What helps Fertility?

MJMum

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Welshlassie

I'd say the best thing to help is know your cycle, when you ovulate and how long your luna phase is (time from ovulation to period). This helps you know when you are most fertile and so can time intercourse appropriately to maximise your chances. I've been told the opposite about having sex too much, I was told that daily during your fertile phase (if you can manage it) is the best way, there are so many sperm in a single ejectulation that the drop isn't significantly noticable.

I'm currently 24 weeks pregnant, we starting trying in July last year and I was very impatient to get pregnant so I started temping after 4 months and caught the 5th month after July. This involves taking your Body Basal temperature at every morning. You will need a Basal thermometer (although I just had a normal digital to 2 decimal points one). Then every morning at exactly the same time as soon as you wake up (even before getting out of bed to go to the toilet) you take your temp. Over the month you will see slight fluctuations in your temp, as you ovulate you will have a spike in your temp which will stay up for your lunar phase and it will either stay elevated if you are pregnant or drop as your period arrives. It is also useful to monitor your cervical mucus and this changes over the course of a month. A fab website for monitoring this information is Fertility Friend it is an amercian website, but I found it useful for keeping track of my temp over the month and noting mucus and symptoms. Once you've done this for a few months you'll be able to pin point if you are ovulating and when and if nothing happens you will have documentary information to show your doctor how long your cycle is.

As others have said try and relax and enjoy the process, the more stressed you get the less likely you are to concieve. Good luck.

Mizz_Pink

"It took me many years to get pregnant and we tried everything and anything and all the old wives tales. One of the things I found most helpful was the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (it is on Amazon). "

Ive just ordered this book off Amazon, will read it while in Lanzarote next week. (The reviews were very good)

Thanks

trigger2

I had my daughter at 26, we'd been trying for 16 months & had been told by GP to come back after our planned holiday & they'd do some tests. We went to w africa, drank loads, took malaria tabs, & guess what happened that month !!!! I'd used the ovulation kits & they always came out positive, so I dunno why it took this time. With my son it happened straightaway & we were expecting a long wait ! A friend of mine tried for 3 years without success, all tests showed up fine, then she fell pregnant. The GP advised if she wanted another to try straightaway as it was likely to take a while - she fell pregnant when the lo was 11 weeks old !! Try & have a good holiday & enjoy it. I feel for you, i remember how I felt every month & i got quite down about it. Best of luck :grouphug:

purplepurple

Becles wrote: »

We also visited Knaresborough on a short break, and we went to Mother Shiptons Cave. http://www.mothershiptonscave.com/main.htm I put my hand in her wishing well and wished for a baby, and I concieved that month :eek:

A friend of mine tried this too! and is having her baby later this year!

When we started trying, I went and hugged a stone at Avebury (like you do!) and that did the trick.....
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-avebury.htm

old wives tales aside..... just to echo what most have said, just keep trying but try not to get too stressed by it all...... Good Luck!:D

Curious_George_2

I could never get my head around all that temp taking,
if all the advice was to relax and not get stressed about conceiving then i always thought having to take your temperature before you even get out of bed couldnt really help!
im on a few pregnancy forums and from what ive seen it makes some women crazy....
we were trying to conceive but it wasnt the first thing i thought of on waking, i wasnt keeping track of every little detail like **TOO MUCH INFO ALERT** how stretchy my cervical mucus is and things like that (yes im serious) constantly looking for early symptoms in the 2 week wait ("ive got a head ache... is that a symptom??" "i thought about weetabix... is that an early symptom?")
there are a few members on a board im on that nearly made me leave because i couldnt bear to watch them crash and burn every month when it didnt happen for them,
also i didnt understand the 'having sex only to make a baby' mentality some of them had, they would practically attack thier other half for a week of every month and then begrudge them for the rest of the time!!!
i think it becomes too mechanical and unenjoyable and that probably doesnt help either,

temping might be just the thing you need... some women find it really helpful, but it would have driven me bats!
I had an irregular cycle after having my coil removed, so all i could do was listen to my body... i took a note of when i got an ovulation pain (stabbing pains usually in the lower right hand side of your stomach) and took my OH to bed, he had no idea when it was baby-making sex and when it wasnt (we are very compatible in that way )
and it took us 3 months, not saying its as easy as all that (im probably quite fertile as it didnt take long to fall pregnant with my daughter either)
but i can only tell you what i know!

good luck and dont forget to have fun while your at it! :j :j

flis21

Well, I am 27 and hubby is 28. I came off the pill 18 months ago, we were seriously trying for about 4-5 months, but then I broke my ankle which has put things on hold a bit. I did mention something to my GP last time I saw him and he said that losing weight would probably help, as well as my OH giving up smoking. So we are trying this, but good to know about the temperature stuff and testing and things. It is also nice to know that other people have fallen pregnant naturally, but not necessarily straight away. I just sort of assumed that 1-2 months without being on the pill would do it!!

Anyway, will have lots of fun while we keep trying and will try not to get too stressed!

niknaks

I second getting the Taking Charge of Your Fertility book - very easy to read and very informative.

I am currently 13 weeks pregnant (still nervous naturally) but it took us three years to get pregnant. We were due for IVF later this year but fell pregnant naturally.

I found temping very easy and fell pregnant on my fifth cycle of temping - I only wish I had begun doing it earlier. Made me feel much more aware of my body and gave me back a feeling of control that infertility takes away from you. I have irregular cycles and irregular sex (sorry tmi) so needed to make sure it was well timed!

Have a look at the fertility forums mentioned - you will find loads of advice there - fertility friend or http://www.tcoyf.com/ both are American but lots of Brit girls too.

I am overweight too, of course it is better all round to lose it - but don't let people make you feel too bad about it. It is too easy to dismiss you by saying 'go away and lose weight'.

Finally, the month I got pregnant, I was super stressed, it was just after Xmas, money was tight and I was starting up a business and had been told I would need expensive IVF. If being stressed stopped you getting pregnant there would be no babies born during times of war, economic depression etc.

The problem with suggesting people relax (and I am not telling anyone off here, I promise - I know it is always well intentioned) is that it implies to the person struggling to get pregnant that they are bringing it on themselves. That it is their own fault for being stressed.

In the 'top ten things not to say to someone suffering from infertility' list, 'just relax' comes in at number 1.

Oops, cross posted - OH came in while I was typing!

Delilah

I agree my infertility was due to me not ovulating not due to me not relaxing. The day i got pregnant i remember me and my husband saying 'can you be bothered'?? Obviously i am now glad i now, did but after a while it did begin to feel like a chore. Enjoy !!;)

ooobedoo

It took 2 years to get pregnant with DS, it took 2 minutes to get pregnant with DD. I remember crying when I got off the phone to my friend before I knew about DS, she had just told me that she was pregnant, I ended up having him removed 2 days before her son was born! They are starting school in September!!!!!!!!

Good Luck!