How To Conceive

I figured, since I gave out some "lose the fat" tips the other day, I would give out some "make a baby" tips today. I am thinking of this because I ran into a woman 2 days ago, who was standing in line with an ovulation kit and she started talking to me. Actually, that was yesterday. The days are running together lately. She said she was 37 and trying to get pregnant for the first time and finally decided to get an ovulation kit. She said to me, "You really have no idea how many people have trouble getting pregnant. You don't think it's the case, but it is."

So, Dear Abbey-Cammie to the rescue with her helpful tips on how to fix everything, from metabolism to the justice system to infertility. Just don't ask me how to get the coffee stain out of the carpet.

I have some very good knowledge about how to get pregnant. There is some very good science and studies backing what I know. So...I am ready to share what I know with couples who may want to conceive, and it's also helpful for those who want to know how NOT to conceive.

I am feeling tempted to write a big spoof at this point. Okay, but there are truly some couples out there who want to get effin' knocked up, so I'll dispense the smarties. First of all, though, this is going to be an explicit post, so stop reading if you don't want to read material which is "very graphic, sexually", because this, by necessity, will be just that. I should clarify. It's not going to be porn. It's just "instructional".

This is mainly advice for optimizing conception. I know of tips for women, and some couples tips, but if a man is, in particular, diagnosed as being infertile, I don't know what to do about that.

1. Don't wait until you're 37 to get pregnant. This is not being mean, but there are tons of studies which show how a woman's fertility decreases. The celebrity magazines encourage regular women to think they have an endless timeline and that they should be able to have babies up to age 50. But this isn't true. Not without years of expensive and invasive treatments, if you've waited too long. 37 isn't too old for most women, but it just makes it slightly more difficult. That's okay, though, you can usually still get pregnant at that age. However, use logic. Your clock IS ticking. Read up on the studies to get an idea of what the averages are. But again, do not be discouraged. If you haven't conceived yet, there are some tricks...

2. The Rhythm Method. You must learn and study the rhythm method. One of the best contributions the Catholic church has made to society, and to science, for that matter, is the practice of the Rhythm Method. There is only usually a 3 day window in which the woman is ovulating and can actually conceive. This woman with her ovulation kit admitted to me she hadn't known this and had always thought it was more like 15 days. The truth is, there is only a very small window in each month that a woman can possibly become pregnant. It has to be during ovulation, and this only lasts from 3-5 days (that's at most, and a high number). That is, in women with very regular cycles. You can learn to assess what your most fertile time of the month is with an ovulation kit, but even more predictably and precisely, by learning the mucosal stages/phases. Sounds gross, but it's the truth. I am going to include a link to some really good sites which have their studies and science to back them up...I don't have the link, but google Billings Ovulation method. Here is an exerpt:

A woman ovulates at only one time during her cycle, and an ovum can survive for only 12-24 hours.
Cervical mucus enabling healthy sperm cells to navigate the genital tract is necessary for fertility
Most commonly, spermatozoa live only one to three days in the presence of fertile mucus, with survival up to five days being rare. The possibility of pregnancy from sperm survival longer than five days has been compared to "the chances of winning a huge lottery."[12]
Menstruation will occur about 2 weeks after ovulation.
A ten-year study of 45,280 subfertile couples in China found that 32.1% of women were able to achieve pregnancy and live birth through the use of Billings.[13]

The thing is, while an ovum survives a short time, if conditions are right with the mucus, sperm survives longer. So it enhances the chance of the sperm being around at the time the ovum is released. You can learn when you are at your most fertile periods by charting your cycle for a couple of months and making simple observations, and it's cost free.

I studied the Rhythm method and Billings because I didn't agree with traditional birth control as in the pill and wanted to know how to enhance or prevent chances of pregnancy if I were in a relationship or married. So I studied everything.

3. Many of women's fertility problems have to do with problematic mucus. Some doctors put women on expensive horomones and other medications to essentially thin the mucus. Sperm favors thin and stretchy mucosa, not globby sticky mucus. Light use of aspirin will do this--it thins mucus. There are other ways to acheive this effect, which are not harmful to a potential fetus. They are online.

4. Alcohol, in a very small amount, won't damage a fetus. I recommend abstaining once you learn you are pregnant, but for those couples who are stressed out and pressured, have a half a glass of wine. It is not going to hurt, and you need to be relaxed. There are some studies and theories which claim a woman's orgasm helps propel the semen and sperm into the uterus, or cervix, through the cervical contractions. Orgasm isn't required, but it could be helpful.

5. Keep weight proportionate. It isn't good to be either too thin or too fat. Your body needs to think it is ready to host a living organism. You want to take a prenatal, and I recommend the Rainbow Light brand, and I also recommend taking a distilled and mercury free cod liver oil supplement for Omega-3s, which encourage fetal brain development. Flaxseed is good, but cod liver oil is best. Avoid borage oil as it can contribute to miscarriage. Also, exercise, as oxygen is not only good for you and YOUR brain, but that extra oxygen goes straight to your new baby's brain too, and to the heart. I didn't take cod liver oil and flaxseed until I knew I was pregnant, but on ultrasound, the tech was shocked and said that although the signs showed my baby was at the right gestational age, his brain was more highly developed than was typical for his age. She said it was far advanced and complimented what she thought were my eating habits. His gestation and the rest of his body showed so many weeks and yet his brain was almost a month ahead of the other development. Be good to your body and it will show in baby's body and brain.

6. I advocate doggy position, but I'm sure babies are conceived in every position. I hear about a lot of conceptions from doggy style though. There, that's explicit, right?

Those are my main tips. Cervical mucus monitoring and few commonsense basics. If it doesn't work, talk to a doctor.