Increase Your Chances of Being Pregnant

by Bardnurz Sham


To increase chances of becoming pregnant, women should monitor their body's fertile time period. There are several methods a women can use to determine when she is most likely to conceive: using calendar to chart the menstrual cycle, charting basal body temperature, examining cervical mucus and combining these few methods. The above charting methods require women to record the secondary signs of fertility caused by changes in hormones. Because these conditions can be affected by factors such as infections or medications, they require careful monitoring and analysis, and they are never 100% reliable. An alternative to these method is measuring changes in hormone levels. An increase in the level of estrogen marks the beginning of most women's fertile phase, while an increase in the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels signals that ovulation will occur soon - usually within approximately 24 to 36 hours. The fertility monitor is a relatively new approach designed to provide daily information about a woman's fertile time period. The monitor records a woman's daily fertility level (low,high, peak) based on results from urine tests. This detects increases in levels of estrogen and LH and help women identify the days they have the optimal chances of conceiving.

What if you still don't get pregnant? It is prudent to be mindful about infertility as well. Infertility is the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months of normal sexual intercourse without contraception. Infertility may affect either the man or woman or both.

There are also other factors that may affect fertility including:

- General health concerns such as obesity, thyroid disease or uncontrolled diabetes.

- Psychological factors such as stress, tension and anxiety.

- Excessive smoking and alcohol intake, and

- Some types of medications.

Causes of female infertility:

- Failure to produce eggs.

- Failure for the ovaries to develop, as seen in conditions such as Turner's syndrome.

- Endomentriosis, a condition that causes abnormal growth of endomentrium tissue, often causing scarring and inflammation in the reproductive organs.

- Blocked Fallopian tubes (the tubes that take eggs from the ovaries to the womb). This is often caused by scarring following infections such as pelvic inflammatory diseases (PIDs) or sexually transmitted disease (STDs) such as chlamydia or gonorrhoea.

- Womb tumour or scarring that prevents fertilised eggs from implanting.

- Certain hormonal imbalances.

- "Hostile" mucus at the cervix (neck of the womb) which does not allow sperm to enter.

- In rare cases, some women may have a reaction to their,s partner's perm

However, there are excellent screening methods as well as treatments available for both male and female infertility. Speak to your doctor.

Get Prepared for a pregnancy.

If you are trying to get pregnant, you should see your doctor to discuss any regular medications you are taking, and whether or not they are safe to take throughout your pregnancy. You should also ask your doctor if you might need additional nutritional supplements to help keep your healthy while you are trying to get pregnant and throughout your pregnancy.

Nutrition during pregnancy.

A well balanced diet can provide a pregnant woman with most of the nutrients needed during pregnancy, but some supplements may be necessary. You should take extra folic acid for at least a month before getting pregnant and for the first 3 months of pregnancy to help with the baby's development and to help prevent conditions such as spina bifida. You can buy folic acid supplements from your local pharmacy, but it's advisable to talk to your doctor or pharmacist before you take any supplements. Some women may need supplements of calcium, iron and zinc to keep both mother and baby in good health during the pregnancy. Eating calcium rich foods such as dairy products helps increase calcium intake.

Rubella.

Some women who wish to start a family may need a rubella (German measles) vaccination prior to becoming pregnant. If a mother is not protected from German measles and comes into contact with the virus while pregnant, the baby's healthy development may be at risk.

Harmful substances.

Women who are pregnant or planning to conceive should abstain from drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes or marijuana, and minimize caffeine intake from coffee, tea and cola drinks. All these substances could affect the healthy development of the baby.

When should you seek medical advice?

- You should seek medical advice if:

- You have missed a period but have had a negative pregnancy test.

- You have had a positive pregnancy test.

- You have been having abdominal pain or period problems such as heavy bleeding, period pain or no period.