Planning for Pregnancy

It is the dream of every married woman to give birth to a child at one point of time in her life. Very often, the ways of parenthood are quite surprising. Women who want to get pregnant find it not happening. Others who prefer to give it a break and lie low for sometime, suddenly find themselves getting ready to welcome a new arrival. If you are planning to become pregnant soon and are looking forward to being promoted as a mother, try the following tips:

18 things you can do if you are trying to get pregnant

• Get yourself and your partner evaluated for your health by a doctor. It is very important for both of you to be in good health for you to conceive. Your doctor may help you to address any problems that you have. This also helps you in identifying sexually transmitted diseases.
• Eat well and eat healthy. Certain food help in enhancing possibilities of conception. Using olive oil for cooking is a good choice. Include a lot of greens in your diet.
• Exercise regularly to keep yourself fit and healthy.
• Avoid getting stressed or pressurised when you have sex. Enjoy the sex game and relax through the process. You may try yoga or meditation to combat stress.
• Increase your intake of folic acid. Folic acid is taken by women trying to conceive to prevent birth defects in babies.
• Quit smoking, drinking and drugs. These can reduce your chances of pregnancy or can cause abortion, preterm or low weight babies. Smoking has an adverse effect on your fertility and your partner's sperm count.
• Reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine limits iron absorption. If you cannot do away with caffeine, switch over to a milkshake. This increases your calcium intake which helps in conception.
• Ensure that your Body Mass Index (BMI) is within the optimum range of 20 to 30 before you start trying to conceive.

Video on Improving Chances of Getting Pregnant

• Try having sex on your most fertile days. Having sex on your ovulation days boosts chances of conception.
• Keep your mind free from getting depressed about not being able to conceive. Bouts of depression trigger fertility problems.
• Try wearing an attire that arouses your sexual interest. Some studies state that this arousal gives the sperm a better chance of fertilising the egg.
• Position yourselves such that the sperm penetrates as close as possible to the cervix. This ensures the deepest penetration possible.
• Avoid infection in and around the vagina. Keeping the vaginal area clean makes it sperm-friendly. Do not use vaginal sprays, tampons, artificial lubricants or douches. These can cause infection or even wash away the sperm. Try keeping your hips raised on a pillow for about 15 minutes after an intercourse.
• Try having sex in the early mornings. The number of sperms in the semen is highest during early mornings.
• Do not expose your testicles to extreme heat. This can cause the death of your sperms. The age old Indian fertility rule of dipping your testicles in cool water is a good idea.
• Do not rush to the bathroom to wash yourself immediately after making love. Relax for a while and enjoy lying on the bed.
• Do not take over the counter medications without discussing with a doctor.
• Give the exercise bike at the gym a break and try the tread mill instead. Your groin can rub against the cycle seat affecting critical arteries and nerves. This cause chances of infertility.

Remember not to get upset if you are not successful in the first try. Very few couples succeed in the first attempt. If there is no problem, the chances of conception each month is only about 20 to 25%. If you are less than 30 and have not conceived in less than a year, you may consider seeing a doctor. If you are about 35 years and have not conceived in less than six months, seek medical help. There may not be anything wrong but remember it is always better late than never.