How to Not Waste a
Another Month when
Trying to Conceive
Scientifically backed data to help
you get pregnant sooner
- A PUBLICATION OF PRIYA RING -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Intro
1
Statistics Behind Getting Pregnant
2
How to Find When you are Fertile
3
Optimize your Chances of Getting
Pregnant
4
Don’t Forget!
Conclusion
Introduction
Every Month Counts when Trying to Conceive
Every month counts when you are trying to get pregnant and the goal of
this Ebook is to help you make the most of your valuable time. Whether you
have been trying for a couple of months or for much longer, you may be
wondering if you are doing everything possible to successfully become
pregnant.
This Ebook will empower you to understand your body and reassure you
that you are taking the right steps to increase your chances of getting
pregnant.
CHAPTER ONE
The Statistics Behind
Getting Pregnant
The Statistics Behind Getting
Pregnant
How many days per month you are able to get pregnant
Technically there are only 6 days
a month that you are able to get
pregnant, which is referred to as
your fertile window. These 6
days include the 5 days before
ovulation and the day of
ovulation. This number, however,
depends on how long your
partner’s sperm can live and how
long your egg can live.
Eggs typically live anywhere from 12-24 hours and sperm typically live anywhere
from 2-7 days. If his sperm lives 7 days, then you will have 8 days a month to get
pregnant; but if his sperm lives 3 days, than you have 4 days a month that you are
able to conceive. The Statistics Behind Getting
Pregnant
Statistically, the chances of a woman getting pregnant during her fertile
window are shown below:
NOTE: Six days before you ovulate and the day after you ovulate you may
have a 0% chance of getting pregnant!
The Statistics Behind Getting
Pregnant
How to Maximize your Chance of Getting Pregnant:
The key to maximizing your chances of getting pregnant each month is to
find your fertile window and have intercourse during that window. Having
sperm waiting around to greet your egg increases your chance of
getting pregnant. So be sure to have intercourse every day or every other
day starting two to four days before you expect to ovulate and then the day
of ovulation.
During your non-fertile window days, keep sex romantic and spontaneous
to prevent burnout and unnecessary stress. NOTE: Most men don’t have to worry about having too much sex for sperm
count: You should not limit sex unless there is a medical reason to do so ie:
your partner has been diagnosed with low sperm count.
Optimizing Natural Fertility. Fertil Steril 2008;90:S1-6
Probability of getting pregnant by age:
Age is a factor in how long it may take you to get pregnant and also a
factor in how long you should try before you seek out professional help. As
you get older, it is harder to get pregnant and harder to stay pregnant due
to the increased risk of having miscarriage.
If you are 35 or older, that does NOT mean you won’t get pregnant, it just
means you may need to be more patient with the process. If you are 35 or
older, you should try for 6 months before seeking fertility assistance. If
you’re under 35, you should try for a year before seeking fertility
assistance. “
Here is your likelihood in a year, or within 4 years:
30 years: 75% in 1 year, 91% within 4 years
35 years: 66% in 1 year, 84% within 4 years
40 years: 44% in 1 year, 64% within 4 years
2004 study by Henri Leridon, PhD, with the French Institute of Health and Medical Research
The Statistics Behind Getting
Pregnant
The takeaway from these statistics is to show you how important it is to have
sex during your fertile window, and also give some idea of how long it may
take you to get pregnant.
If you are in your late 30s don’t let the news and media to scare you into
thinking it’s too late. It’s true that you probably don’t have as many eggs as
you did in your 20s (in your 20s you may have had 12 good eggs in a year
and now you may have 4 good eggs). That is why it may take longer and
why timing is crucial, but it doesn’t mean that you have passed your
biological age for having a baby.
2
CHAPTER TWO
How to Find When you
are Fertile
How to Find When you are
Fertile
Pinpoint ovulation or your fertile window
Ok, so now you know the numbers behind your chances of getting pregnant
and how important it is to have ‘sexy time’ during your fertile window. As a
reminder, once you ovulate, your egg typically lives for 12-24 hours and
during this time your egg must meet with a live sperm for conception to
happen. If you have intercourse during your fertile window and live sperm
inside of you, your body will work like a catcher’s mitt waiting for the egg.
This will significantly increase your chance of getting pregnant.
Ovulation typically occurs halfway through your cycle, but this varies from
woman to woman, so it is best to use your own biomarkers to pinpoint your
individual fertile window.
Below are the steps you can take to find your fertile window and the
science behind the methods:
•Track your cervical mucus cycle
•Track biological indicators such as hormones in your urine
•Track your temperature
•Use an App to help keep charting of these biomarker parameters more
simple
Biomarkers to Find When you
Ovulate
Timing is Everything when Trying to Conceive
CERVICAL MUCUS
As your body prepares for ovulation, your cervical mucus changes. This
change occurs so the sperm can live longer inside of you and travel to your
fallopian tubes to reach the egg. If you are not in your fertile window, your
cervical mucus may not allow for the sperm to travel. NOTE: egg white or
watery cervical mucus is a good sign that you are within your fertile window.
If it is thick and creamy, or not even easy to identify and assess, that may
indicate that you are not in your fertile window.
HORMONES
Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs) measure hormonal changes in your urine to
predict ovulation. Products you can use at home typically require either
urine or saliva samples. There is a hormone in your body called the
luteinizing hormone (LH) that rises one to two days before you ovulate.
Urine ‘pee sticks’ detect LH and some detect both LH and estrogen. LH will
raise two days before you ovulate and estrogen increases a couple of days
before the LH surge. To use OPKs using urine, you urinate on a LH test stick
that notifies you whether or not there is a surge in the hormone or not.
Saliva tests are observed under a small portable microscope. When it’s time,
your dried salvia may form a fern shaped pattern to indicate the you are
fertile.
TEMPERATURE
Temperature is another biomarker to indicate ovulation is about to occur or
has occurred. A method referred to as the BBT Method measures your Basal
Body Temperature (your temperature when you are fully at rest). This
requires your taking your temperature every morning - at the same time,
before rising from or moving in bed - and charting it either with an app or
on paper.
While vaginal temperature is the most accurate, you can use oral or ear
thermometers. If you decide to try BBT, you will need a special
thermometer.
Once you ovulate, there is a rise in temperature indicating that you have
ovulated. BBT can’t predict your fertile window, but it can give you some
sense of when you ovulate for the next month, and if you are ovulating at
all. Learn how to do BBT Charting.
There are sensors you can put in place each night before you go to bed and
new ones on the market that use skin. Vaginal temperature, however, is
clinically proven to be the most effective method.
Click here to learn more about a new vaginal sensor to pinpoint your exact
fertile window APPS
Apps have gotten a bad reputation recently for providing the wrong fertile
window, however, there are a handful such as Natural Cycles and Glow that
do work to give you an estimate. The gold stand calculation predicts a
woman’s fertile window which includes the day she ovulates and the five
days before ovulation. To calculate your fertile window, you need to know
the length of your period cycle which is from the first day of bleeding from
your last period to the first day of bleeding in your next. Once you know
how many days your cycle is, subtract 14 days from the end of your current
cycle and that is the approximate day you ovulate.
Research found that only 30% of women were fertile between days 10 and
17 (Wilcox et al 2000). Women in the study reached their fertile window
earlier and others much later. This is why you should use physical
biomarkers of your own body to truly pinpoint your own unique ovulation
cycle.
3
CHAPTER THREE
Optimize your Chances
of Getting Pregnant
Optimize your Chances of
Getting Pregnant
Scientifically backed factors to increase your fertility
There are a lot of myths out there about getting pregnant such as needing
to put your legs up after sex, needing to stop consuming caffeine and that
certain positions during sex matter. There are lifestyle factors, however, that
have shown by clinical data to affect fertility.
These include:
•Weight
•Foods
•Lube
•Stress
•Lifestyle Habits
•Sex
Lifestyle Factors
WEIGHT
Being either overweight or underweight can reduce your fertility by causing
hormonal imbalances that affect ovulation. Even gaining a little weight if
you are underweight, or losing a little weight, if overweight, can make a
difference. One way to estimate if you are in the healthy range is to
calculate your BMI. Here is an online BMI calculator.
Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
Overweight = 25–29.9
Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
Being either overweight or underweight also has an affect on male sperm
and therefore your partner may need to speak to their healthcare
professional if they fall outside the normal range for a male BMI. It’s not
easy to lose weight on your own and you may want to consider getting help
to start a safe diet and exercise plan.
Lifestyle Factors
FOODs
While there are a lot of mid-wives tales on foods to eat and not to eat for
fertility, you should eat a healthy diet to maintain a proper weight for both a
healthier pregnancy and the long term benefits for your baby. Too much
sugar is bad news regardless, and should be limited. There is growing
evidence that a diet high in sugar leading to insulin resistance can interfere
with a healthy ovulation cycle. Check out this guide by BBC for a balanced
diet for women. WATCH OUT FOR THE WRONG KIND OF LUBE
If you use lube, make sure it’s not the kind that decreases sperm mobility.
Lubricants that have certain oils and glycerine are known to hinder the
sperm. There are specific brands of lube made for trying to conceive, such
as Pre-Seed Lube, that are fertility friendly.
REDUCE STRESS
Stress releases several hormones that may actually suppress ovulation and
affect the hypothalamus which helps to control and regulate ovulation.
Stress can also affect your partner as well and reduce his sperm quantity.
Find what reduces stress best for you and your schedule such as meditating,
taking daily walks and working less hours. One quick way to reduce stress
hormones is deep breathing. Try this: Count 7-10 seconds as you inhale
and 5 seconds as you exhale three times. You will get your parasympathetic
nervous system going and slow down your heart rate.
Lifestyle Factors
CAFFEINE:
If you are a coffee drinker, don’t stress, you can still have coffee. Just don’t
overdo it and stick to having no more than one to two cups a day.
ALCOHOL:
What about alcohol? Studies show that moderate drinking is OK, but that
having two or more glasses a day can significantly reduce your fertility.
Some doctors may tell you that having 1-2 glasses a week is fine and others
may suggest that you avoid alcohol completely - talk to your healthcare
provider for their best assessment.
SMOKING:
Smoking, on the other hand, has a major impact on fertility. Men that smoke
may have reduced sperm count and damaged DNA. Women that smoke
reduce how receptive their uterus is to the egg. Not to mention that women
who smoke also have increased probability of having a miscarriage.
Lifestyle Factors
HAVE SEX OFTEN:
Have as much intercourse as possible during your fertile days. Try not to get
too obsessed with charts and certain positions, and keep it fun and
romantic. There is no need to skip out on sex or have sex every other day
unless your partner has been diagnosed with low sperm count.
Try having sex everyday 2-3 days before ovulation and on the other days,
keep sex spontaneous and when in the mood. Read here about a personal
story on keeping intimacy less stressful while trying to conceive.
4
CHAPTER FOUR
Don’t Forget!
Don’t Forget!
Get your partner checked out too if trying for several months
DON’T FORGET ABOUT YOUR MAN
Importantly, infertility is not always caused by the woman. In fact, it surprises
most people to learn that infertility is equally caused by the woman in onethird of cases and the man in one-third of cases. Otherwise, infertility is
caused by combined issues or unexplained infertility (cause is not known). If
you have been timing your fertile window and have been trying for several
months, have your partner get his sperm checked.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
It may seem as if friends or family members get pregnant at the drop of a hat,
but don’t forget that there are many other couples out also trying to
conceive. Try not to let this journey take over your life, and don’t worry about
asking your doctor too many questions - that is what they are there for.
You can also join mommy groups and fertility chat forums to ask questions
and join a community of other women trying to conceive. Here are some
popular chat forums to check out:
•
•
•
•
Netmums
Made For Mums
Count Down to Pregnancy
Baby and Bump
Timing is the key to fertility
“
Trying to get pregnant does not need to be
difficult or tedious. Sometimes its just a
matter of timing and knowing when to have
intercourse.
-Don Aptekar, MD, FACOG
Conclusion
In order to not miss your chance of getting pregnant, you will want to have
sex every day during your fertile window. To find your fertile window, use
your own physiological biomarkers to pinpoint exactly when you are most
fertile.
This is a great time to make healthy lifestyle changes if you have not already
such as eating, exercising and reducing stress to not only boost your fertility
but also to have a healthier pregnancy and baby.
Last, don’t forget about your partner- he also needs to take steps to be
healthy, and if you have passed several months of trying, he needs to get
checked as well.
Good luck in your journey to becoming a parent!
Don’t Miss your Fertile
Window
A new effortless vaginal sensor that you insert
once a month that messages your phone when
you are most fertile is coming soon. Click below to
learn more and sign up for the pre-order list.
LEARN MORE HERE
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