Getting Pregnant: The Guide

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Welcome to part two of the getting pregnant guide!

Start keeping a menstrual calendar now if you aren’t already doing so. Mark down the date your period begins, how long it lasts, and anything else you think may be useful to your doctor. This could give your doctor useful information in the event that you have difficulties conceiving. It can also prove vital in determining the date of conception and the estimated due date.

• If you can, it may be worth asking for the final appointment of the day for your preconception checkup. Your doctor or midwife may have more time to answer your questions and concerns if they don’t have to rush through to see the next patient.

• A great way to boost your folic acid intake and improve your diet is to start the day with a large glass of fresh orange juice when striving on getting pregnant. Alternatively, have a large juicy orange as one of your healthy snacks. Both are great sources of folic acid which is an important nutrient for any woman trying to conceive.

• Avoid using anything around your vagina that can cause a PH imbalance. Things to avoid include vaginal sprays and scented tampons; artificial lubricants, vegetable oils, and glycerin (as they can kill off sperm); saliva (as this can also kill sperm); and douching (as it alters the normal acidity of the vagina; can cause vaginal infections and/or pelvic inflammatory disease; and may wash away the cervical mucus that is needed to transport the sperm).

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• When monitoring your cervical mucus to predict your most fertile days, perform your checks before you take a shower, bathe, or swim. These can all have an impact on the quantity and quality of your cervical mucus.

• If you partner regularly cycles as a form of exercise, ask him to try an alternative! A study conducted at the University of California School of Medicine revealed that men who cycle over 100 km per week put their fertility at risk. Banging the groin repeatedly against the seat of the bicycle can damage critical arteries and nerves.

Getting Pregnant Tips? Keep Reading!

• Exercising excessively can also lead to a number of fertility problems such as irregular periods, anovulatory cycles (where ovulation is absent), and luteal phase deficiencies (where the second half of the cycle is too short to allow for implantation). It is important to get regular exercise, but don’t overdo it when you’re trying to conceive.

• It is important not to diet when you’re trying to conceive. Drastic dieting, purging, binge eating and yo-yo dieting can have a direct impact on ovulation and fertility.

• Large doses of certain vitamins can actually be harmful to the developing baby. A safer alternative is to start using a prenatal vitamin whilst you are trying to get pregnant.

• If you’re unhappy with your HMO, then now is the time to switch companies. Because waiting until after you conceive, your pregnancy may be classified as a "pre-existing condition," which could make it potentially difficult for you to obtain coverage through a different HMO. Make changes before getting pregnant.

• Make sure sex doesn’t become a chore. Take note of these words of wisdom from one of the parents interviewed in the unofficial guide to having a baby: "Do not have sex every day. If you are striving to maximize the chances of conceiving, it is much better to go every other day around the time frame you are ovulating. You are additionally much fresher, and thus can put your heart into making sex as enjoyable and romantic as possible."

Click here for the next chapter of the getting pregnant guide.