Trying to conceive-first time

SinchoE

Evening all,
My husband and I have been married 3 years and have decided to try for to get pregnant. I'm 24 and as yet, none of my close friends have any experience with this so just looking for some general advice really!
So far the only action we've taken has been to stop using protection and I'm fairly good with working out my most fertile periods but was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to increase our chances. Does measuring body temp work and if so how can I do it?! I know about what foods to avoid in case I do get pregnant but was wondering if there's any changes I can make to my diet that might help? Also I know about taking folic acid but is there any other supplements we can take?
Any and all advice greatly appreciated!

xzanti

Hi welcome..

with regards to your supplements etc you might find this http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055907168 thread helpful..

As far as actually 'trying' goes, I'd just try for a few months and see how you get on.. You might find it doesn't happen as fast as you'd like it to but don't get disheartened.. We were trying for about 8 or 9 months (following a miscarriage) to get pregnant again.. I was just about to start down the Ovulation test and thermometer route when I got preggers on this one.. You might be lucky though..

Just remember to try not to stress yourself out trying.. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your body will be and things will flow along much easier..

Good luck

mariaf24

Hello Ok the most important thing to know is when exactly you are ovulating. If you have a cycle of say 28 days,you would probably ovulate on day 14. You typically ovulate 14 days before your period is due,so if your cycle is 32 days you probably ovulate on cd 18 etc...
You can buy ovulation predictor kits (opk's) very cheap online and use these to identify when you will ovulate (about 12 - 48 hours in advance).
Yes measuring your temperature is also helpful but this will only rise after ovulation has occured,which may be too late for intercourse if you know what I mean. It also requires that you take your temp every single morning,before you even move, at the same time.
Eat a well balanced diet obviously, reduce caffeine, alcohol and stop smoking.
Yes folic acid is very important or you may be interested in 'Pregnacare conception tablets'.
That's about all i can think of. Good luck and relax

How Strange

OP, I'd say ovulation prediction kits (OPK's) are very useful. Also get used to looking at your CM (vaginal discharge). When it has the consistency of a runny egg you know you're in your fertile period. Although the month I got pregnant I had very little CM so again I'd recommend OPK's.

Also, another thing I read is that having sex every second day from day 9 of your cycle to day 18 is good. It's not advisable to have sex every night as it apparently compromises the quality of the semen. The things you'll learn when you start ttcing

Temping is good but it won't predict WHEN you'll ovulate but will tell you afterwards. At your age, 24, I wouldn't bother with the temping just yet, it's quite intrusive as you have to do it at the same time every morning before you get up so for me it was 6am 7 days a week which is a bit of a pain at the weekends. I would however recommend the OPK's because it can be a little confusing sometimes.

The main thing is to know when you ovulate and have sex around during that time.

talkin

sorry im going to try and get info on your thread sinchoE. i get ovulation pain every month and normally know my cycle exactly every month give or take a day or two some months. should i be trying to conceive before during or after my ovululation pain?

DetectivFoxtrot

They say the fertile windo is six days. This is based on the notion that sperm can live up to 5 days in the right conditions in the uterus or fallopian tube, and the fact that an ovum does not live beyond 24 hours.

There's a thing called SMEP (Sperm Meets Egg Plan). You can google it and get loads of detail but in a nutshell this is a good plan to follow to ensure you cover your bases during the lead up to ovulation and ovulation itself:

1. Buy 10 ovulation tests PRIOR to cycle day 8

2. Starting on cycle day 8, do one ovulation test EVERY DAY

3. Have intercourse EVERY OTHER DAY (i.e. every second or third day) starting on cycle day 8 (hips elevated for 10-30 minutes after each session)

4. When you get a positive ovulation test, have intercourse that day and the next 2 days in a row (so 3 days in a row total)

5. Skip the next day and have intercourse once more the next day



~ this plan is largely based on a typical 28 day cycle, which most of us don't align to. If your cycle is normally longer or irregular try stick to teh plan anyway. You just need to buy more ovulation tests as you'll use more before you get a positive.

crazy cat lady

I know that everyone has given you really good advice here, and what I'm going to say is that if you're not too desperate to get pregnant, just have fun trying for a few months and see how you get on!

The Ovulation prediction kits and monitoring your temp etc... is all very useful, but it can take over your life and before you know it, getting pregnant is all your life is about. This can have a negative effect on fertility and can make the ttc period very stressful.

I would go to the Gp for a general health check and if you're not up to date with your smear tests, have one done too. Tell your GP that you are starting to try for a baby and they will be able to give you lots of advice to improve your general lifestyle which can have a huge impact on fertility.

Give up smoking if you smoke, and start taking folic acid. Generally improving your diet should provide you with the nutrients you need, but prenatal vitamins are good to take too.

Your husband can help his little swimmers by increasing his zinc intake, either through diet or a supplement.

Baby making should be fun, just try and relax and enjoy all the sexercise!

The one thing I did when ttc, was lay on the side I was ovulating from after sex. I know which side I'm ovulating on as I get a pinchy pain. Anyway, got pregnant very soon after starting to ttc, and now have a beautiful baby girl

Good luck ttc, hopefully you'll be posting over in the pregnant forum before long

DetectivFoxtrot

crazy cat lady wrote: »

I know that everyone has given you really good advice here, and what I'm going to say is that if you're not too desperate to get pregnant, just have fun trying for a few months and see how you get on!

The Ovulation prediction kits and monitoring your temp etc... is all very useful, but it can take over your life and before you know it, getting pregnant is all your life is about. This can have a negative effect on fertility and can make the ttc period very stressful.

I would go to the Gp for a general health check and if you're not up to date with your smear tests, have one done too. Tell your GP that you are starting to try for a baby and they will be able to give you lots of advice to improve your general lifestyle which can have a huge impact on fertility.

Give up smoking if you smoke, and start taking folic acid. Generally improving your diet should provide you with the nutrients you need, but prenatal vitamins are good to take too.

Your husband can help his little swimmers by increasing his zinc intake, either through diet or a supplement.

Baby making should be fun, just try and relax and enjoy all the sexercise!

The one thing I did when ttc, was lay on the side I was ovulating from after sex. I know which side I'm ovulating on as I get a pinchy pain. Anyway, got pregnant very soon after starting to ttc, and now have a beautiful baby girl

Good luck ttc, hopefully you'll be posting over in the pregnant forum before long

this is really good advice also. I have been ttc for so long now that I'm trying anything and everything, even if it's bordering on the obsessive.:o Am just looking forwaed to my RE appointment next week, hopefully I'll finally sort my issues out.