Most of us think that getting pregnant is as easy as just having unprotected sex but according to several experts and several more researches, there are a variety of factors that can increase or decrease your chances of falling pregnant and it's important to know these factors as well as take them into consideration if you are planning a family.
Did you know that on average only 25% of couples will conceive within their first month of trying, 60% within six months, 75% within nine months and 90% within a year-and-a-half? This means that for most couples it could take between six months and a year to get pregnant.
Age
The fertility facts tell us that a woman is most fertile between the ages of 20-24 years and by the time she is 35, she is half as fertile as she was at 25. In fact 90% of women in their twenties will become pregnant within a year of trying. Women in their thirties have a much lower chance of conceiving after a year of trying. This does not mean that you won’t get pregnant if you are over 24 as we all must know many women in their forties who still conceive but for some women it is a matter of luck and several other factors.
A man's fertility also declines over age but, unlike women, men do not go through a menopause and can father children in their seventies or even eighties.
Lifestyle
Certain lifestyles do no go with pregnancy so if you plan to get pregnant then you should be taking into account if you do something that could hinder you conceiving.
-Smoking
Smoking decreases your ability to get pregnant. Research has shown it reduces the number of eggs in a woman’s ovaries. Women who smoke enter menopause earlier than women who don’t.
Smoking can also stop the normal function of the fallopian tubes and the chances of the embryo implanting in the uterus. If you become pregnant and continue to smoke, your baby may be at risk from premature birth, miscarriage and, once it is born, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).- Alcohol
Drinking occasionally shouldn’t cause any major problems in terms of your ability to conceive, the problem is when you drink alot or are an alcoholic. Excessive amounts of alcohol can cut your fertility by 50%.
The men are not exempt from this as alot of alcohol can damage the male reproductive system and can also seriously reduce the sperm generating cells in the testicles.
Once pregnant, it is best to avoid acohol all together.
alcohol can damage the male reproductive system- Weight
It is very important when trying to conceive to experience regular menstruation and therefore ovulation. If you are significantly underweight or overweight, menstruation can often suffer and your fertility may be affected. If you are seriously overweight and you fall pregnant, you are more prone to complications. So you need to check your weight and get at least thirty minutes excercise per day. This could be easily achieved by driving less and walking more.
- Healthy Eating
This is tied-up with your weight and ability to fall pregnant, but you are more likely to conceive if you are healthy, and this means following a healthy balanced diet. Getting five or more fruit and vegetables a day as well as drinking lots of water and cutting out junk food can really help you in the quest for conception.
Sex!
Well, unless you are going down the artificial insemination route you do have to have sex to become pregnant. There are many old wives' tales about the sexual positions which can help you become pregnant, but the aim is to keep the sperm inside the woman for as long as possible, so all it takes is a little common sense. The missionary position seems to work for most couples (with the man on top) and some people swear by putting a pillow under the woman’s bottom so that her cervix is tilted upwards and the sperm have more chance of staying inside and finding the egg to fertilise. Whatever you believe, yuo need to know two things about sex for conception:
Knowing your fertile period
It is absolutely essential that you have sex in the few days each month when you are most fertile. For conception to occur your ovaries have to release an egg each month – a process called ovulation. If you are having regular periods then ovulation is probably occurring and has been since you first started your periods. If your menstrual cycle lasts around 28 days (which is the average length), you are most likely to ovulate about 14 days before your next monthly period. Because the egg stays in your uterus for a day or two, it is around this time of the month that you are at your most fertile. The trick is to work out when you might be ovulating so that you can ensure you have unprotected sex around this time.
Orgasms are Important!
According to research, a women’s fertility is increased when she has an orgasm at the same time or shortly after the man does. This is because a pool of sperm is left at the back of a woman’s vagina when the man has ejaculated. When a woman reaches orgasm, her cervix pushes forwards, dipping into this pool of semen and increasing the chances of the sperm entering her cervix and the uterus and finally finding the unfertilised egg.
Don’t despair if you don’t fall pregnant the first month or more and remind yourself of the statistics regarding how long it takes most people to conceive. And just because it may have taken you a day to conceive your first child, that doesn’t mean it will happen as quickly again. If you are worried it is always better to seek advice from a health professional, even if it is just to put your mind at rest and help you relax into getting pregnant.