When it comes to trying to conceive, there are many lies circulating as to how to do it. The myths must be dispelled if you want to get pregnant fast or at all. It is hard to say when the truth first got skewed to make up the many lies that surround the idea of timing conception. The reasons are even harder to understand and figure out. It could be so that more women fell pregnant from not knowing they were fertile. The idea of planning one’s family was not always looked at as a positive thing.
There a few myths that you must know and not succumb to if you want to get pregnant and want to get that way fast. No matter who you are, you need to know how your body works in order to make it work for you.
You are Fertile on the 14th Day of Cycle
It used to be believed, and still is in some circles, that every woman is fertile only on the 14th day of her cycle. Some did extend it to the days surrounding that 14th day as well. The truth is that not every woman is fertile on the 14th day of her cycle. When a woman is most fertile will be determined by how long her cycles are – the time from the start of her period to the start of her next period. Women with longer cycles will not ovulate until much later in their cycle than women who have shorter cycles.
The truth is that a woman ovulates approximate 14 days before her next period is due. The myth got started by those who assumed that all women have 28 day cycles, so ovulation would be on cycle day 14. This is not the case. A normal menstrual cycle can range from 24 – 40 days long, placing ovulation as early as cycle day 10 and as late as cycle day 26. This would make falling pregnant very hard if not near impossible if you were trying to time intercourse around the 14th day only.
The best way to know when to time intercourse and when you are most fertile is to chart your cycle and use a fertility monitor. Ovatel is a saliva based fertility monitor that tells you when you are most fertile and likely to get pregnant each cycle. It is easy to use and offers women a way to track ovulation and conception.
Only Have Sex Once a Month When You Are Most Fertile
We all know a man did not come up with this rule. Not sure how much the woman who did wanted to fall pregnant, as well. There has been so much on the topic of too little and too much sex, when it comes to trying to get pregnant. It can get over whelming and confusing, to say the least. There are some who school under the assumption that it only takes one time to get pregnant. While this is true, it is the minority, not the majority. There are also those who think if you have sex too much that you will use up all the sperm and have none left over during your fertile window.
The myth about too much sex only is for those who either have male factor issues or those who have sex 10 times every single day. The truth is that sperm production is on a positive feedback regime. The more you use, the more you make. An average male will continue to make new sperm each day. While it takes 72 days for the process to be complete, he has plenty to use up. By having sex regularly throughout the entire cycle, it sends the signal to beef up sperm production. If you try to “save” the sperm until later in the fertile window all you will get is dead or dying sperm. These boys will not get you pregnant.
To get good, healthy sperm you must use it. Make sure to have sex at least once every other day. This will put more sperm into the uterus to enhance your chances of conception, as well as keep your partner making more.
The myth about if your man will run out of his sperm is also not true. While it is true that with each ejaculate you get less sperm mixed into the semen, you are still getting plenty to get you pregnant. When you are at you most fertile, you can have sex as much as you like. He will not run out of swimmers, but he will be adding more soldiers to get the job done at the most critical time. The only time that a man should not have sex more than once per day, is if he has low sperm count. The best way to find out if your man has a healthy sperm count, is to have him use a home semen analysis test. This will enable you to have some peace of mind that all is going right.
Once the Egg is Fertilized, You are Pregnant
Many people think that once the sperm and egg meet, you are pregnant. This is not true. Pregnancy begins once the ovum implants into the womb. This takes time and is not likely to happen for many reasons.
If you are having sex during your most fertile time each cycle, the likelihood that the sperm and egg are meeting is very high. The problems arise after that meeting. There are several factors that need to come together perfectly to be sure that a new human life will begin. The first is that there is the right amount of genetic material from each parent.
Sometime sperm and eggs have issues before they meet, or sometimes they get a hiccup when they make the first few divisions, resulting in genetic error incompatible with life. These embryos will never make it out of the fallopian tube and simply disintegrate. You will never know that the egg and sperm met when your period comes on time.
If all is going well and the embryo is dividing like it should, the body will sending signals to produce progesterone to make the uterine lining sticky. Since it take about 6 days for the embryo to make it out of the tube, the lining is usually perfect once it arrives. The truth is that the lining is not always as thick or sticky as it needs to be. If progesterone is low, the lining could be too thin for the embryo to attach to or could be too weak to support a pregnancy even if it does. It also could not have enough sticky receptor to stop the egg from rolling down the lining to implant. Low progesterone can also cause a woman to get her period early, which would flush out any embryo present.
Once the egg implants it makes hCG that tells the ovaries that there is a new life present. This cue makes the ovaries make more progesterone to keep a woman’s period away and allow her to stay pregnant.
The best way to be sure that your body is doing all it should, is to have your hormones tested. If your hormones are at the right levels during specific times of your cycle, you are more likely to ovulate a mature, healthy egg and support its implantation. An at home hormone saliva test is easy to do and will tell you all you need to know to get pregnant fast.