It sounds easy enough - you decide you want to become pregnant so you get off birth control, do the deed, and poof! You should be sporting a baby bump in no time right? Well, not always. Even young, healthy couples can have a little trouble getting pregnant and that's perfectly normal! In fact, the average time it takes to conceive is six month for women under 35, and those same women would not need to consider consulting with a doctor until they've tried for a year. For women over the age of 35 the rules change a bit and a doctor would probably need to be called by the six month mark or sooner if their menstrual cycle isn't "normal".
First things first - HEALTH! It's important to get a full physical including an exam with your OBGYN prior to trying to conceive. Why? Because if you have any sort of illness or disease it should be addressed because most medications and treatments cannot be given while pregnant. Not only that, poor health in general can negatively affect your chances of getting pregnant. Don't forget! The man's health is just as important so I would suggest staying away from smoking, drinking, and doing drugs in addition to eating a healthy diet for a minimum of three months prior to trying to conceive. The sperm that fertilizes the egg is usually around 60-90 days old and you want that sperm to be as strong and healthy as it can be to do its job! Obviously, the same goes for the woman. In fact, I would strongly suggest taking a prenatal vitamin at least three months prior to trying to conceive in order for the body to have had the time to absorb folic acid and other necessary vitamins and nutrients to conceive a healthy child. Not to mention that drinking, smoking, and drugs do adversely affect fertility and will harm the fetus should you conceive. For more information on foods that can help boost fertility, click here for men and here for women.
Next, OVULATION. For the average woman she will most likely ovulate around day 14 which is the halfway point in her cycle; but that doesn't mean that this rings true for all women. The best way to know for sure is to track ovulation by using an ovulation kit (opk). Now, if you're not too worried about getting pregnant THAT fast or if money is an issue, there are some free apps out there that can help you guess a little better. In fact, I used a few apps and I got pregnant on the first try so my daughter is proof that it can work, haha! I would never recommend this to anyone having issues trying to conceive - only for those casually trying or taking their time. Speaking of ovulation, it's important to know that a women's egg only survives for about 24 hours, while sperm can live up to five days! That's why it's very important to start having sex at least two to three days prior to ovulation to maximize your chances of getting pregnant. Now, if you're really unsure on when you're ovulating because apps aren't reliable and ovulation kits are too expensive, I would suggest having sex three times a week every week - your partner will love this piece of advice, haha!
Last but certainly not least, have SEX!! Sounds logical, right? Right, but it's important to have sex in positions where gravity will help you get pregnant such as missionary where the man is on top and the woman is on the bottom. Any position that will help get the sperm closer to your egg is the most beneficial and having gravity on your side will help you successfully conceive in record time! Plus, these positions help keep the sperm inside of the vagina longer which is what you want. I would actually suggest for the woman to lay on her back right after ejaculation with a pillow under her hips for about 30 minutes to encourage sperm to do its job and prevent sperm from leaking out. I also suggest you have fun and enjoy sex because studies have shown that if a man has a "better" orgasm that his sperm count could be higher, and if a women orgasms during or right after the man ejaculates the spasmic movements of orgasm will help pull the sperm into the uterus.
