Regular, unprotected sex means having sex every 2 to 3 days without using contraception.
Remember it’s important for you and your partner to try and keep sex enjoyable by concentrating on each other and your relationship, rather than worrying about conceiving. This will help you limit stress
1. Record menstrual cycle frequency
A woman who wants to have a baby should monitor whether the first days of her periods tend to come the same number of days apart every month, which is considered regular. Conversely, her periods may be irregular, meaning her cycle lengths vary from month to month. By tracking this information on a calendar, a woman can better predict when
she might be ovulating, which is the time when her ovaries will release an egg every month.
2. Monitor ovulation
Women with regular cycles ovulate about two weeks before the arrival of their periods, Pavone said. It's harder to predict ovulation in women with irregular cycles, but it usually occurs 12 to 16 days before the start of her next period.
There are several methods women can use to help determine their
most fertile days each month.
Another method to predict ovulation is to track cervical mucus, which involves a woman regularly checking both the amount and appearance of mucus in her vagina. Just before ovulation when a woman is most fertile, the amount of mucus increases and it also becomes thinner, clearer and more slippery,
according to the March of Dimes. When cervical mucus becomes more slippery, it can help sperm make its way to the egg. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found that
women who checked their cervical mucus consistently were 2.3 times more likely to get pregnant over a six-month period.
3. Have sex every other day during the fertile window
Some women are turning to new technology tools, such as fertility tracking apps and websites, to help them keep tabs on when they may be more likely to conceive, but a study done in 2016 suggests the apps
may not be that accurate.
Research has shown that there hasn't been a big difference in pregnancy rates between couples who had sex every day during the "fertile window" (37 percent) compared with couples who did it every other day (33 percent), Pavone said. "And having sex every other day might be easier for a couple to pull off," she added.
There are plenty of
common misconceptions and old wives' tales about conception. For example, there's no evidence that sex position will influence a couple's chances of having a baby, nor does a woman lying on her back for a certain amount of time after intercourse increase the odds of conceiving, Pavone told Live Science.
But she said there are some water-based vaginal lubricants that can decrease the movement of sperm, so Pavone recommended using Pre-Seed rather than Astroglide or K-Y Brand Jelly when lubrication is needed.
4. Strive for a healthy body weight
Being
too heavy can reduce a woman's odds of conceiving, but being too thin can make it even harder to have a baby.
Research has shown that a woman who is overweight can take twice as long to become pregnant than a woman whose BMI is considered normal, Pavone said. And a woman who is underweight might take four times as long to conceive, she said.
Having too much body fat produces excess
estrogen, which can interfere with ovulation. Losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight before a woman starts trying to get pregnant could improve her fertility, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
A study done in 2017 found that couples in which
both partners are obese may take from 55 to 59 percent longer to become pregnant, compared with couples who are not obese.
Women who are too thin might not be getting regular periods or could stop ovulating.
5. Take a prenatal vitamin
Pavone recommends that women who are attempting to conceive start taking a prenatal vitamin even before becoming pregnant. This way a woman can find one that's more agreeable to her system and stay on it during pregnancy, she said.
Another possibility is to take a daily multivitamin, as long as it contains at least 400 micrograms (mcg) per day of
folic acid, a B vitamin that's important for preventing birth defects in a baby's brain and spine, Pavone said.
Getting a head start on
folic acid supplementation is a good idea because the neural tube develops into the brain and spine 3 to 4 weeks after conception occurs, before many women may realize they're expecting.
6. Eat healthy foods
Although there may not be a specific fertility-promoting diet,
eating a variety of healthy foods can help prepare a woman's body for pregnancy by giving her adequate stores of critical nutrients such as calcium, protein and iron. This means eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, dairy and healthy sources of fat.
Also,
go easy on caffeine: Consuming more than 500 milligrams of caffeine a day has been linked with a decrease in fertility in women. Having 1 to 2 cups of coffee, or less than 250 mg of caffeine, per day before becoming pregnant appears to have no impact on the likelihood of conception, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
7. Cut back on strenuous workouts
Being physically active most days of the week can help a woman's body prepare for the demands of pregnancy and labor. But getting
too much exercise or doing frequent strenuous workouts could interfere with ovulation
.
Doctors see a lot of menstrual disturbances in women who exercise heavily, and a lot of times these women need to cut back on their workouts if they want to become pregnant, Pavone told Live Science.
As women get older their fertility decreases because of age-related changes in the ovaries that cause a decline in the quantity and quality of her eggs. With advancing age, there's also an increased risk for some health problems, such as
uterine fibroids, endometriosis and blockage of the fallopian tubes, which can contribute to a loss of fertility.
There's a gradual fertility decline in women beginning in their 30s, a sharper decline after age 37 and a steep decline
after age 40, Pavone said. These declines mean it may take longer to become pregnant.
9. Kick the smoking and drinking habits
Smoking ages a woman's ovaries and depletes her supply of eggs prematurely, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It's also a good idea for women to stay away from secondhand smoke, which may affect their chances of becoming pregnant.
Marijuana and other recreational drug use should also be avoided while trying to conceive.
It's safest for a woman to avoid alcohol when she is hoping to become pregnant. A woman should also stop consuming alcohol if she stops using birth control because she wants to get pregnant.
However, a 2017 study found that about
half of pregnant women in the United States drink alcohol around the time they become pregnant or in early pregnancy, usually before they know they are expecting.
Drinking alcohol at moderate (one to two drinks per day) or heavy levels (more than two drinks per day) can make it
difficult for a woman to get pregnant, according to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Once a woman becomes pregnant, there's no safe amount of alcohol, Pavone said.
10. Know when to seek help
Both the woman and the man should consider having an infertility evaluation if the woman is 35 or older and has not become pregnant after six months of having sex regularly without using birth control, Pavone said.
Pavone also recommended that a woman who is under 35 and her partner should consult a fertility specialist if she has failed to become pregnant after one year of having unprotected intercourse on a regular basis.
Your cycle starts on the first day of your period and continues up to the first day of your next period.
This is what happens during the cycle and the start of a pregnancy.
To boost your chances of conceiving, aim to have regular sex (every 2 to 3 days) throughout your cycle so you know that there should hopefully be good-quality sperm waiting when the egg is released. An active sex life is all most people need to conceive.
If you know when you ovulate each month you can give yourself the best chance of getting pregnant by having sex in the days leading up to ovulation. Continue having sex during ovulation. After this your fertile time will be over for that cycle.
The position that you have sex in does not make a difference to conception so long as the man ejaculates sperm into the vagina. Once this happens the sperm can swim up through the cervix and into the womb and fallopian tubes to meet an egg if it is there.
Many people also say that if the woman raises her legs upwards after sex it helps the sperm get to the womb. There is no evidence to say that this is true. The route from the vagina to the womb is not a straight line, so you do not need to worry about all the sperm coming back out when you stand up.
Ovulation usually happens about 10 to 16 days before the start of your next period, so it helps to know your cycle length before you start trying to get pregnant.
You may have not known when you ovulate within your cycle, and if you have been using a hormone contraceptive such as the Pill, you won’t have had a natural menstrual cycle for a while, because the Pill prevents ovulation (egg release) from happening.
As a first step, mark on your diary the dates that you bleed during a period. You can then count how many days from the first day of your period to your next period to work out the length of your cycle.
The cervix secretes mucus throughout the menstrual cycle, starting off sticky white and gradually becoming thinner and clearer.
Before and during ovulation the mucus increases and becomes much thinner, slippery and stretchy. Women often compare it to raw egg white.
This thinner mucus is designed to help the sperm swim easily through it.
The last day you notice the wetter secretions is sometimes known as ‘peak day’ and for most women this occurs very close to the time of ovulation.
You can also find out about your menstrual cycle by keeping a note of your temperature each morning when you wake up. Your temperature rises by about 0.2°C when ovulation has taken place.
As it only shows you when you have ovulated, and doesn’t tell you when your fertile time starts, this is not very useful for most women.
Ovulation predictor kits are available from chemists and are fairly simple to use. They work by detecting a hormone in your urine that increases when ovulation is about to take place.
The simplest urine kit tests for luteinising hormone (LH), which increases 24-36 hours before ovulation. This will help to identify the best two days for conception, although a woman can be fertile for a day or so before and after this time.
It is best to become familiar with your usual menstrual cycle to help figure out when you should start testing. If you have an irregular cycle then an ovulation predictor kit can help you identify the time of ovulation but expect to use more of the test strips.
