For some couples getting pregnant is easy and for others it takes patience and a bit of luck.
If you're hoping to be a mom, start the old-fashioned way.
This is what you need to do and know when to seek help.
Baby-making
Every month, hormones from your brain stimulate your ovaries to release one egg. This occurs around 14th day of the menstrual cycle, although the exact timing vary among women and from month to month in you.
Once the egg is released, it moves along the fallopian tube. If you want to conceive, now is the time to try. The egg has about 48 hours to unite with a sperm. As sperm cells can survive in your uterus for 2 to 3 days, it's best to have regular sex during the days before ovulation.
If the egg unites with a sperm, an embryo will be formed and it will travel to the uterus within the next five days . There it will attach itself to the uterine wall. You're Pregnant! Your periods will stop as your body begins to support the embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, you'll have your next period as usual. Try again next month.
Learning how ovulation works is one thing. Determining when it's actually happening is something else.
Keep a calendar
Use your day planner or a simple calendar to mark the day your period begins each month. Also track the number of days each period lasts. If you have a consistent 28-day cycle, ovulation is likely to begin about 14 days after the day your last period began.
If your cycles are irregular, time between the 14th day of your shortest cycle and 14th of your longest cycle is your most fertile days. This is a reasonable assumption.
Cervical mucus changes
Just before egg release, you'll notice an increase in clear vaginal secretions if you check for it. These secretions resemble raw egg whites. After egg is released, when the odds of becoming pregnant are slim, the secretion will become cloudy and sticky .
Check your basal body temperature
This is your body's temperature when you're at rest. Ovulation may cause a gradual rise in temperature or even a sudden jump ? typically between 0.5 and 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
You'll be most fertile during the two to three days before your temperature rises. You can assume ovulation has occurred when the slightly higher temperature remains steady for three days or more.
Use an oral thermometer to monitor your basal body temperature. Try the one specifically designed to measure basal body temperature. Simply take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed. Plot the readings on graph paper and look for a pattern .
Try an ovulation monitoring kit
Ovulation kits test your urine for the increase in hormones before ovulation. . Ovulation kits can identify the most likely time of ovulation and provide a signal before ovulation actually happens. They're available in most pharmacies. Follow the instructions in the kit.
Maximizing fertility
When you're trying to conceive, consider these simple things.
Have sex regularly. If you consistently have sex two to three times a week, you're almost certain to hit a fertile period at some point.
Have sex once a day near the time of ovulation. Daily sex during the days leading up to ovulation may increase the odds of pregnancy. Your partner's sperm concentration may drop slightly each time you have sex, but this is not an issue for healthy men.
Make healthy lifestyle choices. Maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat carefully and control stress. The same good habits will serve you and your baby well during pregnancy.
Consider preconception planning. Preconception planning is helpful if you or your partner have any health problems. Your doctor can assess your overall health and help you identify changes that may improve your chances for a healthy pregnancy.
Take your vitamins. Folic acid plays an essential role in a baby's development. Taking folic acid supplement beginning at least two months before conception through the first trimester of pregnancy can reduce the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects by up to 70 percent.
Smoking. Tobacco changes the cervical mucus, which may keep sperm from reaching the egg. Smoking also increases the risk of miscarriage. If you smoke, get help before conception.
Alcohol. Alcohol is off limits if you're trying to be pregnant
Do not take medications without your doctor's consent. Certain medications can make it difficult to conceive. Others may not be safe when you are pregnant.
Consult your doctor
With frequent unprotected sex, most healthy couples conceive within six months. Ninety percent within one year. Others need help.
If you're in your early 30s or younger, and you and your partner are in good health, try it on your own for one year before consulting a doctor.
You should seek help sooner if you're 35 years or older, your periods are more than 35 days apart, or you or your partner have suspected fertility issues.
Subfertility affects men and women equally and treatment is available. Depending on the source of the problem, your gynecologist, your partner's doctor or your family doctor may be able to help you.
