Looking for practical ways on how to get pregnant fast, and hold your own bundle of joy in no time?
This article is just for you.
1. Achieve A Healthy Body Weight
Experts say if you’re overweight, it could take you twice as long to get pregnant as it would for a woman of normal weight.
Likewise, if you’re underweight, it could take you four times as long.
Consult your doctor about a diet and exercise regimen that will help you achieve your healthy Body Mass Index (BMI).
But if you are a healthy body weight, stay in shape, keep your diet consistent and healthy.
2. Go See Your Doctor
He/she’ll probably do a full exam and go over your medical history. Inform them of any prescription medications, vitamins, or herbal supplements you’re pm, if any.
They’ll tell you which ones you’ll need to stop taking, the ones to continue, and maybe new ones to get. Inquire also about your:
Reproductive issues, including past pregnancies, miscarriages, ovarian cysts, fibroid tumors, endometriosis, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), or reproductive cancer status.
And do not fail to leave out family medical history, including siblings or parents who have had cancer, heart disease, or genetic abnormalities, vaccination history, especially vaccines for measles, mumps, and rubella because if you contract these illnesses during pregnancy, they can harm the fetus.
Do not fail to seek a specialist, if necessary; especially if you and your partner are already advancing in years.
It is unclear for men, but women’s fertility steadily decreases after the age of 35. For men, the effects are less clear.
If you’re less than 35, try to conceive for a year before you see a doctor for fertility testing. If over 35, wait six months and then go see your family doctor or regular gynecologist.
They’ll be the ones to refer you to a specialist if you need to see one.
The common tests you’ll probably undergo are:
Pap smear to check for cervical cancer, urine test to check for chlamydia, which can block your fallopian tubes, blood test during your period to check for hormonal imbalances, blood test during or after your period to test for ovulation, and another blood test at any time during your cycle to check for rubella.
3. Eat Nutritious Foods
Eat clean, cut back on caffeine (no more than 500 mg per day) and limit your intake of sugary foods and saturated fats.
If how to get pregnant fast is what you truly seek, those are some of the prices you have to pay, mama.
Now more than ever, is when you should cultivate the habit of eating a balanced diet.
This means aiming for a variety of foods that will help you get your daily requirements of iron, calcium, folic acid, and protein.
You can get these nutrients from Omega-3 fatty acids, dark leafy greens, legumes, and fortified whole grain foods.
4. Limit Your Alcohol Intake, Quit Smoking
Alcohol has a counterproductive effect on fertility.
The way research puts it: “women who consume more than 2 drinks per day have a high risk of infertility, and men who consume alcohol in excess tend to have lower sperm counts”.
This means that if you must consume alcohol, one drink (12 fl oz./355 mL regular beer, 5 fl oz./148 mL table wine, 1.5 fl oz./44 mL distilled spirits) per day should not be exceeded.
Smoking on the other hand, is a no no.
In fact, it’s one of the first things you should do the moment you decide you want to have a baby.
Smoking could make you less fertile, as well as increase your risk of an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage.
Have you read: Pregnancy: How To Determine Sex Of Your Baby
It is also known to cause a number of birth defects, such as low birth weight and underdeveloped lungs.
If your partner smokes, they should quit, too.
Beside smoking having a negative effect on his sperm, secondhand smoke is really just as dangerous as primary smoke.
5. Abandon Hormonal Birth Control, Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins
Hormonal birth control methods (pills, patch, intrauterine contraceptive, Depo-Provera, etc.) can alter your menstrual cycle.
For your journey to getting pregnant, you’ll need to know the length of your cycle and how long your periods last without birth control.
For someone on the Pill or the patch, your body might need extra time to re-regulate. In the meantime, you can use a condom.
Each woman’s body is unique. Some women have to wait up to a year after stopping their birth control, while others can get pregnant immediately.
Prenatal vitamins on the other hand, prepare your body for the task of nourishing an extra person.
In most cases, Spina bifida develops before a woman knows she’s pregnant, which is why doctors recommend taking a prenatal vitamin as soon as you decide you want to start a family.
Prenatal pills also contain extra folic acid, which can prevent spina bifida in the developing fetus.
6. Know Your Ovulation Cycle
Counting the days of your menstrual cycle aka timing your ovulation is another smart turn to take on the journey to getting pregnant quickly.
If yours is the regular cycle (28 days long, to ovulate around day 12 to 14), you will be able to guess your egg’s next release through your Fallopian tubes with simple math.
A simple method is to count back 16 days from the first day of your next period.
Also Read: Must Have Pregnancy Essentials
You’ll likely ovulate up to five days after that day.
There are also a bunch of calculators and calendars available online.
Also, pay attention to your cervical mucus. Look out for colour and texture.
The mucus will increase and be most slippery around the time of your ovulation.
If you can stretch it between your fingers, then you probably are ovulating.
These changes can be difficult to detect, so monitor for them from time to time.
7. Start Having Intercourse Before You Ovulate
The learned medical professionals say sperm can survive for up to five days in your body.
Therefore, it’s a good move to aim for two to three days before the day of ovulation.
Depending on how much you want to, you could play it safe by engaging in intercourse everyday or every other day during the second and third weeks of your cycle.
8. Relax
Light-hearted as it sounds, it is actually possible that the solutions you’re seeking from clinic to clinic, can be found on your bed, with a few hours of sleep.
Stress can mess with your cycle- something you do not want. So, calm down and relax a bit.
If your life is full of undue stress, try picking up yoga or some other relaxing practice.
Taking just 15 minutes out of your day to calm yourself can go a long way.
Get more resources on parenting here.
