Of course, people don’t choose when their child is conceived, but we can influence the course of events leading up to the delivery date of your newborn.
All you need is to follow some simple rules and basic knowledge of physiology.
Some women panic in case they can’t become pregnant during 2-3 months after they stopped taking contraceptives.
So to start off we have to look at the typical life pattern of a couple that has regular sex:
- 60 of each 100 couples are able to conceive a baby during 6 months;
- 80 of each 100 couples are able to conceive a baby during 1 year;
- 90 of each 100 couples are able to conceive a baby during 2 years.
In spite of the fact that each case is a norm, it’s possible to speed up the conception of a planned child.
Physiology
A baby comes into this world after a male’s sperm cell meets a female egg cell. Their union develops a fetal egg, called a zygote.
Each month, under the influence of a hormone, a tiny follicle matures in the ovum. This contains an egg cell. The walls of the follicle produce female hormones, called estrogen that lets follicles increase till a small cherry size. It’s broken in the middle of a menstruation period, clearing the egg cell. The process is called ovulation. When the egg cell leaves the ovum, it is being grasped by fibers of the uterine tube and moves towards the womb. The egg cell can be fertilized within 24 hours.
Spermatozoa are generated in germinated male sexual glands. A development cycle makes up 70-75 days. During sexual act, 3-5 ml of semen (300 – 500 ml of spermatozoa) is released into the vagina. A part of them reaches cervical mucus inside a neck of the womb. Before getting to an egg cell, a spermatozoon should cross a cavity of uterus and reach the uterine tube. It takes 2-2.5 hours to get to this tube. It’s also known that spermatozoa are able to fertilize the egg cell in uterine tube within 2–7 days. To do this, a spermatozoon should overcome a barrier from radiate crown cells around the egg cell and ovum membrane. Thus, a real attack of spermatozoa is required!
100–400 thousands of spermatozoa try to reach the goal and only one of the lucky fighters penetrates the egg cell! Once the sperm goes into the egg cell a chemical reaction is started that protects the egg cell from being penetrated by any other sperm cells.
During the first 12 hours after fertilization male and female nuclei draw together and it develops an interconnection of a genetic material together with zygote (a single-cell embryo).
Thus, an embryo starts moving along the uterine tube to its cavity. As it goes forward, it provokes cells division and then the embryo appears in the uterine cavity to be implanted on the 11th-the 12th days after the conception.
Thus, the following conditions are required to conceive a baby.
- An organism readiness to provide a normal development of a fetus.
Even if you think that you are healthy, it’s desirable to undergo a proper examination by therapist, gynecologist, and dentist. Now it’s time to lead a regular life. It’s advisable to rest in the open, quit with bad habits, and stop using household chemical goods and pharmacological agents as it may affect a pregnant woman’s health as well as her future child’s.
- Egg cell MUST mature so it can able to be fertilized and reach the uterine tube.
In order to make this mechanism work, a correct functioning of woman’s hormonal system is needed. It works better if a woman has no problem with her weight.
Some experts advise young women to follow some diets in order to conceive a baby. Unfortunately, there is not any medical research that proves whether this method is effective. Though, all women should have a balanced feeding. One of the important products to favor an egg cell are products that contain Vitamin C: vegetable oil, eggs, cereal bread, buckwheat and oaten crops, legumes and nuts. Vitamin E is also very important (wheat seeds, including flakes and flour, avocados, and dark leafy greens) Another vitamin is folic acid. 40 mg of folic acid reduces the risk of central nervous system and backbone defects. Other products that contain folic acid are: leafy greens, citrus fruits, pastas, carrots, boiled potatoes with skin, bran, seeds and nuts. If you suffer from lack of iodine, then take 100 mg of potassium iodide a day in case so you don’t have any problems with thyroid glands. Women with reduced function of this gland can’t become pregnant for a long period of time because ovulation comes rarely. Moreover, lack of iodine may provoke intellectual mental development of a baby.
In order to be reassured, start taking multivitamin preparations 2–3 months before the conception. Usage of contraceptives should also be stopped in 2-3 months before you and your partner plan to conceive. Sometimes women can’t become pregnant after contraceptive intake within their first 6 months and have some problems with their period.
There are some other reasons of ovulation disorder in women. Regular stresses result to absolute ovulation absence in spite of a period presence.
Ovulation disorder is usually provoked by intensive physical training. There are 2 reasons: quick adipose tissue loss and increased discharge of endorphins (chemical agents of our brain or hormones of pleasure). They affect a prolactin level in women. The prolactin is a hormone to favor successful breast feeding and prevents maturing of the egg cell. That’s why it’s recommended to have as much rest as possible. Playing with children, sewing clothes for babies, and reading books are just some of the numerous relaxing activities. All these actions adjust a woman’s body to a successful conception.
- Sperm Cells: How strong? How fast? How many?
One of the main myths is a connection of potency with barrenness. In fact a man with weak potency usually has good semen to conceive a baby. Moreover, frequent sexual acts can’t increase the chances to fertilize an egg cell as the second part of semen contains undeveloped spermatozoa. Ejaculation with large intervals is extremely unfavorable for this process as spermatozoa try to reach the goal, but not as quickly in this case. A normal rhythm for spermatozoa maturation is characterized by regular sex – 3 times a week – within the period of possible ovulation with desirable 4 – 5 days abstinence the day before ovulation.
Of course, a chance to become pregnant depends on the quality of semen. And the main risk factor is a man’s life-style. Low physical activity, sedentary work and excess weight lead to blood congestion in pelvic organs of a man and result in further inflammation.
Spermatozoa maturation as well as female menstrual cycle is regulated by the hormonal system of a man. For example if he takes certain steroids to treat some diseases or build up muscle buck it could lead to male sterility.
Another typical male factor is a reproductive one, called overheating. A number of spermatozoa, produced in testicles, are increased and men, who visit sauna twice a week, are prone to have male sterility. The sperm is two degrees colder than the rest of the body so things like resting a laptop on your body is enough to heat up the sperm and harm them. Stress can also decrease the development of sperm. Alcohol should be avoided because it also affects the sperm negatively. Men shouldn’t wear tight underwear, made from synthetic materials and tight trousers, as it increases the temperature of testicles. Another reason of poor semen is fever (in this case a man has bad semen during 3 moths).
Ways to make the sperm more comfortable is by staying cool in the southern region. For example wearing boxers over briefs and exercising helps make sperm count and mobility positive.
Weigh and pregnancy
Sharp weight loss by 10% per month leads to period termination. Experts claim that fat produces accumulate estrogen which is a hormone that one’s body gets ready to gestation. Both low and high content of this hormone affect a woman’s health. That’s why if you have excess weight try to lose it step by step, not at a drastic diet.
Another wide-spread and dangerous risk factor of male sterility is chronic stress. From biological point of view, babies should be conceived in favorable environmental conditions. Such regulation is provided by connection of sexual and other systems of an organism, namely the nervous one.
- Normal health in the vagina, uterus tube and cavity to provide active movement of spermatozoa.
Don’t use lubricants if you want to become pregnant. They contain agent to change acid-base medium of vagina. If you can’t do without them, use ovalbumin during some months when a conception is possible in case you have no allergy to hen’s eggs. An ovalbumin has small effect on spermatozoa movement.
Any infection in sexual passages of a woman and vaginal preparations usage, such as antibacterial and aromatized hygiene agents or irritations damage the acid-base medium of vagina and reduce all chances to get pregnant.
- An egg cell meets spermatozoa and favorable condition for sexual glands fusion.
The most favorable moment for fertilization is when ovulation should start as far as mucous lining of a womb neck becomes extremely sensitive and spermatozoa have enough time to get to the fallopian tubes to stay there till the ovulation. In case of regular sexual life and normal period there is no need to count this moment. The best method is usage of test-strips to define the level of luteinizing hormone. Modern tests are used the same ways as pregnancy test. Dip a strip into urine. If you can see 2 strips, then you have an ovulation. Moreover, this date may be tracked by means of Ultrasound investigation, basal temperature change (in rectum) and using special equipment by means of saliva crystallization and calendar.
Another important moment is a position while having sex. There is no any connection between a position and future baby’s sex during conception. A technique effects on a location the semen gets to. Sometime some positions in sex don’t let the semen penetrate absolutely into the vagina.
Such positions are considered to be the most optimal: positions from above and behind a woman.
Experts recommend women to lie for some minutes with uplifted legs within 20-30 minutes after they have sex. It’s very useful for successful conception.
Of course, sex should bring pleasure and satisfaction. If a woman reaches an orgasm, there is a high chance to conceive a baby. Thanks to reduction of the womb neck spermatozoa can easily penetrate it.
- Prepare your body.
Besides from anatomical peculiarities of female organism, intrauterine spirals affect negatively the day before conception. After you remove it, it’s required to refrain from sex within 2-3 cycles for a complete recovery of uterine tubes and womb functioning. Thus, a woman reduces the risk of a miscarriage.
Timing
As to the timing, doctors claim that the best time for conception falls on the afternoon. At this time a man has a maximum number of active spermatozoa.
As to the season, a lot of medics believe that the best period is the beginning of autumn. In fact, each woman with normal period doesn’t have ovulation 2 times per year since 10% of cycles have immature egg cell and ovulation is impossible. Usually, such cycles fall on winters with short daylight hours and too hot seasons as well.
Ionans, a Czech doctor claims that there is another appropriate cycle for conception, being predetermined from the birth, to attend all the reproductive period of a woman.
Such cycle orients itself to a phase of the Moon which determines the birth of a certain woman. The most probability of conception falls on the days of these 2 cycles crossing.
The truth is that the phase is connected with biorhythms which regulate our hormonal and physiological condition.
We send happy wishes to you and your new little family member!
