Trying to Conceive Basics
Just what's important when you want to get pregnant? These trying to conceive basics get you off to the right start – so you get pregnant, sooner 🙂
Every month while your body is mixing up hormonal cocktails it's also doing something else – it's giving you pretty clear signs of when your fertile days are happening.
Your Fertility Signs
Have you ever noticed that sometimes you're a little more… moist… between your legs? How about downright juicy?
Did you know that's normal? Yeah, just stop now and take a deep breath.
There are also times in your cycle where you're going feel pretty high and dry. Times when you may not much be interested in your man's advances. And there may be times when you can't think of anything but getting him into the bedroom.
Luckily for you and me there's information available to help us read our bodies. The basics of natural family planning have been studied for a few decades now. Maybe you've heard other women talk about “charting their cycle.” This is how you find out your fertility pattern.
Learning about your basal body temperature, cervical mucus (also called cervical fluid or fertile fluid) , and cervix position will give you key insights into your body while you're trying to conceive.
Basically all those hormones dancing through your bloodstream cause you to have more copious and “slippery” cervical fluid when you're fertile. After you've ovulated that dries up – and your waking, or “basal,” temperature shifts upwards sharply.
More Tools for You
Learning to watch for these key changes in your body is the first step and is the best way to find out how to get pregnant fast.
If you're not getting pregnant quickly, though, there are other tips and TTC tools that can help you. This is also a good time to take stock of your – trust me, it's important!
An ovulation calendar is a program that calculates the days you'll be most fertile based on the first day of your last period and the length of your cycles. It gives you an estimate of when to look for fertile signs. Note that you may not be fertile when predicts – especially not if you have a history of irregular cycles.
If you're like clockwork, though, it can be helpful while you're trying to conceive!
How Your Man Works
Having an idea of what's going on with your man is a good idea, too. The male reproductive system is set up so he's always fertile – but “always” doesn't mean things never go wrong on his end.
Read More
Read on for more information on tracking your fertile days, recognizing fertility signs, etc.
- Fertile days
- Natural family planning
- Basal body temperature
- Cervical mucus (or fluid)
- Cervix position
- Ovulation calendars
- The male reproductive system
Still not sure where to start? Take a look at my article on creating a TTC blueprint.
Getting Pregnant Basics
So you want a baby… and everybody has their opinion on how you can do that. But you're here, so I'm guessing you want to get pregnant the old-fashioned way, hopefully avoiding expensive medications and procedures.
Figuring out just where to start with natural fertility can feel, well, pretty unnatural. It's confusing. That's why this page is here. It gives you what you need to know about getting pregnant naturally, from still-dreaming to finding out if someone new is on a 9-month trip to your arms.
Does any of this sound familiar:
- Are you wondering how to conceive quickly?
- Do you know how to tell when you
Tips for Getting Pregnant
You've reviewed the menstrual cycle and gotten up to speed on just what “charting your cycle” means. You're ready to jump into this trying to conceive thing.
I've gathered up some additional tips for getting pregnant that you'll find useful – including an info-sheet on how to get pregnant fast
I can't stress the importance of your preconception diet enough. It's so important I've dedicated an entire section to preconception nutrition! Your nutrition can make you more fertile, and you're establishing a good nutrient reserve for your future baby!
Baby Dancing
Ok. You and I both know that baby making gets, well, intimate. We both know how babies are made! But did you know that different positions may favor conception? It's true – there are some good positions for getting pregnant!
Having fertile fluid helps you know the time is right to try to conceive. But there are some women who don't have as much fertile fluid.
It is possible to use lubricants while you're trying to get pregnant – you just need to be careful which ones you choose (some will hurt sperm!)
You can also look into herbs and supplements to increase the quality of your fluids.
Determining Fertility
Ovulation predictor kits can be a great help if you're having issues figuring out just when you're ovulating (don't worry, it can be hard to figure out exactly which day is the “big day”).
In fact, if you're already charting your cycle but feel a little unsure about when (or if) you're ovulating, getting some ovulation test strips is one of my first tips for getting pregnant.
You can also pick up a fertility monitor. There are quite a few on the market and they work in different ways, though all have the same goals as an ovulation test – to help you figure out when you're fertile.
One of the most advanced systems is the ClearBlue Easy Fertility Monitor – it's considered one of the most trusted device on the market (Click here for a video of me unboxing a new monitor or Click here to see a video of how to use the Clearblue Easy).
The above-mentioned fertility monitors and ovulation test strips can help you figure out if you're ovulating. If you're worried about your supply of eggs, or the quality of your eggs another simple at-home test – follicle stimulating hormone test strips – may help you identify an issue.
It's good to record what your monitor or OPK tell you, along with your other fertility signs. I recommend you use a cycle charting app for that
You can also get a discrete in-home male fertility test.
One Last Little Thing…
…ok this is actually a BIG thing – really. Look into conscious conception. Being mentally and emotionally prepared to try to conceive can make a giant difference in how quickly you conceive.
This is one of those tips for getting pregnant that you don't hear a lot about. But if you've gone through all the physical steps then your own mind could be having a giant influence on your success at getting pregnant! Go ahead and explore just how to make sure you're completely prepared conceive – mentally and emotionally as well as physically.