are rather expensive and few women can afford the time it takes to visit a doctor on a daily basis for weeks in order to receive an injection. Pharmaceutical companies market these solutions by saying that women with low lutropin levels are infertile. This is not necessarily the case. Although it may be harder to conceive and there is a higher chance of miscarriage, at least you’re not putting your body under undue stress.   Dangers And this is the real issue with synthetic lutropin, the side effects. [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Best way to get Pregnant with Twins

If you are hoping to get pregnant with twins, the odds appear to be stacked against you. The odds of conceiving twins naturally stand at approximately 89 to 1. The most obvious way to improve these odds is by taking fertility drugs or undergoing IVF treatment. However, not all women are enamoured by the prospect of taking medication in order to achieve their dream of having twins. The majority of twins are fraternal twins and this process occurs when two eggs are released during ovulation instead of the standard one. Identical twins come from the same egg and are extremely rare. Having twins is often a hereditary trait. If a close relative has had twins, this increases your chances. Below are some of the best natural ways to get pregnant with twins.   Folic Acid A recent Australian study showed that women who take a folic acid supplement before they get pregnant had a 40% higher chance of giving birth to twins than the national average. Like many studies of this nature, there is other research which claims to contradict these claims. If nothing else, folic acid is proven to prevent neural tube defects which makes it an ideal supplement to take in any case.   Dairy Products Dr. Gary Steinman, a doctor who practices at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, has controversially claimed that women who eat dairy products are 400% more likely to have twins than those who try and skip dairy items whenever they can. He outlined the results of his detailed study which compared vegan women to vegetarian women who consumed dairy products. Other scientists believe that your chances of getting pregnant with twins are only increased if you consume dairy products created by cows that have been treated with growth hormones.   Being Quick Off The Mark There are occasions when a woman’s body behaves oddly straight after coming off birth control pills. This happens because the body is attempting to regulate its own hormone production. Women who have been on these pills for six months or more find that their body adjusts to the control the pills have over the hormones. In such instances, the body takes up to two cycles in order to regulate hormone production after the woman stops taking the pills. At this stage, it’s possible that the women received too much hormone stimulation which causes the ovaries to release an extra egg during the first one or two ovulation cycles after the birth control pills have been jettisoned. Therefore, conceiving straight after discontinuing your birth control pills increases your chances of getting pregnant with twins.   Older Pregnancy This is one of those strange but true situations. Everyone knows that women become less fertile as they get older but did you know that your chances of having twins also increases? In actual fact, there is a 6 to 1 chance of getting pregnant with twins once you reach the age of 45. Older women produce more follicle stimulating hormone [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Genetic Counseling

What is genetic counseling and do I really need it before I try to get pregnant? Today, more and more parents-to-be are asking themselves this question. Genetic counseling is nothing more than consulting a specially trained genetic counselor or health care professional to identify whether any high risk traits exist that may be passed on to your child. Although an obvious consideration for couples and families who have demonstrated genetic abnormalities or concerns, there is also the very real risk of an inherited defective gene being transmitted unknowingly by a parent who is unaware of the disease that might be present. A gene is a piece of DNA that is assigned a certain trait, such as blue eyes versus brown, that is passed on from generation to generation, making up one portion of our chromosomes, the entities that formulate each physical characteristic we possess. Every cell in our bodies contains pairs of these chromosomes that determine our makeup. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, half of every chromosomal pair comes from the mother and the other half from the father. An abnormality in one or more of these chromosomes can result in a genetic disorder. A defect in a single gene can also be the culprit, often referred to as X-linked, dominant or recessive genetic disorders. In X-linked disorders, the defective gene is located on the X chromosome (also known as the female chromosome). In dominant disorders, the defective gene is the dominant one, overriding the healthy gene from the other parent; recessive disorders are when both genes in the pair are abnormal. Defects exist not only because of abnormalities such as spontaneous mutation or cell division errors but also because of exposure to environmental agents, chemicals and other toxins (including lead, industrial chemicals, pesticides, radiation and drugs). First off, genetic counseling should not be considered a necessity for most couples that plan on getting pregnant. However, if certain risk factors are already apparent, it should be undertaken, ideally but not limited to prior to attempting toget pregnant. These risk factors include one or more of the following: Mothers-to-be over 35 years of age Prior birth of a child or existence of a close relative with a genetic disorder or birth defect Presence of an inherited disease in one or more close relatives Prenatal testing that has revealed abnormal results Results of an amniocentesis which identified a chromosomal defect Certain ethnic groups also possess a propensity toward particular inherited defects and disorders. If you or your partner is a member of one of these groups, you may also want to consider genetic counseling. These groups include: Africans, African Americans and some Mediterranean ancestries (sickle cell anemia) Italian, Greek or Middle Eastern ancestries (thalassemia) Central or Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jews and French-Canadian ancestry (Tay-Sachs disease) If you decide to participate in genetic counseling, it’s helpful to be prepared. Begin by creating a comprehensive history of the blood relatives on both sides of each family that have suffered particular diseases or disorders [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Am I Too Old to Get Pregnant?

Everybody has heard the well-worn jokes about a woman’s biological clock ticking away. To women who are 35 or older and having difficulty getting pregnant, it’s not a joke. Still, there are many women who successfully conceive and have healthy babies well into their forties so complications due to age are not a given. However, it pays to be aware of the risks both to mother and child as well as any other concerns. As a woman ages, it’s natural that her frequency of ovulation declines. This means that, even if a woman has a regular menstrual cycle, there may be times when an egg has not actually been released through the fallopian tube from the ovary. Egg quality as well as quantity can also suffer as a woman reaches her late thirties and forties. Beyond the natural declination due to age, there are other factors that can seriously affect or even impede a woman from getting pregnant later in life. Some of these factors are: Decrease in cervical fluid (cervical fluid aids sperm in its passage through the cervix and up toward the fallopian tube entrance, where the egg is waiting to be fertilized) Scarring of the fallopian tubes or cervix caused by either infection or a previous surgical procedure Endometriosis (where the type of tissue that grows inside the uterus appears outside as well, causing pelvic pain and sometimes generating scar tissue that can damage ovaries or fallopian tubes. Endometriosis has no cure, however, it has been known to become less severe after pregnancy. Endometriosis does not present a risk if you are, in fact, pregnant.) Fibroid tumors or other uterine disorders and abnormalities High blood pressure Diabetes Increased incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in women over 35 is also a significant factor in the higher rate of reported miscarriages. Some studies estimate the risk of miscarriage in older women to be 20 to 35% higher than in younger women. If you are age 35 or older and are considering trying to become pregnant, it is recommended that you first schedule a pre-conception evaluation where you and your doctor can discuss any potential obstacles, review your medical history, including medications taken now or in the past, and discuss your nutrition and overall lifestyle. Any needed changes in, for example, diet and exercise, should ideally be undertaken as much as six months prior to first attempting to get pregnant in order to ensure you increase your chances not only of becoming pregnant but of carrying a healthy baby to full term. A woman who is physically, emotionally and mentally healthy has an easier time conceiving than one who is not. Indulging in alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs and even caffeine can inhibit your ability to get pregnant. Significant overweight or underweight issues can also prevent you from conceiving or make it more difficult to get pregnant. Start by exercising and eating right months before you start trying to get pregnant. Bear in mind that an older woman will naturally take longer [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Fertility Testing for Men

Infertility can be just as much a problem for men as it can be for women.  If you are young and healthy, doctors recommend spending at least one year having unprotected sex before worrying about whether fertility issues may be a problem for you. Older couples, particularly when the woman is aged 35 and above, should ideally try to get pregnant for 18 to 24 months before seeking fertility testing unless abnormalities or other inhibitors have already been identified. If a couple is having difficulty getting pregnant, a physical examination is typically recommended for both the man and woman. Men should be prepared to answer questions on their puberty and sexual development, childhood growth and overall development, sexual history, any illnesses, infections and surgeries, both sexually and non-sexually related, medications both current and past, and exposure to any environmental toxins, including alcohol, cigarettes, recreational drugs, radiation, steroids, pesticides and chemicals, including chemotherapy, that you may have been exposed to at any point. For men, a physical exam can reveal indicators of testosterone deficiency, such as loss of body hair and abnormal testes development, or identify abnormalities in the testicle vein or thickening of the epididymis (the tube leading from the testicle). Some fertility tests your doctor might suggest for a man include: Semen analysis—this test is almost always the first laboratory test recommended by a doctor to gauge sperm count as well as the shape and motility of the sperm. For this test to be most effective, the patient should avoid any form of ejaculation, either sex with a partner or masturbation, for five to seven days immediately leading up to the test. The semen sample can be collected either in the lab or doctor’s office or at home in a sterile laboratory container (or chemical-free condom) provided by your doctor. The sample must be delivered directly to a laboratory within one hour of the sample being collected. If the sample is judged to be abnormal, a second sample will be collected before further testing is recommended. Over the counter tests to gauge the quality of sperm are available as well, but their reliability and accuracy have been questioned.   Blood testing—these tests evaluate hormone levels that are directly related to male fertility. If a sperm analysis has revealed a low sperm count exists or if the doctor suspects a hormonal imbalance or deficiency, blood tests can be administered to evaluate testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels.   Genetic testing—if chromosomal abnormalities or genetic problems are suspected to be a potential cause of infertility, blood tests can identify missing or abnormal levels of the Y (male) chromosome.  Some genetic disorders can be inherited but be otherwise asymptomatic (no evident symptoms) yet diminish sperm count significantly. If a genetic defect is shown to exist, your doctor may recommend genetic counseling to discuss the pros and cons of transferring such a genetic abnormality to your child and whether such transmission can be prevented.   Transrectal ultrasound—this test confirms [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods

Fertility Testing for Women

If you’ve spent a reasonable amount of time trying to get pregnant but have been unable to, it might be time to consider seeking a doctor’s advice on fertility testing. Most fertility experts recommend that young, healthy couples engage in unprotected intercourse for one year before seeking testing; women aged 35 and over should have unprotected sex for 18-24 months typically, unless factors have already been identified that are preventing them from conceiving naturally. The first step is a basic physical, including a pelvic exam to identify possible abnormalities or below normal hormone levels. You should be prepared to answer questions concerning puberty and sexual development, menstrual irregularities, and sexual history. Additionally, your doctor should ask you about any serious illnesses and surgical procedures you have had, medications you take or have taken in the past, and any exposure to environmental hazards, including alcohol, cigarettes, recreational drugs, radiation, steroids, pesticides and other chemicals, including chemotherapy, to which you may have been exposed. Some fertility tests a doctor might suggest for the woman include: Hormone Testing—these blood and urine tests are designed to essentially determine whether or not you’re actually ovulating, that is, releasing eggs. Some tests can be performed at home with an over the counter ovulation prediction kit that you can purchase at your local pharmacy. Doctors will perform tests that check lutropin levels, a luteinizing hormone (LH) that surges as you approach ovulation or, alternatively, progesterone levels, a hormone released after you ovulate. Tests may be performed several times during a woman’s menstrual cycle in order to more effectively track surging and declining levels of hormones. Your doctor may also test your blood for FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and prolactin levels. The at-home kits test LH and FSH levels. Ovarian reserve testing—these blood and imaging tests are often performed on women having difficulty conceiving whose egg levels may have declined, either due to age, smoking or autoimmune disease. Blood tests check estrogen levels and other indicators, while ultrasounds reveal follicle count and ovarian volume. Genetic testing—blood tests may be performed if your doctor suspects that chromosome or genetic abnormalities may be preventing you from becoming pregnant. If a genetic defect is shown to exist, your doctor may recommend genetic counseling to discuss the pros and cons of transferring such a genetic abnormality to your child and whether such transmission can be prevented. Hysterosalpingography—this is an x-ray procedure that examines the uterus and verifies there are no blockages that are preventing pregnancy. The test takes place with you lying on your back beneath an overhead x-ray machine with your feet in stirrups, the same as for any basic gynecological exam.  A thin tube is placed into the cervix through which a contrast (dye) is flushed, filling the uterus and fallopian tubes. (The dye highlights in the x-ray whether any blockages exist to prevent the dye from passing through as it should. Typically, this test is scheduled at the end or just after your period to ensure you are not, in [...]

How To Get Pregnant Methods