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Fertility Tips: Getting Pregnant

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Want to increase your odds of hitting the reproductive jackpot? The following tips from Ann Douglas -- author of The Mother of All Pregnancy Books (U.S. edition and Canadian edition), The Mother of All Pregnancy Organizers and The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby (first edition and the brand new second edition) -- offers some helpful tips on maximizing your chances of conceiving now that the moment of truth (a.k.a. ovulation!) is fast approaching). Things that are on your mind at this stage of the game include cervical mucus, temperature charts, ovulation predictor kits (OPKs), whether or not you've reached your most fertile days, and -- finally -- whether or not it's time to crack open that pregnancy test. (Note: If you find this list of tips helpful, you may want to read some of Ann's fertility articles, too.)


• Did you get a bad night's sleep last night? Make a note on your temperature chart. Getting less than three consecutive hours of sleep can make your BBT (basal body temperature) reading unreliable. Other things that can throw it off include illness (especially fever) and using an electric blanket.
• Don't notice any sort of temperature shift on your BBT chart? Don't panic. Some women who are ovulating normally don't experience the classic temperature rise upon ovulation. Instead, their BBT remains constant throughout their menstrual cycle.
• Studies have shown that the most fertile period in a woman's cycle are the five days leading up to ovulation. If you expect to ovulate soon, this is peak babymaking season.
• As ovulation approaches, your cervix tends to rise up in your vagina, soften, and open slightly. Although it feels firm like the tip of your nose at the start of your menstrual cycle, by the time you're ready to ovulate, it feels soft and fleshy like your lips. You can monitor this particular fertility sign yourself.
• Is your menstrual cycle longer or shorter than 28 days? Chances are, you won't ovulate on Day 14. Ovulation typically occurs 14 days before the start of the next menstrual cycle--not 14 days after the end of the last one.
• Looking for a natural way to relax when you're trying to conceive? An orgasm could be just what the doctor ordered! Studies have shown that an orgasm is 22 times as relaxing as the average tranquilizer.
• This could be the big night! If you're taking your BBT to try to pinpoint your most fertile days, don't wait until your temperature starts shooting upward before you start trying to conceive. By that time, ovulation will have already occurred and you will have missed your babymaking opportunity.
• Once ovulation has occurred, the waiting game begins. There won't be enough human chorionic gonadotropin in your urine for a pregnancy test to pick up until at least 12 days after ovulation--perhaps even longer.
• Are you tracking your basal body temperatures? If you are, you might be able to save yourself the cost of a home pregnancy test. If your period ends up being late, you will simply need to note whether your luteal phase--the number of days since you ovulated--is longer than normal. If you end up with 18 consecutive elevated temperatures or your temperature remains elevated for at least three days longer than your longest luteal phase to date, you'll be able to conclude that you're pregnant.
• Tempted to lit up a cigarette or have a glass of wine? You should assume that you're pregnant until you know for sure that you're not. One of the most critical periods in embryonic development happens before a woman even knows that she's pregnant.
• Your body begins to produce hCG about a week after conception. The production of hCG combined with rising progesterone levels causes blood flow to the pelvic area to increase--something that could have you running to the bathroom at frequent intervals as your pregnancy progresses.
• Don't panic if you experience a small amount of spotting. Some women experience implantation bleeding about a week after conception--the point in pregnancy when the fertilized egg attaches itself to the uterine wall. Many women mistake this light amount of bleeding for a menstrual period--something that can wreak havoc on their ability to calculate their due dates.
• Over $206 million dollars worth of pregnancy tests are sold in the U.S. each year.
• Although pregnancy is the most common explanation for missing a period, you can miss a period for many other reasons: jet lag, severe illness, surgery, shock, bereavement, or other causes of stress. And as if that weren't enough to muddy the waters, some women continue to have menstrual-like bleeding throughout at least part of their pregnancies.
• If you purchase a pregnancy test that requires that you collect a urine sample rarther than testing your urine while you urinate, make sure that you have a clean, soap-free container on hand. Soap residue can affect the accuracy of the test.
• Contrary to popular belief, taking contraceptive pills, antibiotics, and analgesics such as acetaminophen should not affect the accuracy of your pregnancy test.
• If you're totallly losing your mind, waiting for it to be time to actually use that pregnancy test, why not kill some time reading some of the pregnancy-related articles on the articles page of this site?
• Planning to use a home pregnancy test tomorrow? Check to make sure that the test hasn't passed its expiration date and read the test instructions so you'll know what you're doing when it's time to do the test.
• Two weeks have passed since you ovulated. If your period hasn't show up yet, you should be able to get a reliable result on a home pregnancy test starting today. (If you test too soon, there won't be enough hCG in your urine to make the test show a positive.) If you get a positive test result, you're probably pregnant. When errors occur during testing, they are most likely to result in false negatives.
• Be sure to check out the preconception and fertility links at ParentingLibrary.com for more information on getting pregnant and to visit PregnancyLibrary.com for all kinds of other pregnancy-related resources. Finally, if you enjoyed reading these tips, you might also enjoy checking out The Mother of All Blogs -- Ann Douglas' home in the blogosphere!