Only those who become pregnant by accident do not think about the probability of getting pregnant the first time. All married couples planning a child, at the very first, starting stage, ask themselves the question of how to increase the likelihood of conception, because even in healthy men and women, the conception of a baby may not take place.
It is impossible to calculate the probability of conception with mathematical precision, just as, alas, it is impossible to fully understand all the factors that influence this sacrament. But all planners need to start by understanding the rules that, to one degree or another, increase the chances of getting pregnant as soon as possible, and sometimes even the first time. We will talk about them in this article.
Rule number 1 - "Choose favorable days"
The desire to have a child in order to conceive is not enough. It is necessary to clearly understand in which periods of the female menstrual cycle, conception is most likely. A man is fertile by default all the time, and female fertility is in direct proportion to her own cycle.
Immediately after menstruation and during menstruation, it is almost impossible to get pregnant, just before them - too. Only the middle of the menstrual cycle, when a woman ovulates, is ideal for conception.
A woman can calculate the approximate day of her ovulation using a special calculator or on her own, armed with a calendar and a simple pencil. If a woman's cycle on average (from the beginning of some menstruation to the beginning of others) lasts 28 days, ovulation occurs on the 14th day. The first day of menstruation is taken as the starting point. If the cycle duration is 30 days, then the “important day” should be expected for 15 days.
Difficulties can arise in women with irregular menstrual periods. In this case, they should make two calculations - determine the middle of their shortest cycle and the same day of the longest cycle. The result will be a range of 13-16 days or 14-18 days, it is on these days that ovulation should be expected.
Ovulation is the process of release of a mature egg from a ruptured follicle. From this moment, fertilization is possible within 1-1.5 days. If the sperm does not penetrate into the egg within the allotted period of time, the egg dies, and you will have to wait for the next ovulation to try to conceive the baby again.
Male germ cells are more tenacious: the sperm can retain its morphological and other properties for 3-5 days.
Sperm may well "wait" for the release of the egg from the follicle, already in the fallopian tube. That is why the optimal days for having sex for quick conception begin three days before the expected ovulation and continue for 1-2 days after that date.
A calendar of days favorable for conceiving a baby can be drawn up in advance in order to better plan the rest of the preparation, including the active phase. If a woman does this using an online calculator, she can not only calculate the best days of the month, but also print the calendar so that she can always have it at hand, without trying to replay the dates of the days suitable for fertilization in her mind over and over again.
You need to learn to listen to your feelings. On the eve of ovulation, libido changes: sexual appetite increases, the discharge becomes more stringy and abundant, in structure resembling raw egg white, the breast may become more sensitive. On the day of ovulation, many women notice short, rather tangible pains in the side to the right or left. This is how the rupture of the follicle and the release of the egg are felt.
If you carefully observe your sensations in the middle of the cycle for several months, you can learn to almost accurately determine the most favorable period for conception in yourself.
Many people use the method of measuring basal temperature. Every day in the morning, before getting out of bed, women measure the temperature in the rectum and draw up a graph. During ovulation, the temperature drops sharply, and then, if conception is successful, it rises rapidly. This method is good, but only in combination with the observance of the rest of the rules for successful conception.
If there is no time to draw basal temperature graphs, and there are no special sensations, besides the cycle is irregular, a woman can use the pharmacy express tests for ovulation, as well as visit the ultrasound office to track the maturation of the follicle and the release of the egg by ultrasound scanning. An ultrasound scan is by far the most accurate way to determine the days favorable for conception.
Rule # 2 - "Have Sex Right"
Too frequent sexual intercourse in the month of active planning does not increase the likelihood of quickly conceiving a child, as some think, but only reduces it. With frequent contacts, a man's sperm becomes more "liquid", that is, the concentration of germ cells in the seminal fluid decreases, and the amount of ejaculate itself decreases, and this directly affects the likelihood of becoming pregnant.
The best composition of the seminal fluid will be if the man will enter into intimate contact with his partner no more often than once every 2-3 days. Moreover, after menstruation, it is better to refrain from contacts for 4-5 days, and then by the time preceding ovulation, the sperm will be the most concentrated and high-quality. For a couple of days after the expected ovulation, intercourse should be carried out every other day.
It is quite obvious to everyone that sexual intercourse, the purpose of which is to conceive a child, should be unprotected. This means that contraception should not be used - condoms, vaginal suppositories or pills. The act must not be interrupted, incomplete.
It is also not recommended to use intimate gels and lubricants. Such funds, although they facilitate the act, add pleasant sensations to partners, have a detrimental effect on the state of the microflora of the female vagina, at the level of its acidity. Also, lubricants negatively affect sperm motility. Douching before intercourse is unnecessary for the same reason.
Often women are interested in whether posture plays a role during ejaculation. For a healthy woman, without anatomical features, the posture in which intercourse will be performed does not matter.
But women with a slight bend of the uterus back may have problems with the unhindered and rapid penetration of sperm into the uterine cavity. The knee-elbow position is recommended for them, in which the man completes intercourse from behind. This position provides deeper penetration - the path that the sperm must travel is significantly reduced, which increases the likelihood of conceiving a baby the first time.
The "rider" pose is not very suitable for conception, because most of the sperm trapped in the vagina flows out. The classic "missionary" position is considered to be quite favorable for conception. In the arsenal of spouses, there are usually their favorite positions and their combination. Do not give them too much importance. The main thing is to ensure deeper penetration of seminal fluid at the time of ejaculation.
After intercourse, a woman is recommended to stand for about 20 minutes in the "birch" position, when the woman's legs are above her head. You can lie down after intercourse for half an hour by simply throwing your feet up against the wall or headboard. Don't get up right away and run to the shower. If the goal is conception, you need to give the sperm time and create all the conditions for their easier movement along the genital tract, uterine cavity and fallopian tube to the waiting egg.
You should not treat sexual intercourse as a mechanical process of conceiving a child. Try not to think about conception or calculate your chances of getting pregnant. More quickly, according to many years of observations of reproductive specialists, couples who have sex with pleasure and love become pregnant.
An orgasm in a woman increases the likelihood of a quick conception, and love, trust and a feeling of gratitude to a partner for the pleasure they have given create the optimal psychological background for the accomplishment of the great sacrament.
Rule number 3 - "Objectively assess the health of partners"
Reproductive problems can occur in both women and men. That is why doctors recommend starting planning a child with a visit to the medical office. Sometimes a healthy man and woman cannot conceive a baby for a long time, despite all their efforts. It is possible to talk about the possibility of conception the first time only if both partners are completely healthy, everything is in order with their reproductive health.
There is only one way to be sure of this - by visiting a doctor. A woman is recommended to consult a gynecologist, and a man - a urologist. If any deviations are identified, it is better to postpone planning until the moment of complete recovery, so as not to worry in vain.
In the planning process, the most painful thing is the psychological perception of failure. If they did everything right, and the long-awaited pregnancy did not come again, understanding the fiasco is difficult not only for women, but also for men. In order not to waste your nerves, it is better to start planning your son or daughter, being firmly convinced that everything is in order with health.
It is also important to evaluate the state of health on favorable days for conception. If a woman is ovulating according to the plan, and her husband has a viral infection and a high fever, conception may not take place, even if intercourse is successful.
Sperm are very sensitive to many factors. Illness, fatigue, stress in a man, any malaise can significantly reduce his ability to fertilize.
Rule number 4 - "Prepare for conception in advance"
The chances that you will get pregnant the first time will be higher if partners begin to prepare for the fateful cycle in advance. A man should start taking vitamins in about three months. There are special vitamin complexes enriched with folic acid, zinc and selenium. It is these substances that are very important for the composition of the sperm.
Spermatogenesis (the process of sperm production and maturation) lasts about 3 months. That is how long it takes for the composition of the sperm to "renew". It will be good if during all these three months a man will not only take vitamins developed for the stronger sex, but also dietary supplements to improve the quality of sperm.
For three months before the alleged conception, a man should refrain from working with painting materials, paints and varnishes, acids, heavy metal salts, radioactive materials and substances.
A man should not often visit the bathhouse and sauna, turn on electric heated seats in his car, since the temperature effect on the testicles adversely affects the composition of the sperm. You should also refrain from wearing tight underwear and tight pants.
A woman on the eve of conception should start taking folic acid in a couple of months. It, of course, does not increase the likelihood of becoming pregnant, but this substance accumulates in the body. If conception takes place, folic acid will reduce the likelihood of congenital malformations and malformation of the baby tenfold.
Additionally, you can take multivitamins, the composition of which was created specifically for expectant mothers and those planning to conceive.
Both spouses should refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages at least three months before conception. The very process of conception in a state of intoxication does not have much effect on the female ovum, but alcohol has a detrimental effect on the composition of a man's sperm. Therefore, after a couple of glasses of wine, the likelihood of getting pregnant is lower than without them.
The ban on alcohol in this situation has the character of a dry law. No matter how hard men try to justify "just one!" a mug of beer after a working day, it certainly does not benefit reproductive health.
It is more difficult for a woman who smokes to get pregnant than a non-smoker. A man who is seriously thinking about conceiving a healthy child and becoming a dad should also reduce the amount of nicotine used, and it is better to completely abandon this addiction at least for the period of planning the conception of a baby. Preparation for conception also includes giving up drugs or psychotropic drugs.
If one of the spouses took antibiotics, hormones for therapeutic purposes, after the end of treatment, you need to wait at least 1-2 months and only then start planning. Any hobby for medicines, be it antipyretic or headache pills, is not the best companion for couples planning a baby. By the month in which conception is planned, it is better to give up any medicines, except vitamins.
Family nutritional adjustments will also help prepare for conception. The diet of spouses who dream of becoming the mom and dad of a healthy child must include meat and fish, eggs, dairy products, a large amount of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits.
The list of vitamins and minerals necessary for the expectant mother is quite wide. The Miteravel Plus complex, in addition to folic acid, iodine and iron, contains those elements that expectant mothers most often lack: zinc, molybdenum, selenium, as well as vitamins and essential fatty acids Omega-3. Only 1 capsule per day takes into account the daily needs for vitamins and minerals during pregnancy planning, during pregnancy (1, 2, 3 trimesters), during lactation. Regular intake of a complex of vitamins and minerals during planning, during pregnancy and lactation contributes to the development of a healthy child and the preservation of the mother's health, providing increased needs for them when it is especially needed.
It is more difficult for vegetarians to get pregnant precisely because of the lack of animal protein in the body, especially in men. A woman should give up coffee and strong tea a month before conception, this will increase the chances of conceiving quickly. A man should not eat "masterpieces" of fast food - a large amount of preservatives in them cause morphological deformities of spermatozoa, which reduces fertility and increases the likelihood of conceiving a child with chromosomal abnormalities.
Rule # 5 - "Get your thoughts in order"
Very often women who are trying with all their mental strength to get pregnant are faced with the opposite result. After long attempts that have not been crowned with success, they stop "obsessing", despair and unexpectedly become pregnant. History knows many situations when a desperate couple resigns themselves to infertility and takes a foster child from an orphanage, and after a while becomes pregnant with their own. In such cases, the people say that the couple was "rewarded by God."
From the point of view of psychosomatic processes, the following happens: while a woman persistently plans, experiences unsuccessful attempts, she is in a constant state of stress. All her thoughts are only about whether conception succeeded this month or not.
They cannot be distracted by anything else, painfully experience the onset of the next menstruation, and on the last day of menstruation they are already planning a new cycle.Stress hormones, which are produced in such women, interfere with the normal production of female sex hormones, in particular, reduce the concentration of progesterone.
It is progesterone that is necessary for the normal conception and implantation of a fertilized egg into the uterine cavity. When a woman calms down, stops planning and just lives and enjoys, progesterone production returns to normal, pregnancy begins.
That is why it is important to understand the main thing before planning - stress interferes with the onset of pregnancy. Set priorities for yourself, find a place in your life for interesting work, informative and pleasant communication with friends, do not forget about a hobby, make it so that you simply have no time to sit and worry about the fact that conception may not have taken place. Only a calm and measured attitude to planning can guarantee a quick pregnancy.
Do not forget that the feeling of love for your partner comes to the fore. When it is there, pregnancy occurs much faster than couples who have chosen financial well-being, social security, fear of loneliness or other reasons that have little to do with true love as a reason for living together.
What can prevent rapid conception?
Even if a couple does everything right, no one guarantees her a quick conception. Many factors can interfere with fertilization. So, confusion can be caused by the fact that intercourse performed on the day of ovulation does not lead to conception. This is possible if the sperm could not get to the egg, and also if there was no egg at all.
Such cycles, devoid of ovulation, occur from time to time in every woman, even if she is completely healthy. If a woman has problems with a gynecological history, ovarian dysfunction, hormonal disruptions, then the likelihood of anovulatory cycle increases. Sometimes, despite all the calculations, ovulation occurs later than expected. Late ovulation is characteristic of about 5-7% of women at least a couple of times a year, and therefore doctors recommend continuing sexual intercourse after the day of the expected ovulation, every 2-3 days.
Overweight women are one of the most common reasons for not getting pregnant. The more extra pounds, the more difficult it can be to conceive a baby. The hormonal background in obesity, even mild obesity, undergoes great changes.
If a woman decides to become a mother, sometimes it is enough for her to lose only 5% of her body weight for the attempt to be crowned with success.
It is much more difficult for women with underweight. Too thin girls must definitely consult a doctor and gain the missing pounds so that there is a chance of conception. The process of gaining kilograms with pathological thinness takes a lot of time, almost always it is accompanied by the need for hormonal correction.
Sometimes the inability to conceive a child is due to the genetic incompatibility of partners. This does not happen very often, but this reason cannot be ignored. If a man and a woman are completely healthy, and during the year they do not become pregnant, it is worth contacting a geneticist who will prescribe all the necessary tests to establish the compatibility of partners. If their genomes are very similar, then conception is impossible.
Often, conception occurs, but a woman does not even know about it, because on time or with a slight delay of a few days, she has another period. This is the so-called biochemical pregnancy. Fertilization occurs with it, but the ovum fails to gain a foothold in the uterine cavity.
The second option is the rejection of the fixed ovum within a few days after implantation. The true reasons for this phenomenon are not fully known to science. Most often, according to doctors, the embryo does not take root, which has gross chromosomal abnormalities that are incompatible with further growth and development. Also, the reason may lie in an insufficient amount of progesterone produced in a woman's body, in autoimmune processes, when the woman's immunity rejects the embryo.
A woman can guess about a biochemical pregnancy by a delay of several days, by a heterogeneous, clotted menstrual blood consistency, as well as by a weakly positive pregnancy test reaction.
Some, especially those who want to become expectant mothers as soon as possible, begin to do them almost a couple of days after ovulation in the hope of seeing at least the "ghosts" of the second strip. Usually, by the end of the first lunar month (by the first day of the delay), they may seem to have a weak second streak, but menstruation will still begin, overshadowing all the joy.
Is it possible to "order" the sex of the child?
All planning women have heard that the sex of the child can be "programmed". So, popular rumor recommends having sexual intercourse before ovulation, if you want a girl to be born. If an heir is needed, then conception should be postponed until the day of ovulation on the first day after it. This opinion is erroneous and here's why:
- The sex of the child is determined by the sperm. If a sperm cell fertilizes an egg with a set of XX, a daughter is born, if the first one has time for a sperm with a set of XY, a boy should be expected.
- It is believed that XY is faster sperm, and XX is more tenacious. That is why it is advised to "stock up" with XX sex cells in advance, if you want a daughter. In fact, the lifespan of sperm with different sex chromosomes is exactly the same, as are the ability to move, speed, and other parameters.
It is impossible to conceive a boy or a girl, one baby or triplets "to order". The only way to "choose" a child of a certain gender is IVF.
The probability of getting pregnant - in numbers
Reproductive specialists have calculated that the probability of getting pregnant the first time after competent preliminary preparation in a perfectly healthy young couple is only 11%. This is the maximum value, which cannot be increased by following the rules or by folk methods. If a couple has aggravating factors, for example, age, bad habits, chronic diseases, then the probability decreases proportionally.
The probability of conception the first time in a woman aged 20-23 is close to 11%, and in a 30-year-old woman it has already been reduced to 7%, in a woman over 36 the chances of getting pregnant the first time, if all the above recommendations are followed, are only 4% ... However, you should not despair. According to statistics, 60% of couples who are of reproductive age become pregnant within the first six months from the start of planning. One in three couples become pregnant during 12 menstrual cycles, that is, within a year.
An event important for a family should be treated philosophically, but it is imperative to prepare for it. Couples who go to conception with a conscious mutual desire to raise a baby, according to experience, have more chances to become successful parents who will be able not only to conceive and give birth, but also to raise and educate a worthy person.
In a quarter of cases, when an egg meets a sperm, fertilization does not occur for reasons that are beyond the competence of medicine. They are inexplicable. Women who are over 35 years old have a 20% increase in the likelihood of conceiving not one, but two or three babies at once.
In 40% of cases of family infertility, men are "to blame", or rather, deviations in the state of male reproductive health.
Experts recommend visiting a doctor with complaints of possible infertility after a year of unsuccessful independent attempts. For couples in which the woman is more than 35 years old, this period of time is reduced to six months.
For information on how to conceive a child the first time, see the next video.
