Making the Most of your Fertility
Want a Baby Fast?
If you're like most couples with no health problems, once you've decided to have a baby, 4-6 months of unprotected intercourse will bring you the desired results. But most couples don't seem able to wait that long, once they've made up their minds it's time to have a baby. Here are some things you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant fast.
Stop smoking-Smoking is known to impair both male and female fertility. Besides, if you stop now, you won't risk causing harm to your unborn child. Smoking during pregnancy is linked to reduced birth weights and premature births.
Use sperm-friendly lubricants-Most vaginal lubricants interfere with sperm motility and may even block sperm's path to the egg. Lotions or saliva are just as bad as they may affect the PH balance of the vagina, killing or immobilizing sperm. There are some lubricants such as PreSeed, which have been formulated to be kind to sperm.
Good Timing-Considering that a woman is at her most fertile from between two days prior to ovulation to two days after, this is the time to have lots of intercourse. The window of opportunity may be smaller since an egg lives from about 12-48 hours. Sperm have a longer lifespan and may live from 24 for up to 72 hours. Learning when you will ovulate is important if you want to maximize your chances for conception.
Most women ovulate on the 14th day of their cycles, counting from the first full day of bleeding. Many women don't ovulate at such predictable intervals, however, with some of them ovulate as early as day 7 and others as late as day 25.
There are various physical signs a woman can chart to learn more about when she will be liable to ovulate. She can chart her basal body temperature and watch for changes in her cervical mucus. There are ovulation predictor strips, too.
Not the Only Issue
Ovulation isn't the only issue. Your partner may have a low sperm count, or poor quality sperm. There is now a simple at-home test to narrow down potential sperm problems. While these aren't as accurate as laboratory tests, they can be a first step in understanding where a problem might lie.
If there's no pregnancy after 12 months of unprotected sex, it's time to see a doctor. There may be a male or female infertility issue, it can go either way. Don't blame each other or lose hope. Fertility problems aren't always solved by expensive or invasive procedures. Sometimes, a simple round of antibiotics is all that is needed to get things going.
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