File image of pregnant woman

Medical practitioners usually advise woman on how to easily conceive, but there are some  infertility in women that prevent them from being pregnant at the right time.

What Is Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. This condition is indicated by positive results encountered in the urine test, and confirmed through a blood test, ultrasound, detection of fetal heartbeat, or an X-ray.

Pregnancy: All you Need to Know

Pregnancy lasts for about nine months, counting from the date of the woman’s last menstrual period (LMP). It is conventionally divided into three trimesters, each roughly three months long.

Pregnancy Trimester And Stages

Pregnancy is classified into three trimester: the most important tasks of basic fetal cell differentiation occurs during the first trimester, so any inconvenience done to the fetus during this period is most likely to result in miscarriage or serious disability.

There is a slim or no chance that a first-trimester fetus can survive outside the womb, even with the best care in any hospital. Its systems are simply too undeveloped.

It is at this stage, the first trimester, that some women experience “morning sickness,” a form of nausea that usually passes within an hour. The breasts also begin to prepare for nursing, and painful soreness from hardening milk glands may result.

As the pregnancy progresses, the mother may experience many physical and emotional changes, ranging from increased moodiness to darkening of the skin in various part of body.

The second trimester, the fetus undergoes a remarkable series of developments. Its physical parts become fully distinct and at least somewhat operational. With the best medical care, a second-trimester fetus born prematurely has at least some chance of survival, although developmental delays and other handicaps may emerge later.

The third trimester is when the fetus gets to the final stage of preparation for delivery. It increases rapidly in weight, as does the mother. As the end of the pregnancy nears, there may be discomfort as the fetus moves into position in the woman’s lower abdomen. Edema (swelling of the ankles), back ache, and balance problems are sometimes experienced during this stage.

Most women are able to go about their usual activities until the very last few days or weeks of pregnancy, including non-impact exercise and work. During the final days, some are not comfortable to continue at a full pace. Pregnancy ends when the birth process begins.

How To Become Pregnant

A woman planning to have a baby should monitor whether the first days of her periods come the same number of days every month, which is assumed to be regular. Conversely, her periods may be irregular, meaning her cycle lengths vary from month to month.

The woman’s egg is fertile for only 12 to 24 hours after it’s released, according to a research, however, a man’s sperm can survive in a woman’s body for more than five days.

Always Have Sexual Intercourse during the ‘Fertile Window’

What is ”Fertile Window”?

The fertile window is a six-day interval, the five days prior to ovulation and the day of it, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. These are the days each month when a woman is most fertile.

Research has shown that there hasn’t been a big difference in pregnancy rates between couples who had sex every day during the fertile window (37 percent) compared with couples who did it every other day (33 percent),

Being physically active most days of the week can help a woman’s body prepare for the demands of pregnancy and labor.

To boost your chances of conceiving, aim to have regular sex (every 2 to 3 days) throughout your cycle so you know that there should hopefully be good-quality sperm waiting when the egg is released. An active sex life is all most people need to be pregnant.

If you know when you ovulate each month you can give yourself the best chance of getting pregnant by having sex in the days leading up to ovulation. Continue having sex during ovulation. After this, your fertile time will be over for that cycle.

What Are The Causes Of Infertility?

1. Age-related fertility: As women get older their fertility decreases because of the age-related changes in the ovaries that cause a decline in the quantity and quality of their eggs.

It’s medically confirmed that there’s a gradual fertility decline in women beginning in their 30s, a sharper decline after age 37 and a steep decline after age 40. These declines mean it may take longer time to become pregnant.

2. Smoking and Drinking: American Society for Reproductive Medicine states that smoking can lead to fertility problems in both women and men. Chemicals found in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, speed up the loss rate of a woman’s eggs.

Smoking makes a woman’s ovaries old and depletes her supply of eggs prematurely.

When trying to conceive a woman should stay away from Marijuana and other recreational drug should be avoided. It’s also a good idea for women to stay away from secondhand smoke, which mostly affect chances of becoming pregnant.

Also, it’s safest for a woman to avoid alcohol when she is willing to become pregnant. A woman hoping to become pregnant should stop consuming alcohol after she stopped using birth control.

A 2017 study, however, revealed that about half of pregnant women in the United States drink alcohol around the time they become pregnant or in early pregnancy, usually before they know they are expecting.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists confirms that drinking alcohol at moderate (one to two drinks per day) or heavy levels (more than two drinks per day) can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant.

Once a woman becomes pregnant, there’s no safe amount of alcohol to consume.

3. Hormonal issues: These can be due to the lack of the necessary synchronized hormonal changes leading to the release of an egg from the ovary.

• The disorders of the thyroid gland: If there is too much thyroid hormone or too little thyroid hormone can interfere with the menstrual cycle or cause infertility.
• The structural issues: Benign growths (such as polyps and fibroid) in the uterus, blocked fallopian tubes, abnormal anatomy of the cervix or uterus, endometriosis, scar tissue.

4. Poor dieting: According to a research, which reveals that a poor diet that is lacking in nutrients can also result to infertility in woman.

Exercise Help Skin Health

5. Too much training: Doctors reveal that getting too much exercise or doing frequent strenuous workouts could interfere with ovulation (causes infertility).

Also, a lot of menstrual disturbance is seen in women who exercise heavily, and a lot of times these women need to reduce their workouts if they want to become pregnant.

6. Fallopian tube damage can include scarring from prior surgery and/or pelvic infections. These include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) due to chlamydia or gonorrhea. Problems with transportation of the egg(s) can occur due to damaged or blocked fallopian tubes.

7. Diminished ovarian: It’s reserved that premature menopause or cessation of ovulation (primary ovarian insufficiency); changes in egg quality or quantity can affect fertility.

Additional factors:

• Kidney disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Certain medications (the effect usually is temporary)
• Diabetes

How To Make Yourself More Fertile

Eat healthy foods

Although there is no specific fertility-promoting diet, eating a variety of healthy foods can help prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy by giving her adequate stores of critical nutrients such as calcium, protein and iron. This includes eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, dairy and healthy sources of fat.

Besides taking a supplement containing folic acid, a woman can also obtain vitamin B from foods such as dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, fortified breads and cereals, beans, citrus fruits and orange juice.

It’s recommended that when trying to get pregnant, reduce the amounts of high-mercury fish you eat such as swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and tile-fish. And limit albacore (white) tuna to 6-ounces per week to reduce exposure to this toxic metal.

Also, lower the consumption of caffeine: taking over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day has been linked with a decrease in fertility in women. Having 1 to 2 cups of coffee, or less than 250 mg of caffeine, per day before becoming pregnant appears to have no impact on the likelihood of conception.

Take a prenatal vitamin

There are recommendations for women who are hoping to become pregnant. You should start taking a prenatal vitamin even before you conceive. This way, you can find one that’s more suitable to your body system and stay on it during pregnancy.

Reach Out For Professional help

It has been recommended that partners of women under 35 years should consult a fertility specialist if she has failed to become pregnant after one year of having unprotected intercourse on a regular basis.

Natural Remedies To Get Pregnant

Eat More Fiber

Eating Fiber helps your body get rid of excess hormones and keeps blood sugar balanced. There are many examples of high-fiber foods, some of it are whole grains, fruits, vegetables and beans.

There are certain types of fiber which can help remove excess estrogen by binding to it in the intestines. The excess estrogen is then removed from the body as a waste product.

According to a study which revealed that eating 10 grams more cereal fiber per day was associated with a 44% lower risk of ovulatory infertility among women older than 32 years.

However, the evidence on fiber is mixed. In another study of 250 women aged 18 to 44, eating the recommended 20-35 grams of fiber per day was linked to nearly 10 times higher risk of abnormal ovulation cycles.

Fiber have many beneficial effects on fertility. However, it’s advised not to consume too much fiber which may interfere with ovulation.

Swap Protein Sources

A research confirms that replacing some animal proteins (such as meat, fish and eggs) with vegetable protein sources (beans, nuts and seeds) is linked to reduced risk of infertility.

In a study, it was found that a higher protein intake from meat was linked to a 32% higher chance of developing ovulatory infertility.

On the other hand, consuming more vegetable protein may protect against infertility.

According to a study which revealed that when 5% of total calories came from vegetable protein instead of animal protein, the risk of infertility decreased by more than 50%.

Therefore, replacing some of the meat protein in your diet with protein from vegetables, beans, lentils and nuts should be considered. It improve fertility levels in women.

Choose High-Fat Diary

Considering the high intakes of low-fat dairy foods, which may increase the risk of infertility, whereas high-fat dairy foods help decrease it.

A study showed that the effects of eating high-fat dairy more than once a day or less than once a week.

This revealed that women who consumed one or more servings of high-fat dairy per day were 27% less likely to be infertile.

You can try replacing one low-fat dairy serving per day with one high-fat dairy serving, such as a glass of whole milk.

Therefore, replacing low-fat dairy products with high-fat versions improve your fertility and increase chances of getting pregnant.

Try a Multivitamin

Women who take multivitamins are less likely to experience ovulatory infertility.

A research confirms that an estimated 20% of ovulatory infertility may be avoided if women consume 3 or more multivitamins per week.

Also, women who took multivitamins had up to a 41% lower risk of infertility. For women trying to get pregnant, a multivitamin containing folate may be especially beneficial.

Another study found that a dietary supplement including chaste-berry, green tea, vitamin E and vitamin B6, improved chances of conception.

It was confirmed that after three months on the supplement, 26% of the women became pregnant compared to just 10% of those who did not consume the supplement.

Therefore, taking a multivitamin aid in boosting fertility if you’re not getting enough nutrients from your diet.

Relax

Exercise Improve Relaxation and Sleep Quality

Women who encounter much stress levels, your chances of getting pregnant decrease. This is due to the hormonal changes that take place when you feel stressed.

Also, having a stressful job and working long hours can also increase the time it takes you to become pregnant.

According to a research which revealed that stress, anxiety and depression affect around 30% of women who attend fertility clinics.

Therefore, taking much time to relax go a long way and avoiding stressful works also affect your chance of getting pregnant.

Recommended: What Pregnant Women Should Eat For Easy Delivery