Top 10 mistakes when trying to get pregnant
Some manage to get pregnant on the first try, while others try for years, but everything turns out to be unsuccessful. What is the reason?
If you want to improve your chances of having a baby, don't make the common mistakes that we will tell you about.
1. To worry too often
Stress is one of the main factors that reduce the likelihood of conception. If a woman's body has high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, this can negatively affect her fertility. American scientists watched 400 couples who tried to become parents, and came to the following conclusions: if a woman has a high level of alpha-amylase (stress indicator), her chances of getting pregnant are reduced by 29% compared to those who have this indicator within the normal range. Experts believe that under the influence of chronic stress, the production of hormones that ensure a stable cycle is reduced.
If you are having trouble getting pregnant, try to relax and let go of the situation for a while. Try meditation, yoga - it has asanas that improve blood flow to the pelvis and thus stimulate the synthesis of the necessary hormones. This has a positive effect on the ability to conceive. Stop constantly planning a pregnancy. Instead, just remind yourself daily that this is a miracle that happens very often.
2. Don't do too much or too little.
A large number of couples are convinced that the chances of conceiving a baby will greatly increase if they do not have sex for a week, "saving" sperm. It's a delusion. After a week of abstinence, sperm become much less mobile. Therefore, doctors advise to have sex daily or every other day for a week before ovulation and on the day it occurs. More frequent intimacy can negatively affect the ability of sperm to fertilize, and less often creates the risk of missing the window of conception.
It has been scientifically proven that regular sex life helps to stabilize the cycle: the male body releases hormones that affect the female reproductive system. Therefore, with regular sex, more estrogen is produced.
3. Use questionable techniques
Although we live in the 21st century, many women continue to practice douching, believing in the miracle of this method. It seems that there is a logic in this: from infections, malnutrition, bad habits, the environment in the vagina becomes acidic, and the sperm in it dies and cannot fertilize the egg. Therefore, many begin to introduce a weak soda solution so that the environment becomes alkaline and conducive to conception.
Doctors do not support douching: together with harmful microorganisms, baking soda destroys useful ones, disrupting the natural pH of the vagina. There is also a risk of exacerbation of inflammatory processes, due to which damage, erosion of the cervix can develop, which can often only be detected during examination by a gynecologist.
4. Make mistakes in calculations
The most common mistake is incorrect determination of the day of ovulation. For most women, it occurs in the middle of the cycle, but this applies to women with a 28-32 day cycle. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before your period starts. Therefore, if you have a 24-day cycle, then ovulation will occur on day 10. If your cycle is noticeably longer, say 42 days, then it can be assumed that you ovulate less often, not in every cycle. In this case, as well as if you have an irregular cycle (in this case, ovulation can be either on day 6 or on day 21), or you do not remember the last time you had your period, forget these rules. Here you can not do without an ovulation test, with which you can easily find out when you have a conception window.
Often women make another mistake - they do not count the beginning of the cycle from the first day of menstruation. The day of the onset of menstruation is the one on which blood begins to stand out, not the day before and not the day after that. It is very important to know the exact day of the beginning of the cycle, because for a successful conception, the account goes literally for hours.
5. Blame yourself
With unsuccessful attempts to become pregnant, infertility on the part of the woman is usually assumed. Only in reality both partners have the same degree of responsibility. According to statistics, in 40% of cases men are infertile, in another 40% - women, and in the remaining 20% unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant are due to problems of partner compatibility. Therefore, do not panic ahead of time: on average, a healthy couple needs 6 months to 1 year to conceive.
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6. Trying to keep everything on schedule
Pregnancy cannot be planned precisely. Although healthy couples usually need from 6 months to a year to conceive, sometimes the first six months are spent for a woman only to normalize the cycle, which has gone astray due to the use of contraceptives. Until the cycle becomes regular, ovulation will not occur. So, if after 6 months the menstrual cycle has not returned to normal or you are not sure that you are ovulating, be sure to go to the gynecologist.
7. Hurry
Many people find it sarcastic to say that after sex, a woman needs to lie on her back for about 20 minutes with her buttocks raised. But, according to doctors, it increases the chances of getting pregnant by 80%. So don't neglect this method.
8. Ignore worries for which there is reason
Seeing a doctor is not paranoia. There are situations when you should not ignore what bothers you, because we are talking not only about you, but also about the future baby. It is possible that your cycle has always been irregular, and this is the reason why you cannot get pregnant. Or maybe you have some kind of illness, and you want to make sure that this does not threaten the health of the unborn baby.
If you are worried about something or are not sure about something, go to see a specialist. He will explain to you what surprises and difficulties you may face. If you have difficulty trying to get pregnant later, you will know what to do.
9. You cannot give up bad habits
At least one year before the planned pregnancy, you should quit bad habits. Doctors all over the world warn: the first trimester is the most important stage in the formation of the future baby's body. Even a tiny dose of alcohol can cause irreparable harm to him.
Some women drink alcohol in early pregnancy without realizing their interesting situation. So, if you are not using protection, either give up alcohol and cigarettes, or keep them to a minimum.
10. Do not monitor your partner's health
Anything that harms your fertility can negatively affect a man's ability to conceive. Tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy diets deteriorate the quality and decrease the number of semen. Studies show that smoking and alcohol damage sperm at the chromosome level. Considering that complete sperm renewal takes 3 months, at least for this period your partner should give up bad habits. Make sure his diet is balanced, including selenium, vitamins C and E - they are very beneficial for men's health.
The effect of temperature on a man's ability to conceive has not been proven. American experts believe that it is not essential for the work of the male genital organs. However, some doctors advise against taking hot baths often, even if the man has no sperm quality issues.
A number of studies indicate that the temperature of the scrotum rises when a person holds a laptop on their lap for a long time. Other experts have found that radiation from mobile phones can reduce a man's ability to conceive, especially if the gadget is in his pants pocket. Yet a clear relationship between warmth and male fertility has not been established.
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