| How To Get Pregnant Tips |
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| Written by Elleth Faewen | |
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There are some basic lifestyle changes men and women both can make to increase their chances of getting pregnant. For women... 1) Take prenatal vitamins for your baby's health. Ideally, you will take them at least one month before conception. 2) Chart your basal body temperature. This will give you a record of what is going on with your cycle. Not only will you know for certain There are some basic lifestyle changes men and women both can make to increase their chances of getting pregnant. For women... 1) Take prenatal vitamins for your baby's health. Ideally, you will take them at least one month before conception. 2) Chart your basal body temperature. This will give you a record of what is going on with your cycle. Not only will you know for certain the day you ovulated, but you can also identify potential problems such as low progesterone and luteal phase defects. If you click charts on the menu, I have some free downloadable charts available, one in Fahrenheit and one in Celsius. 3) Use an ovulation prediction kit. This will let you know 24-48 hours before you ovulate so you can time your baby dancing appropriately. For men... 1) Keep cool and avoid excessive heat to his scrotum. This means wearing boxers instead of briefs, staying away from hot tubs and saunas, taking cool showers, and avoiding bike riding or over exercising. 2) Avoid toxins such as alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. Do not take any medications not approved by the ObGyn and your family doctor. 3) Limit or eliminate caffeine intake. One or two cups of coffee a day may be fine, but drinking a whole coffee pot full can be detrimental. 4) Take vitamins. At minimum, take a good daily multivitamin. Some important vitamins for sperm health are B12, C (500 mg daily), E (400 IUS daily), Arginine, L-Carnitine, Zinc (20 mg daily), Selenium (200 mcgs daily), and Coenzyme Q10. Folic acid is also recommended for men (400 mcgs daily). Get approval from your family doctor before taking any vitamins. 5) Abstain for short periods. Abstaining can increase the volume and potency of sperm, but abstaining for too long can leave too many older less motile sperm. Do not abstain for more than 3 to 6 six days. 6) Watch out for known medications that can cause problems. Medications to avoid include anabolic steroids, some antibiotics (nitrofurans and macrolides), sulfasalazine (anti-diarrheal), and ketoconazole (anti-fungal). For both of you... 1) From five days before ovulation through one day after, baby dance every other day. If the man's sperm count is known and on the high side of normal, you can baby dance every day during that time frame. If it is normal, but not the high side of normal, then every other day is best. If you do not know, then stick with every other day. 2) Eat healthy. Eat whole, natural foods. For instance, eat an orange instead of drinking orange juice. Avoid processed foods. This means for the most part sticking to the outside aisles at the grocery store where the whole foods are and staying away from the packaged foods on the inside. For bread, check the label. If it says enriched, then it is processed. Look for unprocessed whole grain breads. For oats, eat steel cut oats rather than instant. 3) Exercise. While trying to conceive, normal exercise is fine. You should exercise three or four days a week for at least 20 minutes per day. If you have not exercised in the past, then walking is a great way to get your exercise. If you have access to a place to swim, it is great exercise that is easy to get into. 4) Avoid stress. This can be hard to do, especially during the two week wait, but it is essential for your reproductive health. Relax and enjoy this time. 5) Avoid toxins. Do not take any medications unless approved by your ObGyn and your family doctor. Stay away from alcohol, tobacco, and recreation drugs such as marijuana and cocaine. 7) Avoid environmental hazards such as pesticides, lead, heavy metals, and radiation. 8) Get to a healthy weight. Thin men may have a low sperm count, while obese men may have their hormones out of whack - too much estrogen and not enough testosterone. Thin women do not have enough estrogen and may not ovulate, while obese women have too much estrogen to get pregnant. 9) Be sure and get plenty of anti-oxidants in your diet. This includes drinking tea, eating fruit snacks like blueberries, cherries, black plums, prunes, and apples, and eating vegetables such as dark green leafy (kale, spinach, romaine lettuce, etc.), tomatoes, peppers and parsley. 10) Drink water and lots of it. A man should drink half his weight in ounces of water per day. If he weighs 200 pounds, he should drink 100 ounces of water. A woman should drink a minimum of 100 ounces of water per day. |
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