Becoming a parent and raising a child is full of pleasant challenges and surprises. It is also a life changing experience.
In Sri Lanka it is natural for a newly married couple to immediately start thinking about making a baby. This is normally a much easier hurdle to overcome to our parents than it is for most others because we have a clustered community and help is just a call away.
However there are certain aspects that parents-to-be should know about conceiving a baby as it is not always easy and some parents need proper education on conceiving. This article will help you understand about conceiving and fertility options that you could adopt if you are trying to have a baby.
Let’s look at some fertility options that will help you boost the chances of you and your partner getting pregnant.
1. Get a preconception check-up
This is something that you should think of doing even if you just started to conceive or has been doing for a while. In a preconception check-up your doctor will advice you on prenatal vitamins. These prenatal vitamins are rich in a substance known as folic acid which will help protect against certain birth defects such as spina bifida (where the baby is born with improperly formed spine).
As folic acid works mostly during the early phases of the pregnancy it is important to have it as early as possible of your pregnancy.
Also it is important to do this check-up before conceiving because it will help you to identify medical problems and get them treated before going ahead.
2. Understand Your Cycle
You should have an idea about your biological clock. This is because there are different times when females are most fertile. And by trying in the wrong times will only aggravate and pressurize you and your partner.
It is understood that when ovulation takes place then this is the best time to start having sex. You know that you are ovulating when there is a change in your cervical mucus which becomes thin and slippery. There are other signs when this time is near. Some women gets a twinge of pain which is one sided.
You can do this by taking the first day of your menstrual cycle as day one and start from day nine till you get a positive sign. You are most fertile two to three days prior ovulation and 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. Using an Ovulation Calendar will also help you keep track of the time best to conceive.
3. Ready Yourself
It is important that you prepare yourself for intercourse so that you and your partner wouldn’t suffer through it. So before you proceed and to increase the chances of conceiving try to relax and nurture your body.
One thing that you can do to achieve this is by asking your partner to massage your body. This simple act will both help you relax and emotionally bond with your partner. Massages helps to boost your immunity, improve the blood flow and circulation to all the crucial organs and release body strain.
4. Eat right
The right amount of food and the right type of food will help you have a healthy conception. Have a diet with key nutrients such as protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fats that is vital for a healthy development of the foetus.
The right food will also boost libido that is a crucial factor for a good sex life. Fruits such as bananas and avocado have good portions potassium and vitamins that will increase the body’s energy levels. Some women who spoke to the Baby Space said that almonds and nuts helped them during intercourse. This is mainly because these foods are rich in fatty acids which especially help to produce male hormones. Strawberries, mangoes and peaches are other fruits that you have to add to your diet.
5. Create the mood
The key for a healthy conception is having passionate sex. It is important that you and your partner have pleasure during intercourse. For this you have to get into the right mood. A feature that will help this is by having a perfume that you and your partner like sprayed in the room. It is found that smell arouse passion.
Make sure that you as well as your partner is ready for sex. Sometimes a hectic work day will put off one. If one did have a stressful day first try relaxing and prepare the mind as well as the body to it.
6. Have a healthy lifestyle
This is also an important factor because infertility could be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. Make sure that you avoid drinking, smoking, weighing over and under the required body weight, working out for hours with strenuous exercises and leading a stressful life.
This could go both ways as it is found that men who substance abuse have problems in the production of sperms.
An unhealthy lifestyle after conception will also affect your baby physically and mentally. So adopting a healthy lifestyle will help your baby, partner and you to lead a happy life.
7. Treatments for fertility
If you still can’t conceive then your next option is to go for medical treatments. Even though some mothers have a negative idea about medication there are instances where couples where able to conceive healthily by the help.
Here are some options that you can explore on.
Fertility Drugs: these helps to regulate hormones that will enhance the chances of fertility. They are also known to release more eggs per cycle. However they also come with side effects such as digestive upsets, bloating, headaches and mood swings.
Surgery: sometimes blocks in the fallopian tubes could result in infertility. This surgery will unblock these tubes.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI): in this treatment your partner’s sperm will be injected into your uterus through a catheter.
These are just few of the fertility treatments that are not available. To see what the most suitable option is for you consult your doctor.