How to Get Pregnant

How to get pregnant. Wondering how to get pregnant? Maximize your fertility — and know when to seek help. Some couples seem to get pregnant simply by talking about it. For others, it takes plenty of patience and a bit of luck. If you're wondering how to get pregnant, start the old-fashioned way. Here's what you need to know — and when to seek help.

Understanding when you're most fertile

Conception is based on an intricate series of events. Every month, hormones from your pituitary gland stimulate your ovaries to release an egg, or ovulate. Once the egg is released, it travels to one of the fallopian tubes. If you want to conceive, now's the time. But how can you tell when you're ovulating? For many women, it's like hitting a moving target.

Keep an eye on the calendar

Use your day planner or another simple calendar to mark the day your period begins each month. Also track the number of days each period lasts. If you have a consistent 28-day cycle, ovulation is likely to begin about 14 days after the day your last period began.

If your cycles are somewhat long, subtract 18 from the number of days in your shortest cycle. When your next period begins, count ahead this many days. The next week is a reasonable guess for your most fertile days.

• Pros. Calendar calculations can be done simply on paper.
• Cons. Many factors may affect the exact timing of ovulation, including illness, stress and exercise. Counting days is often inaccurate, especially for women who have irregular cycles.

Watch for changes in cervical mucus

Just before ovulation, you might notice an increase in clear, slippery vaginal secretions — if you look for it. These secretions typically resemble raw egg whites. After ovulation, when the odds of becoming pregnant are slim, the discharge will become cloudy and sticky or disappear entirely.

• Pros. Changes in vaginal secretions are often an accurate sign of impending fertility. Simple observation — particularly inside the vagina — is all that's needed.
• Cons. Judging the texture or appearance of vaginal secretions can be fairly subjective.

Track your basal body temperature

This is your body's temperature when you're fully at rest. Ovulation may cause a slight increase in temperature — typically less than one degree. You'll be most fertile during the two to three days before your temperature rises. You can assume ovulation has occurred when the slightly higher temperature remains steady for three days or more.

Use an oral thermometer to monitor your basal body temperature. Try the digital variety or one specifically designed to measure basal body temperature. Simply take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed. Plot the readings on graph paper and look for a pattern to emerge.

• Pros. It's simple. The only cost is the thermometer. It's often most helpful to determine when you've ovulated and judge if the timing is consistent from month to month.
• Cons. The temperature change may be subtle, and the increase comes too late for conception — after ovulation has already happened. It can be inconvenient to take your temperature at the same time every day, especially if you have irregular sleeping hours.

Try an ovulation predictor kit

Over-the-counter ovulation kits test your urine for the surge in hormones that takes place before ovulation. For the most accurate results, follow the instructions on the label to the letter.

• Pros. Ovulation kits can identify the most likely time of ovulation or even provide a signal before ovulation actually happens. They're available without a prescription in most pharmacies.
• Cons. Ovulation kits often lead to excessively targeted sex — and timing sex so precisely can invite being too late. For some women, the cost of ovulation kits is prohibitive.

Maximizing fertility

When you're trying to conceive, consider these simple do's and don'ts.

Do:

• Have sex regularly. If you consistently have sex two or three times a week, you're almost certain to hit a fertile period at some point. For healthy couples who want to conceive, there's no such thing as too much sex. For many couples, this may be all it takes.
• Have sex once a day near the time of ovulation. Daily intercourse during the days leading up to ovulation may increase the odds of conception. Although your partner's sperm concentration will drop slightly each time you have sex, the reduction isn't usually an issue for healthy men.
• Make healthy lifestyle choices. Maintain a healthy weight, include physical activity in your daily routine, eat a healthy diet, limit caffeine and keep stress under control. The same good habits will serve you and your baby well during pregnancy.
• Consider preconception planning. Your health care provider can assess your overall health and help you identify lifestyle changes that may improve your chances for a healthy pregnancy. Preconception planning is especially helpful if you or your partner have any health issues.
• Take your vitamins. Folic acid (vitamin B-9) plays an essential role in a baby's development. A daily prenatal vitamin or folic acid supplement beginning a few months before conception significantly reduces the risk of spina bifida and other neural tube defects.

Don't:

• Smoke. Tobacco changes the cervical mucus, which may keep sperm from reaching the egg. Smoking may also increase the risk of miscarriage and deprive your developing baby of oxygen and nutrients. If you smoke, ask your health care provider to help you quit before conception. For your family's sake, vow to quit for good.
• Drink alcohol. Alcohol is off-limits if you're pregnant — or hope to be.
• Take medication without your health care provider's OK. Certain medications — even those available without a prescription — can make it difficult to conceive. Others may not be safe once you're pregnant.

When to consult a doctor

With frequent unprotected sex, most healthy couples conceive within one year. Others need a bit of help.

If you're in your early 30s or younger and you and your partner are in good health, try it on your own for one year before consulting a doctor. You may want to seek help sooner if you're age 35 or older, or you or your partner has known or suspected fertility issues.

Infertility affects men and women equally — and treatment is available. Depending on the source of the problem, your gynecologist, your partner's urologist or your family doctor may be able to help. In some cases, a fertility specialist may offer the best hope. ( MayoClinic.com)

Back Pain During Pregnancy

Back pain during pregnancy. Back pain is a common complaint during pregnancy. Here's how to find relief. Back pain is a common complaint during pregnancy. And it's no wonder. You're gaining weight. You're walking in a new way. And your hormones are relaxing the muscles and ligaments throughout your body.

But you don't have to grin and bear it. Often, you can treat — or prevent — back pain during pregnancy with simple self-care strategies or complementary therapies.

Give back pain the boot

Consider these steps to ease back pain:

• Practice good posture. As your baby grows, your center of gravity shifts forward. As you compensate in some way to avoid falling forward, you may strain the muscles in your lower back — which can cause back pain. Enter the principles of good posture. Tuck your buttocks under, pull your shoulders back and downward, and stand straight and tall.
• Sit and stand with care. Sit with your feet slightly elevated. Choose a chair that supports your back or place a small pillow behind your lower back. Change position often, and avoid standing for long periods of time. If you must stand, rest one foot on a low step stool.
• Sleep on your side. Sleep on your side, not your back. Keep one or both knees bent. It may also help to place one pillow between your knees and another under your abdomen, or use a full-length body pillow.
• Lift properly. When lifting a small object, squat down and lift with your legs. Don't bend at the waist or lift with your back. And know your limits. Ask for help if you need it.
• Get the right gear. Wear low-heeled shoes with good arch support. Wear maternity pants with a low, supportive waistband. Consider using a maternity support belt.
• Try heat, cold or a back rub. Apply heat to your back. Soak in a warm bathtub or try a heating pad. Some women find relief by alternating ice packs with heat. Rubbing your back also may help. Better yet, ask someone to rub your back for you.
• Stay fit. Regular exercise can keep your back strong and may actually relieve back pain. With your health care provider's OK, try swimming, walking or riding a stationary bike.
• Try pelvic tilt exercises. Kneel on your hands and knees with your head in line with your back. Pull in your abdomen, arching your spine upward. Hold the position for several seconds, then relax your abdomen and back. Repeat five times, working gradually up to 10. Ask your health care provider about other stretching exercises, too.
• Consider complementary treatments. It's unclear how effective chiropractic care or acupuncture are at treating low back pain in pregnancy. But they may provide comfort for some women. These methods are likely safe during pregnancy — as long as you're receiving good prenatal care. Discuss your pain with your health care provider first, however, to make sure your back pain isn't caused by an underlying condition.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) is safe to use during pregnancy, but other pain relievers — including aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) — are not. Check with your health care provider before taking any medication to treat your back pain.

Take back pain seriously

Back pain during pregnancy probably won't come as a surprise, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it. A low, dull backache may be a sign of preterm labor. And severe back pain or back pain that's accompanied by vaginal bleeding or discharge may indicate an underlying problem that needs attention. If you're concerned about your back pain, contact your health care provider right away. ( mayoclinic.com)