He has thought carefully about motherhood and has decided
that she is ready . He has stopped smoking and drinking alcohol. Take a healthy
diet and are taking 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. It has also become
a checkup with your health care provider . If so, is ready to try to get
pregnant .
How conception occurs
Fourteen days before the first day of your next period, the
woman 's ovaries release an egg . This happens every month and the phenomenon
is called ovulation.
When a couple has sex (and not using contraception ) around
the time when a woman ovulates , the man's sperm swim searching for the woman's
egg . One sperm penetrates the egg. This process is called fertilization or
conception.
The fertilized egg , or embryo , travels to the woman's
uterus (womb) , adheres to the wall of the uterus and grows.
About contraception
There are no rules about how long to wait to start trying to
get pregnant after stopping the use of contraceptives. You can start
immediately. But if your rules or periods are not regular , it could be
difficult to determine the best time for conception.
If you've been using birth control pills , it may take from
1-2 months to regularize your periods after you stop taking them.
If you have been using Depo- Provera , it can take 3 months
to 1 year to ovulate regularly after their last injection .
If you have an IUD (intrauterine device) or implants , you
can try to get pregnant once you removed the device.
Barrier methods - such as condoms , diaphragms and
spermicides - they stop working when you stop using .
When your body is ready to conceive
The egg of a woman is only fertile for 12 to 24 hours after
it is released . The sperm of a man can live up to 72 hours once released into
a woman 's vagina during sex . So the best time to try to conceive is :
A few days before ovulation
The day of ovulation
If you have sex pretty close to ovulation , and often
maintains , the better your chances of getting pregnant .
How to calculate the best time to conceive
If your periods are regular , you can calculate the day of
the month you will probably start your period. For example , if your periods
occur every 27 days, count 27 days from the first day of your last period
onwards . This calculation will tell you when is the first day of your next
period. Now count 14 days backwards. This is the day you will probably ovulate.
If you have sex a few days before ovulation is most likely to get pregnant. You
can use the ovulation calculator found on this site to calculate the
approximate day of ovulation.
If your periods are irregular (the number of days varies
from month to month) , there are some ways to know when you are fertile and
help you determine when you ovulate . It is important to talk with your health
care professional to learn more about the most effective way to use them.
The temperature method : take your temperature every morning
before getting out of bed using a special thermometer called a basal
thermometer. Your temperature will rise 1 degree Fahrenheit when ovulating.
Have sex fairly close to the time when this increase in temperature occurs to
increase the chances of getting pregnant.
The method of vaginal mucus : pay attention to the vaginal
mucus. Becomes less dense , and more slippery , transparent and abundant just
before ovulation. Many women use this method together with the temperature to
find out when they are ovulating .
Systems for predicting ovulation : these systems use
personal analyzes of the urine for a hormone called luteinizing hormone ( LH ,
for its acronym in English ) . The levels of this hormone increase and make one
or both ovaries releasing an egg each month. The system will tell you if the
rate is increasing LH . You can buy it at any pharmacy.
If you use the method of temperature and / or vaginal mucus
, pay attention to when these changes occur , list a few months before the date
you want to conceive. If you are using a system for predicting ovulation, start
using it 10 days after the start of your last period.
When things are not going the way you want
If you do not get pregnant right away, do not worry. About 9
out of every 10 couples trying to have a baby get it in the period of one year.
So it may not happen immediately , but it's likely to happen soon .
If you have been trying to conceive for over a year (or six
months and older than 35 years) , consult your health care provider . You can
be tested to find out why you have trouble getting pregnant . Some women have
irregular or infrequent ovulation , or have the fallopian tubes (tubes where
the egg is released and conception occurs ) damaged. Some men have low sperm
counts or abnormal sperm. Luckily , many couples can overcome these problems
with medical treatment.
Remember, it takes two to get pregnant
If you are having trouble getting pregnant , your partner
can take certain steps to help sperm production :
Give up smoking
Limit the amount of alcohol he takes
Stop using marijuana and other drugs
Use " boxers " or loose shorts instead of pants
and tight pants
Ask your health care professional about prescription drugs
he takes . Some medications used to treat high blood pressure , infections and
other health conditions can affect male fertility .