Pregnancy is the happiest moment and beautiful journey in women life. A woman is incomplete if she doesn’t go under at least one pregnancy in her lifetime. Even getting pregnant is a miracle for some couples who face a lot of difficulties for getting pregnant.
Pregnancy is a condition when a woman develops an embryo and carries a fetus inside her uterus for nine months. The missed menstruation periods and urine test can indicate the pregnancy with some specific signs. Your doctor can confirm the positive pregnancy through a blood test, ultrasound, and fetal heartbeat. There are three trimesters in pregnancy and each trimester has three months.
Pregnancy happens when a man’s sperm meets a woman’s egg. The woman egg gets fertilized and implanted in the uterus lining. It takes approximately 2 – 3 weeks after intercourse to egg fertilization to result in pregnancy.
What happens in Conception?
Table of Contents
Pregnancy is a complicated process of sperm and egg.
Sperm is a microscopic cell formed in male testicles. Than sperm combine in other fluids and become semen, which comes out during male ejaculation. There are millions of sperm come out whenever ejaculate happen but only one sperm cell can able to meet with an egg for conception.
Eggs are produced by women ovaries, which is a part of the reproductive system. The hormones such as estrogen levels cause eggs to get mature every month. A mature egg is ready for fertilization by a sperm cell. Then these hormone develops a thick lining in a woman’s uterus which makes the woman body to get prepare for pregnancy.
How to get pregnant?
Are you struggling to get pregnant? It is a painful feeling when your expectation doesn’t meet your health condition and make you wait longer to see your baby. Let’s follow the ways to get pregnant.
Stop Birth Control Medications
The birth control pills are a popular pregnancy prevention method. These pills also help to treat uterine fibroids. You can take these medications in a specific condition to prevent pregnancy. But these Pills avert egg fertilization. If you are trying for pregnancy, then you need to stop birth control.
There are different types of birth control pill which varies different hormones and require consuming at the same time of the day.
Birth control pill contains estrogen and progestin; when you consume these pills every day, it forces egg to release during ovulation. It also produces mucus barriers to stop sperms from reaching eggs.
The prevention depends on the combination of the pill. If you take regular type pill, it stays three weeks active, and you can get pregnant after the next cycle.
After stopping birth control, it takes 1-2 months to make your menstrual cycles regular. Therefore you need to stop taking birth control pills to get pregnant.
Track Your Ovulation
To get pregnant, try to track your ovulation days. You can find out which days you are most fertile in a month. If you can limit your fertile window, you can increase the sexual activity around these days. It helps to increase your chances of conception.
If you think anybody can get pregnant on any day of a month, then that is not true. A woman gets only 5 -6 days to conceive. For the right time conception, your ovaries must release a mature egg, which is called ovulation. The released egg comes in your Fallopian tube for fertilization. During this time if sperm entered in, there is the possibility of egg fertilization. If there is no egg during intercourse, you will not get pregnant.
Ovulation happens for one day.
You need to identify the signs such as:
- Changes in cervical mucus
- Smell sensitivity
- Sore breast
- Mild abdominal pain
- Light spotting
- Changes in Libido and cervix
If you see the above symptoms, you can plan your sexual intercourse to create more chances of getting pregnant. If an egg doesn’t get fertilized by sperm, the egg will die after 12 – 24 hours of release. Therefore, you need to plan your sexual intercourse near your ovulation. There is good news; sperms can live up to 5 days in a woman’s body. So if you had unprotected sex before your ovulation, then there are strong chances of pregnancy.
For example: If you ovulate on 15th of the month, and if egg released same time, then there is a chance for the next 12 -24 hours, that is until the 16th of the month.
Ovulation and Age
Ovulation can change according to your age. Some women experience ovulation and fertility problems as they reach the late 30s and early 40s. As your age increase, your egg quality and quantity decrease and your ovulation become irregular.
Some woman starts to experience fertility problems after the age of 35. But your fertility depends on other health conditions such as
- Endometriosis
- Uterine fibroids
- Pelvic inflammatory disease
In the above health condition, you need to get diagnosed under pregnancy specialist to find the issues.
Plan your sexual intercourse before ovulation
Having sex before or during ovulation can increase the chance of getting pregnant. This way active sperm cell gets an easy way to meet the egg in the fallopian tube. If you get the regular menstrual cycle, you will ovulate near a 2nd week before your period. It means your fertile window will remain for seven days before ovulation.
If you have an abnormal menstrual cycle, then it is hard to predict the day of ovulation. But you can track the signs before your ovulation.
You can test in ovulation predictor kit. This ovulation kit is similar to the urine test for pregnancy. You need to check every day before your ovulation as per your prediction. The test strips detect Luteinizing hormone (LH). These hormones develop just before your ovulation. If you see a positive ovulation result, then you need to have sex on that day and continue few next days also.
Know the best sex position and time to get pregnant
You must lie down on your back after having intercourse. The vagina slope down and if you lie on your back, then it will easy for sperm to reach the egg. According to some reports, the sperm count is higher in the morning, but the truth is there is no perfect time for sex. However, there is no sex position which can make you easily pregnant because it depends on your ability to conceive. But the position which involves lying down on your back can increase the more chances for pregnancy.
What to avoid during sex session to get pregnant
Lubricants:
Using a lubricant during sex is sometimes useful but can create a problem for pregnancy. Lubricant prevents sperm movement and reduces its mobility. It also modifies the PH balance in the vagina.
Orgasm:
Woman orgasm is also an essential thing for conception. If you don’t have an orgasm, it is the cause of worry. According to some research, orgasm can promote conception by moving more sperm into the vagina and uterus. The more extended foreplay and more sexual arousal before ejaculation increase sperm count. The longer it takes a woman to have orgasm improves semen parameter.
Get prepared for the test
The earlier you found you are pregnant, the sooner you need to check with your doctor to begin prenatal care. You need to take care of yourself with healthy habits of eating, drinking. Nowadays a pregnancy test is excellent to show you a positive result just in 10 days of your ovulation. You can also wait until the day of your date to get a period to get an accurate result.
Negative pregnancy test
No worries if you tried and didn’t get pregnant. It may be painful to accept the truth but keep patience and stay stress-free. Most of the couple won’t succeed in one month. Many couples take six months to 1 year to conceive. The possibility is you may have discounted your ovulation and fertile days, so the sperm cell didn’t get a chance to meet the egg. You can also consult your doctor to know the overall condition of your reproductive system health.
How To Know You’re Pregnant?
When you get pregnant, many things change in your body starting from hormones to appearance. Not every woman has the same signs to know she is pregnant. Even a woman can experience different pregnancy signs in her first and second pregnancy. Here are the significant signs to know you are pregnant.
Missed Menstrual Period
Once conception complete, your body will start to produce human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). These hormones help your body to balance the pregnancy. These hormones also stop releasing mature eggs from ovaries every month.
After four weeks of conception, you will likely to miss your next period. If your monthly cycles are irregular, then consider pregnancy test for confirmation. Most of the home pregnancy test can detect hCG levels after eight days of the missed period. The levels of hCG can discover by urine in the early morning. If you had sex and your period not came for more than a month, then the test strip will show you a positive result.
Spotting and Cramping
From week 1 to 4, everything appears on a cellular level. After fertilization, the egg creates a blast cyst which is a group of fluid-filled cells. It helps to form the baby’s organ and other body parts. Around four weeks after conception, the embryo will implant in the lining of the uterus. This condition is implantation spotting which often mistaken as a period.
Here are signs of implantation bleeding.
- The spotting color may look pink, red or brown.
- Bleeding occurs during periods, but spotting has light blood present only while wiping.
- You may experience pain from mild to severe.
- Implantation bleeding occurs for three days and doesn’t need treatment.
Vaginal Discharge
Some women may see a thick milky discharge from the vagina during early pregnancy. Vaginal discharge occurs in the initial week of pregnancy as the vaginal wall become thick. This discharge may happen throughout the pregnancy. If the discharge smells unpleasant and causing burning or itching, it may be a sign of bacterial infection. If this condition persists, you should check with your doctor.
Increased Body Temperature
A rise in body temperature could be a sign of pregnancy. The core of your body shows excess heat. If the basal body temperature increase after two weeks of ovulation, then it indicates that you have conceived. You can recognize the temperature in the morning through vagina, rectum, and mouth. You need to stay hydrated to prevent overheating.
Changes in Breast
During pregnancy, every woman experiences several changes in the breast from initial week to end of pregnancy. These changes can recognize as heaviness, fullness, soreness, tenderness and tingling sensation. The discomfort may disappear after some weeks but depend on your health condition. Another sign of breast change is a color change of areola around the nipples.
Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the signs of pregnancy. Fatigue is nonspecific and associated with many factors. A pregnant woman experiences fatigue from the initial weeks after conception. You can have enough sleep and keep your room cool to cope with fatigue.
Nausea, Vomiting and Morning Sickness
Vomiting and nausea is a known sign of pregnancy. Anybody can quickly recognize it. It can occur any time of the day and night. Morning sickness and nausea may vary from woman to woman. Some woman may never get nausea and morning sickness symptoms whereas some women develop severe conditions. In some cases, the patient needs doctor help and medication to get relief.
Smells Sensitivity
Several hormonal changes heightened smell sensitivity. You will get vomiting sensation for the smell of perfume and cooking. During pregnancy, the blood flow increases to 50% more than average to help the fetus grow. Something passing from blood reaches brain quickly and in large quantity which makes you react fast. Some people believe that smell sensitivity is a protective mechanism to prevent breathing harmful things.
Frequent Urination
Some women experience frequent urination during initial days of 6 – 8 week of pregnancy. It happens because of hormonal changes. The hCG hormones are the leading cause to trigger frequent urination. As baby grows, the increased size of the uterus pushes the bladder and cause frequent urination throughout your pregnancy. If the condition becomes severe, check with your doctor to confirm, it is not a urinary tract infection.
Constipation
Constipation is one of the signs of early pregnancy. It happens because of progesterone hormones which make bowl movements relaxed and slow. Eating more fiber diet can prevent constipation throughout your pregnancy. Also, you should drink more fluids like water.
Dizziness or Fainting
Hormonal changes trigger fainting and dizziness during pregnancy. The rising hormones relax and widen the blood vessels which increase the blood flow to the baby. But, this condition slows down your blood pressure to the brain and causes you dizziness. It also affects blood sugar levels which cause you anemia and leads to fainting.
A Headache
A headache is also a sign of pregnancy. The surge of hormone and raised blood volume causes frequent problems. Other causes include dehydration, low blood pressure, caffeine, stress. A woman who has a migraine headache may experience a severe migraine during pregnancy. In that case, you need to talk to your doctor.
Food Cravings
Food craving and feeling to eat some specific taste also a sign of pregnancy. The desires for food begin due to hormone changes. You will crave pickle or ice cream more than usual days.
Mood Swings
Frequent changes in the mood such as happy, sad or irritated are also a sign of pregnancy. It happens because of changes such as metabolism change, physical stress, changing levels of hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Breath Shortness
Feeling breath shortness is also a sign of pregnancy. During pregnancy, your body demands more oxygen to support the growing fetus which makes your breathing short. You can prevent breath shortness by taking rest.
Weight gain
Yes, weight gain is also a sign of pregnancy. As your body undergoes many changes, the overall weight starts to appear in your first-trimester end. As pregnancy progress, your calorie requirement also increases. You gain weight because your body makes room for your baby inside you.
You can know that you are pregnant if you get the above signs of pregnancy. For confirmation, you can have a urine and blood test and diagnosis under your doctor. Some woman experiences the same symptoms in pregnancy as they get in menstrual periods. Therefore, you need to check all these signs to confirm your pregnancy.