Trying to Conceive? Best Tips for Getting Pregnant

For this reason, advice on how to get pregnant could help many women with that kind of problem.

When is a woman ovulating?

Each woman should first find out when she is ovulating. There are several ways to do this. One of the easiest ways is to purchase a basal thermometer and start charting your temperatures. You could also use a free fertility chart to record and keep track of your basal temperatures. Make sure you use a basal thermometer, which is the most accurate type, for this purpose. You should take your temperature as soon as you wake up, before you get out of bed, go to the bathroom, or do anything else. Try to take your temperature at the same time every morning if you can, so this way your chart will be more precise. The best time to have sex is when temperature drops, but before it rises again.

One other way to find out when woman is ovulating is by using an ovulation predictor test. Ovulation kits measure the amount of lutenizing hormone in your body, because right before you ovulate your body releases a large amount of LH. The test kits are easy to use and very similar to a pregnancy test. You will see a reference line and then a sample line to compare your results. Once you show a positive test for ovulation, you should have intercourse within twenty-four hours.


Perhaps the easiest way of predicting ovulation is simply watching your own body for cues; some women feel cramping on one side when they ovulate. Ovulation pain should not be the only thing you watch for but it is one of the indicators of ovulation. You should also keep an eye on your cervical mucous, because it will pick up several days before ovulation. When your cervical mucous starts to look like egg white and becomes slippery, this is the best time for to get pregnant. The slippery consistency helps carry the sperm up the vaginal canal.
 

Tips for getting pregnant

    * Limit your movement after intercourse. Standing up after intercourse can cause the semen to leak out. Try to wait at least twenty minutes after sex before getting up and moving around.
    * Keep the sperm inside your vagina. You can hold the labia together to try and keep the sperm inside of you. You can also try putting a pillow under your pelvis to help tilt your body so the sperm can travel upwards easier.
    * Make sex enjoyable. Sometimes a couple trying to conceive can adversely affect the quality of their sex life. Sex that is more enjoyable means a higher sperm count and better swimmers.
    * Limit intercourse and male masturbation prior to the days you are trying to conceive, which is going to help to increase the man’s sperm count. This means you will improve your chances of getting pregnant.
    * Take prenatal vitamins if you are trying to conceive. Folic acid and other vitamins are very important during the first trimester of pregnancy.
    * Do not drink alcohol or use drugs at the time of conception. This applies to both the male and female partners. There is strong evidence that alcohol can affect your chances of getting pregnant.
    * Do not douche after having intercourse because it can wash out the sperm that has just entered your body.
    * Do not have oral sex prior to intercourse, since there is some evidence that the bacteria in the mouth can cause damage to male sperm.
    * Do not have anal sex prior to vaginal intercourse, because bacteria in the anus can transmit into the vagina from the man’s penis. If you do have anal sex before vaginal intercourse, make sure your partner washes his penis.

If you have been trying to conceive for over a year, you should consult a doctor because in this case, you may need to have tests run or use fertility treatments.
 

Charting your basal body temperature

Basal body temperature is the temperature of your body at rest. Charting your temperatures, you can see patterns in your menstrual cycle and determine when you ovulate. Keep a chart beside your bed at night with your thermometer and pen ready. It is important that you take your temperature while your body is at rest. Rummaging around the house looking for your thermometer or pen may be the best way to get your temperature rising. Take your temperature after at least three hours of restful sleep, or try to get a good night's sleep before taking your temperature. If for some reason, you did not get a lot of sleep or you woke up frequently through the night, you should still take your temperature; just make a note of it on your chart. You should not get upset if you oversleep or forget to write a temperature down. The purpose of charting is to help you determine when you ovulate and to hopefully help you have a baby. If you forget to chart one day, just plot your temperatures anyway but make a note of what time you took your temperature, or if you skipped a day.

Eating or drinking can affect the temperature in your mouth if you are taking your temperature orally, so try to avoid eating or drinking. During the first part of a woman's menstrual cycle, basal body temperatures will be lower, and the first half of your menstrual cycle is called the follicular phase. Right before ovulation, you will have a slight drop in temperature followed by a sharp rise in basal temperature. Not all women will have a drop in temperature before ovulation, but if you do notice a temperature drop, start having intercourse then. Around the time you ovulate, you should see a rise in temperature. When you notice this, you have already ovulated. That is why charting works best when done for a few months constantly.

Another thing many charting women look for is signs of pregnancy, because when temperature remains high for eighteen days after ovulation, this could be an indication of pregnancy. If you have charted several cycles and have not achieved pregnancy or are concerned, you may consult your doctor. Bring your charts when you visit your doctor, as they will be helpful in determining if there are any problems.
 

Cervical mucous, cervical position and ovulation

A woman’s body also gives signals when she is ovulating. The position of your cervix and the cervical mucous you produce changes throughout your menstrual cycle. That is why charting the amount and texture of your cervical mucous as well as the position of your cervix can help pinpoint ovulation. Cervical mucous can be dry, sticky, creamy, or of egg white consistency, so you might record the type of cervical mucous you have on your fertility chart. If you do not want to use the basal body temperature method of charting, you can simply watch for fertile signs. What you are looking for is an increase in cervical mucous, and appearance of mucus similar to egg white as well. If you are charting, it is a good idea to write down what kind of cervical mucous you have during the cycle. This will help you establish the most fertile days of your cycle. and you can watch for the day that your temperature shifts.

These are the types of mucous you should see during your menstrual cycle:

    * Dry occurs at the beginning of your cycle. Prior to ovulation you will likely produce little to no cervical mucous. Also right before your period should start, your cervical mucous may become dry again.
    * Cervical mucous that appears prior to ovulation should feel sticky to your fingers when you touch it.
    * Creamy means you’re getting closer to ovulation. You should notice a thicker, creamy-looking mucous that looks and feels similar to lotion.
    * Egg white cervical mucous is the term used to describe the mucous you have during ovulation. It looks like egg white and is slippery, clear, and stretchy in your fingers.
    * Watery cervical mucous is wet and may be stretchy. You may notice this type of mucous during ovulation or before having egg white cervical mucous.
 

Read More: Trying To Conceive: How To Detect Ovulation

Cervical position and ovulation

You may want to check the position of your cervix to help you tell when you are ovulating and when your chances for getting pregnant are best. Not all women are comfortable with this. Some women have a difficult time feeling their cervix. To find your cervix you may want to be in a squatting position. Some women find it easier to have one foot on a stool. Insert one or two fingers into your vagina and push them towards the back. At one point, you will reach a spot that feels firmer than the rest of your vagina. Your cervix may feel soft like your lips or firm like the tip of your nose and you may notice it feeling more open or closed. Find a comfortable position to check your cervix and use the same position each time you check for ovulation. If you use a different position, you will not be able to compare the position of your cervix accurately. It may take you a cycle or two to determine when your cervix is softest, firmest, highest, or lowest, and to help you determine when you are ovulating and when it’s the best time to get pregnant.
Right after menstruation, your cervix will be low and easier for you to reach, and it will feel firmer and closed. During ovulation, your cervix will be higher and more difficult to reach, but it will also feel soft, wet and you may notice it feeling more open.

If you have given birth before your cervix may feel more open than someone who has never given birth. After ovulation, your cervix normally returns to a firmer, lower position, as it was at the beginning.

All these tips should help you determine when you have the best chances of getting pregnant.