How to Get Pregnant Fast

There are many things a woman can do to boost her fertility and help get pregnant faster — whether trying to conceive naturally or undergoing treatments to become pregnant such as IVF. Women can improve their chances when trying to conceive by doing such things as avoiding tobacco and alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing stress.

Knowing your signs of ovulation and timing sexual intercourse a few days before and after ovulation will also help in your desire to get pregnant fast.  Keep track of the intervals between Day 1 of your menstrual cycle (the first day of bleeding) and Day 1 of your next menstrual cycle. If you have a regular 28-day cycle, you can take the 28 and subtract 14, which gives you the approximate day of ovulation (Day 14). If your menstrual cycle is not a regular 28-day cycle, you may want to track ovulation in other ways such as taking your basal body temperature (BBT) or through an ovulation predictor kit (OPK).

The fertile window usually lasts around three to five days. Once you have an idea of the day you are ovulating, try having sexual intercourse every other day around that day. For example, if you think you ovulate on Day 14, have sex on Days 12, 14 and 16.

However, you may be doing everything right when you are trying to conceive and require help from a fertility specialist to get pregnant. If you are under 35 and have been trying to conceive for a year with no pregnancy, or over 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for six months with no pregnancy, contact an HRC fertility doctor for a complete evaluation to discover whether you need fertility treatment to help.

How to Get Pregnant

Women have been getting pregnant for thousands of years, so it’s really not that complicated, right?

Actually, it is. It’s not that easy to get pregnant. To maximize your chances of getting pregnant naturally or with fertility treatment, you need to get to know your menstrual cycle. The average length of the menstrual cycle is 28 days; however it can range from 25 to 36 days.

Your menstrual cycle has three phases. Your period (menstruation) occurs on Day 1 of the first phase when your body realizes that you did not get pregnant during the previous menstrual cycle. The estrogen and progesterone levels begin to drop, which causes the lining of the uterus (endometrium) to shed and bleed through the cervix and vagina.

Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle to Help Fertility

Follicular Phase

The follicular phase starts the first day of your period and lasts until ovulation occurs (around 13 or 14 days). During this phase, your body prepares itself to get pregnant. The endometrium grows and thickens, and the vaginal environment becomes more sperm friendly. Ovarian follicles (small sacs in which the egg matures) develop, and one becomes dominant. The follicular phase ends when the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) surges dramatically, resulting in the release of an egg (ovulation).

Ovulatory Phase

The ovulatory phase lasts approximately one to two days. One egg is released from the dominant ovarian follicle in response to the LH surge. The egg can be fertilized up to 24 hours after it is released. When trying to get pregnant, it is very important to determine when you ovulate. For women with a 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation is usually between days 13 and 15.

Luteal Phase

The luteal phase begins just after ovulation and lasts about two weeks (14 days). After the egg is released, the ruptured follicle closes and forms a structure called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum produces progesterone (the hormone that is responsible for body basal temperature or BBT) and prepares the uterus for fertilization. If the egg is not fertilized and you do not get pregnant, the corpus luteum degenerates, and a new menstrual cycle begins.

A man’s sperm can last from three to five days in a woman’s body; however, the egg can only last up to 24 hours; therefore if you are trying to get pregnant, the best time to have sex is a few days before ovulation occurs and one day after.

When Can You Get Pregnant

When you are trying to get pregnant, there are certain times in your menstrual cycle that you are more fertile than others. Your fertile days occur near the time that your ovaries release a mature egg for fertilization — a time known as ovulation.

In women who have a 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation usually occurs between day 13 and 15. The egg that is released lasts up to 24 hours in the woman’s body. Sperm, however, lasts several days in the human body, so the best times to have sex to get pregnant are several days before and one day after ovulation.

When can you get pregnant? It is helpful to schedule sexual intercourse a few days before and after ovulation. Know your signs of ovulations, such as changes in cervical mucus or a rise in basal body temperature, or you can buy an ovulation predictor kit that measures the amount of luteinizing hormone.

Tips on Trying to Conceive

There are several things you can do to improve your fertility when trying to conceive. These tips will also help you improve your chances of success with fertility treatments.

• Stop smoking before trying to conceive. Smoking decreases your fertility.

• Drink fewer than four drinks of alcohol per week. Studies found that for men or women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), drinking four or more drinks per week prior to an IVF cycle was associated with a 48 percent higher risk for failed fertilization and a 21 percent lower chance for a live birth.

• Get your vaccinations up to date before trying to conceive.

• Get chronic medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes under control.

• Achieve or maintain a healthy weight. Studies have shown that being overweight or obese can affect your fertility and your chances of success with IVF.

• Start or continue an exercise routine to stay physically fit and keep your weight under control.

• Try to reduce stress.

• Stop taking hormonal forms of birth control several months before trying to conceive.

• Eat a low-fat diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and take a prenatal vitamin to make sure you are getting plenty of folic acid.

If you follow these tips, your body will be in tip-top shape for trying to conceive whether it is naturally or with infertility treatments.

To speak to a fertility specialist about becoming pregnant with help from fertility treatments, contact HRC Fertility today.