How to get pregnant if it doesn't work

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Scientifically based advice for women and men.

How often to have sex

To get pregnant, you need to give up all contraception and have vaginal sex every 1-2 days.

First, it will improve sperm quality. Studies have shown that frequent ejaculation increases sperm motility without reducing sperm count.

Secondly, frequent sex allows you not to miss ovulation, which can be difficult to predict.

What Happens If You Have Sex Every Day →

Is it necessary to calculate the fertile window

The period of the menstrual cycle during which a woman can become pregnant is called the fertile window. Usually this is ovulation itself and the last six days before it.

Determining the timing of ovulation requires some effort or expense.

Therefore, the fertile window should be calculated only if partners cannot have sex every 1–2 days.

The easiest way is to observe the amount of cervical mucus. It is a viscous, transparent discharge that forms in the cervix. Cervical mucus begins to be produced in large quantities 5-6 days before ovulation and reaches a maximum in 2-3 days.

Other ways to calculate ovulation →

What prevents you from getting pregnant

The weight

Body mass index is not the most accurate way to determine how thin or fat you are. But, perhaps, the simplest one.

BMI = body weight in kg / (height in m) ².

Normally, the body mass index should be between 19 and 25. When the BMI reaches 30, both women and men have impaired fertility.

How to lose weight in a month: working instructions →

Women with a BMI less than 19 may have problems with the menstrual cycle, and therefore with conception.

Physical exercise

It has long been known that women who exercise daily and intensely may not ovulate.

But this is not the only problem. In 2006, scientists showed that regular physical activity for more than four hours a week reduces the likelihood of having a baby. The menstrual cycle may not be disturbed, but there are problems with the implantation of a fertilized egg or the pregnancy is terminated early.

Smoking

In women, smoking causes premature ovarian failure. At the same time, the likelihood of conception decreases, menopause sets in earlier, and pregnancy is terminated more often.

In men, smoking decreases sperm quality. But there is no convincing evidence that this fundamentally affects fertility.

How To Quit Smoking: 11 Best Ways According To Scientists →

Alcohol and caffeine

Studies have shown that women who drink more than 20 grams of alcohol and more than 500 mg of caffeine (about 5 cups of coffee) per day are less likely to become pregnant.

But alcohol and caffeine do not affect the quality of sperm.

How to understand that you are drinking too much, and it is easy to get rid of this habit →

Lubricants

Many types of intimate lubrication, including saliva and some vegetable oils, have a detrimental effect on sperm cells.

What won't help you get pregnant

Pose during and after sex

Neither position nor time spent in it before or after ejaculation affects the likelihood of pregnancy. Within a few seconds after ejaculation, sperm enter the cervix.

Diet and vitamins

There is still no evidence that diets can speed up conception.

Women planning a pregnancy are advised to take folic acid. However, this vitamin is needed to prevent neural tube defects in the fetus. But only.

Loose clothing and temperature control

Overheating of the scrotum or tight underwear can reduce sperm quality. But insignificantly. That is, the number of children does not depend on the temperature of the laptop on the lap or on the cut of the underwear.

How long to try to get pregnant

Women under 35 are advised to try for one year. If during this time it is not possible to conceive a child, health problems are likely.

After 35 years, the chances of getting pregnant are much less. Therefore, the duration of attempts is limited to six months.

What to do next

If after six months - a year it was not possible to conceive a child, you need to go to the doctor. First of all - to the gynecologist. Women are more likely to suffer from infertility, so they are examined first.

The gynecologist will check the level of hormones on different days of the cycle, do an ultrasound scan, examine the patency of the fallopian tubes, uterus and cervix. Modern technologies make it possible to use less and less surgical operations for such diagnostics.

The gynecologist will explain when and to what specialists a man should go. In men, first of all, sperm is examined, the levels of various hormones and the characteristics of blood circulation in the genitals are checked.

What may be associated with problems with conception in women

The most common reasons are:

• dysfunction of the ovaries;
• endometriosis;
• tubal infertility;
• polyps or adhesions in the uterus;
• violation of the patency of the cervix.

Sometimes there are combinations of diseases. To combat them, hormones, operations, in vitro fertilization (IVF) are used. These methods are very effective and help in most cases.

What may be associated with problems with conception in men

There are fewer reasons for this:

• varicocele;
• hormonal disorders;
• congenital features of the development of the genitals;
• the consequences of infections.

Previously, solutions to problems were limited to surgery, taking hormones, antibiotics, and in vitro fertilization.

Now revolutionary methods have appeared. Reproduction specialists can find the only suitable sperm among the defective sperm and fertilize the egg with this sperm. This approach dramatically increases the likelihood of success.