After every woman gets married, she and her husband make plans to grow their family. Having a child is one of the biggest occasions in every couple’s life. A baby can fill any home with happiness.
If you and your husband are planning to have a baby soon, you must be wondering how to get pregnant. You must have asked your friends and relatives who have babies for help. You might have searched for answers in books, magazines or the internet. Don’t worry anymore, our blog has the answers to all your questions.
In this blog, we have shared some tips about preparing for pregnancy. So read on to know about how to get pregnant.
1. Stop using condoms and other contraceptive methods
If you are planning to get pregnant, you would have already done this. If you want to get pregnant, the first step is to stop using any type of contraception like condoms, contraceptive pills and copper T.
After you stop taking contraceptive pills, your period will become normal quite quickly. So you can get pregnant within 1-2 months. But if you have been taking hormonal injections as contraception, your body can take many months to go back to normal. If you have an IUD (intrauterine device) like copper T or ring, you can get it removed by a doctor.
2. Keep track of your monthly periods
If you want to know how to get pregnant, it is very important to understand your menstrual cycle. If you know on what day ovulation (when the egg is released by the ovary and is ready to be fertilised) happens in your body, you can get pregnant much faster.
You can calculate your ovulation day with these steps:
- Find out the duration of your menstrual cycle. This is the number of days between the first day of one menstrual period and the first day of the next menstrual period. So, for example, if this is 28 days, then the duration of your menstrual cycle is 28 days.
- In general, ovulation happens in the middle of your menstrual cycle. So if your menstrual cycle is of 28 days, then ovulation takes place around the 14th day.
- You can also use an ovulation kit or keep track of ovulation symptoms, like thin mucus from the vagina or increased interest in sex, to find your ovulation date.
If you have sex up to 2-3 days before ovulation, it will increase your chances of getting pregnant.
3. How to get pregnant: Have sex regularly
If you are trying to get pregnant, you must already know that it is important to have sex regularly. Having sex every 2-3 days after your period ends will increase your chances of getting pregnant.
It is ok to have sex daily. But this might make you or your husband tired or bored. So you might skip having sex for a few days, which could happen to be the days before your ovulation.
4. Tips to get pregnant: Do not use artificial lubricants during sex
According to scientists, the artificial lubricants available in the market can kill the sperms before they reach the egg. These lubricants can also prevent the sperm from going from the vagina to the uterus. If the sperms do not reach the uterus, you cannot get pregnant.
Try using natural options for lubrication. If you and your husband have enough foreplay before having sex, your vagina will produce a thin liquid that is a natural lubricant. If necessary, you can also use clean lukewarm water as a lubricant. This will not affect the sperms in any way, so your chances of getting pregnant will not reduce. You can also ask your doctor for lubricants that are safe for the sperm.
5. Tips to get pregnant: Lie down on your back after sex
If you stand up immediately after having sex, the semen may not stay in your vagina. So you should lie down on your back for a while after having sex if you want to get pregnant.
Research has shown that lying on your back for 15-20 minutes after sex can increase your chances of getting pregnant.
6. How to get pregnant: Wear loose clothes
In general, wearing tight clothes can cause problems in your internal organs. The pressure can interfere with the functioning of your organs. Also, in tight clothes, your sweat gets collected as there is no space for air to pass through. This can cause infections in your vagina. So it is advisable to not wear tight clothes. Wear loose clothes in lightweight materials like cotton instead.
Also, if your husband wears tight clothes and undergarments, it can weaken his sperm. This will decrease your chances of getting pregnant. So ask your husband to wear loose clothes as well. Healthy sperm means that you can get pregnant faster.
7. How to get pregnant: Keep yourself stress-free and tension-free
Your mental and physical health is very important during pregnancy. Stress and tension can cause negative effects in your body. Stress affects the pituitary gland which controls your adrenaline, thyroid and ovaries. So it can harm your fertility and reduce your chances of getting pregnant.
Try to keep yourself in a calm, happy and stress-free environment. Spend time with friends, family, pets, etc. to let go of stress. You can also listen to music, exercise or do yoga to feel relaxed. If you are stressed, take some time off and wait until you feel better to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
8. How to get pregnant: Sleep well
Less sleep can make you feel tired throughout the day, which can reduce your chances of getting pregnant. Good sleep can also help to keep you less stressed.
So maintain a routine for your sleep every night and make sure that you don’t use any devices like mobiles, TV, laptop, etc after 10 pm.
9. How to get pregnant: Do light exercise
If you want to get pregnant, it is necessary to keep yourself physically and mentally healthy. So exercise or do yoga regularly to keep yourself fit. You can also ask your husband to exercise with you so both of you can be healthy. Too much exercise can create problems in your menstrual cycle. So do not exercise for more than 1 hour daily.
10. Maintain your body weight
If you want to know how to get pregnant, it is very important to understand that being overweight or underweight can create problems in your menstrual cycle. This can delay you from getting pregnant. To maintain your weight, keep yourself healthy by eating healthy food and exercising regularly.
11. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
If you want to get pregnant, it is very important to be healthy. Your child will get all the nutrition he/she needs from your body. So make sure that you eat food that is rich in calcium, iron and other nutrients.
Along with a healthy diet, it is important to eat foods that can increase your fertility. Green vegetables, pumpkin seeds, dry fruits etc. can increase your fertility.
Along with you, your husband should also eat food rich in zinc, folic acid and vitamin C. These help in the formation of sperm in his body.
For zinc, eat eggs, meat, walnuts and dal. For folic acid, eat green vegetables. For vitamin C, eat citrus fruits like oranges.
12. How to get pregnant: Eat folic acid and multivitamin tablets
If you are planning to get pregnant, you should take folic acid and multivitamin tablets.
Usually, it can take 3-4 weeks for you to realise that you are pregnant. By this time, your baby’s neural tube would have already formed, which develops your baby’s spine and brain. If your body does not have enough folic acid and multivitamins during this time, your baby can have complications.
So, you should start taking 400 gms of folic acid at least 1 month before conception. This will keep your baby healthy and safe from any complications.
13. How to get pregnant: Drink less coffee or tea
Coffee and tea contain caffeine. Caffeine can reduce fertility in both you and your husband. So if you are trying to have a baby, both of you should stop having tea/coffee or reduce it to 1-2 cups a day.
14. Use less makeup and beauty products
Yes, your beauty products can affect your fertility. So we advise you to reduce the usage of beauty products to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
According to scientists, some beauty products contain a chemical called ‘xenoestrogen’. This is a chemical copy of your estrogen hormone and creates hormone imbalance in your body.
Some other compounds like parabens, phthalates and diethanolamines are also harmful to you and your husband. So read the ingredients of the products carefully before buying to stay away from these harmful compounds.
15. How to get pregnant: Stay away from pollution
The harmful contents in a polluted environment can decrease fertility - in your body as well as your husband’s. So try and stay away from pollution. If you are going to a polluted area, keep your body covered and cover your mouth and nose with a slightly wet cloth.
16. Stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and drugs
If you or your husband have a habit of smoking, consuming alcohol or drugs, you must stop immediately as this can also reduce your fertility. In rare cases, this can cause complications like miscarriage or premature delivery.
It is also important to stay away from people who are smoking as the smoke from their cigarettes is equally harmful.
17. Get your oral health checked by a dentist
It might seem weird to see this in a blog about how to get pregnant. But your oral health does affect your pregnancy. Bad teeth or weak gums can increase complications like premature delivery or low birthweight. Bacteria from your mouth can reach your baby through the food you eat. So you need to keep your mouth healthy before getting pregnant to avoid these problems.
Get your oral health checked by a dentist. This includes the health and hygiene of your gums and teeth. If there are any issues, get them fixed before getting pregnant.
18. Wait before taking a pregnancy test
Yes, you must be eager to know if you are pregnant or not. But taking too many pregnancy tests will only make you tensed. You should know that these tests may not give you the correct results.
The pregnancy tests will only work if your body has created enough hCG hormones (pregnancy hormone). This happens only after the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of the uterus.
So wait until you notice a delay in your menstrual period. If you are truly pregnant, by now your body would have created enough hCG hormones to get detected in pregnancy tests.
19. How to get pregnant: Consult a doctor
You might have been trying to get pregnant for a while now. The delay can be because of many different reasons, like your health or your age. But don’t lose hopes.
In general, young, healthy couples who are having unprotected sex regularly can conceive within 1 year.
- If you are less than 35 years old and you and your husband are both healthy, then you will also get pregnant within one year. If you have not conceived even after one year, please consult a doctor to detect any problems or complications.
- If you are older than 35 years and you and your husband are both healthy, then you can also get pregnant within one year. But after 35, your fertility reduces. So after trying for 6 months, if you have still not conceived, consult a doctor to detect any problems.
You or your husband should not feel shy to talk to a doctor about fertility problems. It is a great way to free your mind of any doubts or find out about other ways to get pregnant.
After reading this blog, you should now know that it is not difficult to get pregnant. If you have sex regularly, maintain a healthy diet, exercise and stay away from harmful substances, you will surely get pregnant very soon. All the best for the next phase of your life. We hope you have a beautiful and memorable pregnancy.