Increasing Your Odds of Conceiving
Aug 30 '00 (Updated Mar 09 '02)
The Bottom Line Relax and Take care of yourself!
This is a re-write of a previous article, which has been deleted by yours truly.
In my early to mid 20's I conceived twice, and was blessed with a baby girl in Dec of 1994. In my late 20's things were a bit more complicated. I suffered a 2nd miscarriage and was eventually diagnosed with Endometriosis (look for other articles on this disease). Conceiving again was going to be a bit trickier.
The first steps we took were some basic fertility tests. I went to a Reproductive Endocrinologist who ordered some blood work to look for other problems with my ovulatory function and a test called an HSG, where dye is inserted through the cervix into the womb. The dye is meant to run out into the abdomen through the fallopian tubes, so long as there are no blockages which could prevent pregnancy.
In my case the tests determined that I was still ovulating, albeit probably not every month. And that my tubes were still open. My best chance at both symptom relief from the "endo" and successful conception was going to be surgery, followed by fertility drugs.
My surgery was via laparoscopy, meaning making use of a camera inserted through my navel and other tiny incisions through which tools were inserted. This helped me avoid a large abdominal cut as well as a long hospital stay, I was home later the same day. During my procedure my right ovary was unattached from the back of my uterus and my left tube was unattached from my intestines. It was unlikely, with this finding, that I would have conceived successfully without the operation.
After having surgery to repair some of the damage caused by the Endo, my Doctor advised starting Clomid as the surgery gave us a 6 month window in order to conceive. However, we decided to try a bit on our own b4 going that route to to the expense, the fact that clomid would aggravate my medical condition, and the fear of multiples (clomid gives you a 1in10 shot at twins). We gave ourselves 1 cycle to try on our own b4 going on to Clomid. It was a calculated risk, and we were very lucky int hat it paid off for us.
Now before reading further these are techniques that we used to give us an edge. My husbands sperm count was fine and we knew I was ovulating -- the trick was going to be getting pregnant b4 the Endo caused the same damage again. If you have a direct cause to your infertility such as low sperm count or lack of ovulation you may require a Dr's assistance in conceiving.
Here are the tips and techniques that gave us our 2nd daughter:
tea regular tea drunk a couple of times a day DOUBLES your conception chances. During the month I was trying I switched tea for my coffee.
robitussin plain old fashioned robitussin is theorized to thin cervical mucus and assist the sperm's travels. I took 3 doses a day from day 10 of my cycle until after I knew I had ovulated.
ovulation predictor testing we used home tests to help narrow down when I was actually ovulating, turns out it was later than i would've thought. The tests can be pricey. But 1 box generally contains 5 tests and if you are regular this is probably sufficient. I actually only used 4 tests b4 it was clear that "it was time".
doing the "dance" frequently if you have a sperm factor in your infertility your Dr might advise only "dancing" every other day to allow your partners reserves to build up. We personally held off on "dancing" for about a week waiting for the above mentioned ovulation tests to show something was up. Once we knew I was in my fertile zone, we "danced" as often as was convenient over a 5 day period.
elevating hips afterwards after "dancing" we would use pillows under my hips to keep those guys swimming in the right direction. I would then stay in this position for about 15-20 minutes.
enjoy yourself studies show that a woman's shall we say reaction to "dancing" is actually a help to the sperms travels. It is also most effective if the female's ....ahem... enjoyment immidiately follows her partner's.
relax noone knows why but stress does seem to impair fertility. We tried like mad for 5 days as I said above. And then I let it go as much as possible. I tried to not think or talk about it during the 2 weeks between ovulation and my menses due date.
take care of yourself stop any drug habits b4 trying - ie alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine; eat well - this is not the time to diet; start taking vitamins - I've always started taking prenatal vitamins about a month b4 starting to "try" to make sure I got enough folic acid (folic acid reduces odds of spina bifida and other similar disorders) and other nutrients.
I hope the above tips are of some use to you in your quest for conception. I wish you well!!!!
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