Once you have decided that you want to get into parenthood, you are not certain about the exact time you will receive a positive pregnancy test. However, if you are pretty healthy and not using any birth control method, you should be able to get pregnant within the first year.
According to research, about half of trying couples get pregnant within the first six months, while about 70-80% get pregnant within the first year. However, it is possible to increase your chances of getting pregnant if you do the following:
Come off the pill
By coming off the pill, you are preparing your body for conception. The time you will take to conceive is dependent on the specific birth control method you were using and whether it had the progestin or estrogen hormone.
When you start using birth control, you do not need to worry about it having any noxious effect on your fertility when you decide to conceive. This is because all birth control pills are designed to have no interference with your conception and growth of the fetus.
Your body does not need a lot of time to be free from the birth control inhibited hormones, and in most scenarios, you will be able to conceive within a two-month window. Of course, your genes and lifestyle habits will also play a big role in how soon you conceive and start the exciting pregnancy journey.
In the event that you want to stop the use of hormonal birth control but do not feel ready to conceive, you can use condoms until you are ready. The condom and diaphragm are referred to as barrier birth control methods, and they have no impact on your fertility. Once you stop using them, your ability to have a smooth conception returns to normal.
Know when you ovulate
One of the most effective ways to increase fertility is by having sex at the right time during your cycle. If you have regular cycles, your body will be ready to ovulate two weeks before you get your periods. Your fertile window will be seven days ahead of your expected ovulation date in this scenario. During the fertile window, you should see if the conception will happen.
On the other hand, if you have an irregular cycle, it might prove a little difficult to predict your ovulation day and when you will be fertile. However, you can use the following techniques to find out your ovulation and fertility windows.
a) Having an ovulation predictor kit from your pharmacy
An ovulation predictor kit looks and works similarly to a urine pregnancy kit. To use it, you need to urinate on it a few days before you think you will ovulate. The strip detects the luteinizing hormone (LH) that reveals itself before ovulation. If you happen to get a positive result, refer to your test kit’s instructions manual, and it will guide you whether you need to have sex the same day.
b) Measuring your basal body temperature
When you measure your basal body temperature after waking up, you might be able to notice when it rises and if it does, take it as a clue that you have ovulated. Ensure that you have sex within 24 hours, since a fertile egg stays for only 24 hours.
c) Look out for any changes in your cervical mucus
If you observe that your cervical mucus has increased, become thin and slippery, take it as a cue to have sex each day until you ovulate. You will notice that your cervical mucus is thick, sticky, and may also appear cloudy with ovulation.
By using one of the methods indicated above, you will slowly learn how ovulation affects you and you will be able to know how to increase your fertility for immediate and future conception.
Do not drink alcohol
If you want a smoother journey while trying to conceive, you might find it necessary to avoid all alcoholic drinks within a month of the fertility cycle. Studies have shown that alcohol intake inhibits natural conception. In addition, women who drink large amounts of alcohol are at a higher risk of getting infertile when compared to women who do not.
If you imbibe red wine, you may need to stop it when trying to conceive. Researchers found that it contains resveratrol, a naturally occurring polyphenol with inflammatory properties. In addition, many studies have indicated that long-term consumption of alcohol has a direct diminishing effect on the ovarian reserve for all women who are of reproductive age. So, if you are looking for the most efficient natural ways to increase your fertility, understand that drinking alcohol will not add you any value.
Maintain a healthy weight
When you are overweight and trying to conceive, you affect the quality of your eggs. You also experience more irregular cycles and, in many instances, fail to ovulate. According to research, losing just a small percentage of your body weight can boost your fertility and decrease any risks you might have in your pregnancy.
However, it is important to note that being too thin affects your fertility. You risk having a preterm pregnancy or your baby having very little weight. Being underweight also causes irregular periods. Just ensure that your weight is within the normal BMI range.
Eat healthy foods
Diet is one of the major contributors to helping you conceive. Diet has a serious impact on your fertility, and therefore, it is important to maintain a healthy diet that has all the main food groups and the correct amount of nutrients.
If you do not know how to boost your fertility after 35, try ensuring that your budget has low carbs like beans, lentils, porridge and not heavily processed carbs, since they do not get digested quickly. It is also important to go for unsaturated fats compared to saturated fats since they contain omega-3 fatty acids.
Be active
By eating healthily and exercising regularly, you maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve your conception chances by a very big margin. In addition, regular exercise is responsible for boosting happy hormone endorphins, losing excess weight, reducing stress, lowering cholesterol and maintaining heart function. To get started, you do not need to exercise a lot; you just need to identify your favorite exercise activity and create a daily routine for five days a week.
You can start with short ten-minute exercises and increase as you continue. A study found that by exercising for a cumulative four hours per week, a woman’s body becomes more active and, in the process, more receptive to conception. So postnatal exercise is not only important for your well-being, it plays a very big role in getting back into shape soon after the pregnancy.
Do Yoga exercises
Yoga exercises for pregnancy are among the most efficient natural ways to increase fertility. This is because yoga focuses on three main benefits; improving circulation, reducing stress and improving flexibility. Yoga plays a crucial role in women yearning to become pregnant because it focuses on the hip and pelvic area when it comes to enhancing flexibility. Below are a few yoga moves that will greatly enhance the conception journey. Please note that if you have any medical condition, it is important to consult your doctor before starting yoga exercises.
a) Restorative moves
These exercises are very good since they reduce anxiety, tension, and stress linked to infertility. When stressed, your body produces cortisol, which has a negative effect on your reproductive health. By doing the exercises once or twice per day, you will be setting yourself free from any stress or anxiety.
b) Extended puppy nose
When you do this exercise, you go onto all fours and elevate your shoulders above your wrists and your hips above your knees. To execute it properly, keep your feet relaxed and the top facing upward when you have knelt. Next, inhale deeply and spread your fingers and push your palms to the mat while keeping the arms engaged with your elbows.
Pressing your tailbone towards the ceiling and lowering your forehead to the exercising mat, ensure that you stretch and lengthen your spine. Hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute and exhale as you walk your hands to the previous position. Repeat the exercise three to four times.
c) Legs up the wall
First, lie flatly on your back, exhale deeply, and sit up. Proceed to lower your shoulders and back to the mat and simultaneously straighten your legs against the wall to form a 90-degree angle. Rest your arms by your side with the palms facing up in this position. Breathe deeply and allow your torso to lay on the ground and release all the tension in your pelvic area. For the best relaxation, hold this position between 5 and 15 minutes.
Deal with stress
If you are stressed, you will have a much harder time when it comes to conceiving. In many instances, when people are stressed, they lack the needed sex appetite, which is instrumental for any couple that wants to get pregnant.
When you have chronic stress, you are exposed to flight-or-fight hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which are bad for general health. When humans are stressed, they produce a hormone called prolactin which is also produced by breastfeeding women to inhibit ovulation, making the conception process more difficult.
On the other hand, if you are not stressed, you will always be relaxed, which will prepare your mind and body for the conceiving process. Dealing with stress should not be emphasized at the conception stage alone; it should follow during the pregnancy and after the baby is born. When the mind is fed with positive thoughts and energies, it solves surrounding challenges easily.