Many people write to me desperate to become pregnant but under the impression that all they have to do is to have unprotected sex a few times, and you will become pregnant. These couples soon find out that this is not the case; many begin to wonder if there is something wrong with them and start to wonder if they have a fertility problem.
A little investigation into the process of becoming pregnant will show us that the woman ovulates only once a month and that the ovum will only last about 12 hours before it dries up and becomes unable to be fertilized. This little fact alone puts into perspective the timescale a little and when you think that you have been having unprotected sex for 3 months and that to you seems like ample time to become pregnant then think again about the percentage of the total time in those three months that you could actually conceive, and you will begin to understand why it is actually a close to a miracle that anyone becomes pregnant at all under the best of circumstances.
We have so much fear of getting pregnant drummed into us as teenagers that we really believe that simply having unprotected sex a few times will undoubtedly result in pregnancy and when it doesn’t we begin to wonder if we are infertile or not.
Simply arming yourselves with a little knowledge of how the process of pregnancy occurs and how the male and female bodies react can dramatically improve your chances of becoming pregnant.
Little facts like how to tell when you are about to ovulate, how the man can increase or decrease the potency of his sperm, and knowing what foods are congenial to conception can all increase your chances of becoming pregnant and raise your hopes, so you do not sink into a depression about not becoming pregnant which can also have a detrimental effect on the conception process.
Here are a few very general tips I give out to the many people who regularly write to me the very same question- “I have been trying to get pregnant for three months and can’t. Please help me”;
* The basic key is to keep a healthy mind and body… i.e., healthy eating, no drinking, smoking, or drug-taking (including prescription drugs where possible — consult your doctor).
* Smoking not only causes damage to the fetus in the first few days of existence but also greatly lowers the chances of getting pregnant for both the male and female.
* The use of cannabis or marijuana acts as a natural contraceptive slowing the sperm’s ability to travel by up to 50%.
* Are you aware of when you ovulate? (There are methods outlined on our website on how to do this if you are not.)
* In an ideal situation you should aim to make love a few hours before ovulation actually occurs.
* Repeated ejaculation dramatically lowers the male sperm count. To retain a healthy sperm count you should make no more than once every 2 or 3 days.
* Avoid the use of tight male underwear
Check out our website for more information and tips and if you feel that you are still doing all the right things and have tried everything then you may want to consult your doctor to see if there is an obvious medical problem as a large percentage of fertility problems do have a solution.
