*I’m a mother who’s given birth to 3 kids darnit! ;) I’ve dedicated my life to helping you, after going through amazing hardship to discover what works when trying to conceive. My tips for getting pregnant are from a mother who’s been there and done that. If you’re still not pregnant and are struggling to conceive, then go here to start making it finally happen for you! :)

Pregnancy is a matter of chance. Conception does not always happen even if the egg and sperm are in the right place at the right time. The length of time that it takes couples to conceive varies considerably. Still trying to conceive after a year doesn’t necessarily mean that anything is wrong.

The chance of getting pregnant during a woman’s cycle vary according to a wide range of factors:

For a woman aged 20 to 25, the chances of conceiving are around 25 percent for each cycle (in other words, a one in four chance).

For a woman aged 30 to 35, the chances of conceiving are around 15 percent per cycle; thereafter, the likelihood of conception continues to decline with increasing age.

A couple in their early 20’s will take an average of five monthly cycles to conceive.

Women in their early 30’s will get pregnant, on average, after nine monthly cycles.

One in ten couples will take more than a year to conceive.

One of the secret tips on getting pregnant really involves the woman’s monthly cycle…this should really not come as a surprise, but lots of couples have probably forgotten lots of their basic biology. A woman ovulates once a month, and the ovum or egg last for approximately 12 hours. During this 12-hour period, the egg has to be fertilized or it dries up and is no longer viable. Obviously, then, having unprotected sex any other time of the month could not possible result in conception. It is only when you make love during the “twelve-hour window” that a couple can conceive – it’s really quite miraculous that a woman can even get pregnant at all! When a couple is trying to conceive, the trick is to catch the egg around day 14 of the woman’s monthly cycle. To add to the difficulty, every woman’s cycle is different. The 28-day cycle is the average, but normal cycles can vary from 23 days to 35 days.

Most people have heard about the Basal Body Temperature. “Basal” means “the temperature of the body at rest.” Most women experience a slight jump in body temperature just after ovulation. Women need to measure their body temperature every morning, before arising. A drawback is that the record must be meticulously kept. Remember, a woman who wants to conceive cannot get out of bed until she takes her temperature each day. This means before using the bathroom, having a cup of tea, or any other activity. Ideally, a woman who wants to conceive should have had sex on the days just before her temperature began to rise. So you can see that keeping temperature charts can only give you a general picture of when your most fertile time might be. It can let you know whether or not you are having intercourse close to ovulation.

Women need to be observant of any changes in their bodies. One important change is that the cervical mucus is thinner and clearer during the most fertile period. In the early part of a woman’s cycle, the mucus produced by the cervix is thick and sticky; it acts as a block to the cervical opening. The thinner mucus allows for easier movement of the sperm cells in their quest for the egg. Also, the thinner mucus that signals a woman’s most fertile period resembles the white of an egg – you’ll know when you observe it. If a woman’s mucus seems to her to be too thick at the time of ovulation, some health providers recommend taking Robitussin to help thin the mucus. Another indication of ovulation is slight pain when the egg is released from the follicle inside the ovary. This is sometimes accompanied by spotting or very light bleeding.

Seems like everyone has their own techniques on trying to get pregnant nowadays. These always remind me of old wives tales because, like opinions, everyone has at least one that they are convinced has mass potential. After sifting through a ton of opinions on the net that are sure to help a woman get pregnant fast how can you be sure of what works? Many of these techniques seem to repeat themselves, but since when does popularity equal effectiveness?

The only way to tell if a random technique used to get pregnant is really worthwhile is to examine the poster’s references and origins. Most doctors and professionals in the medical field have more experience with pregnancy cases and than people that picked various ideas off of the street. There has also been a lot of research conducted on pregnancy that only the right people would have access to, so it is important to look at the source before listening to whatever they have to say. I have searched through much of the “supposed facts” on various techniques on trying to get pregnant quickly so I have amassed sufficient resources that have helped me get pregnant in the past and have helped many of my friends that are trying to conceive.

So what works? Well, I can tell you right away that you can rule out sex positions almost entirely. While you’ll hear everywhere that sexual positions have the potential to make a huge difference, I have come to conclude, in my personal life as well as scientifically, that this “supposed fact” is simply not true. Most men’s little swimmers can swim up to 3 full days and can live up to 7 days in the woman’s body, so with such upstanding statistics, contorting your body to minimize the distance sperm have to travel is of little significance.

Besides knowing your ovulation cycle inside and out, a woman’s diet and exposure to stress have the most significance. Folic acid is of increasingly strong importance as it helps produce healthy red blood cells necessary for a successful conception and pregnancy. Folic acid is also extremely helpful during pregnancy as it helps to avoid birth defects such as spina bifida, miscarriage, and it helps pregnant women to forego fatigue and weakness. Don’t forget to avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine-containing products such as cigarettes while eating a well-balanced diet packed full of citrus fruits, leafy vegetables, and calcium-rich foods such as cheeses and yogurts.

The other significant factor when dealing with various techniques on trying to get pregnant is the impact of stress on our bodies. Most of us completely disregard the fact that stress has a huge impact on the way we function mentally but this is even more apparent when we consider our bodily functions during conception and pregnancy. Stress reacts very negatively with your body and shuts the door for conception so try to avoid stress at all costs. If stress avoidance is absolutely impossible then try yoga, working out at the gym, or even a Pilate's class to relieve pent-up stress.

As the Baby Boomers edge into seniority, we’ve noted that many men and women in the younger generation have placed a greater focus on developing careers. Extended educations and following a career track have had the effect of delaying families for a much longer time than prior generations did. What happens when a couple finally decides that it’s time to conceive a child? For one thing, it may no longer be easy or even feasible for conception to take place. Infertility is now becoming a major problem for those in the 30 to 45-year-old group. It’s estimated that about 25% of these couples are affected, bringing heartache and guilt with the suspected infertility.

We’ve already talked about many of the problems associated with failure to conceive. But some problems are specific to men, and that’s what this section is all about. Male sperm cells’ morphology refers to the percentage of sperm that appear normal under a microscope. The sperms’ motility is the way the cells swim. Progressive motility means that the sperm cells swim in a straight line, non-progressive motility means that the sperm swim in circles, and total motility means that the sperm move in many directions at once.

Another measure of the health of sperm cells is their concentration or the amount of sperm in millions present in the ejaculatory fluid.

Men are probably more likely than women to come into contact with pollutants such as cigarette smoke, pesticides, solvents, gasoline and many others. Some research suggests that exposure to a variety of toxic substances, including some found in cigarettes, can damage sperm and/ or lower one’s sperm count. Sperm imperfections are to be expected, given the sheer volume of sperm in one ejaculation. But imperfections seem to occur at a higher rate in men who have been exposed to certain toxins, drugs, alcohol and radiation.

Physical and mental exertion, as well as stress have the potential to lower a man’s sperm count, as can smoking and excessive drinking. A group of drugs or substances either ingested or present in the environment that adversely affect sperm production are known as gonadoloxins. With steroids having hit the news recently with a resounding thud, one should probably deduce that these drugs can affect not just the sperm cells but many other mental and physical aspects of a person’s health Here’s a startling statistic: nearly 7% of 12^th grade use or have used anabolic steroids to build muscle mass and improve athletic performance. Use of these male hormones suppresses the testes’ ability to make testosterone. The result is that the level of testosterone within the testes can bring about complete absence of sperm cells, a condition known as azoospermia.

Another thing about steroids…and there’s a lot…is that steroids cause a persistent depression of the hypothalamus and the pituitary glands. The damage may be irreversible even when the steroids are stopped. The testicles need pituitary hormones to be stimulated to create sperm cells. So, guys, taking steroids for body building, by mouth or injection, or just trying to “bulk up” a little bit can damage the body’s ability to make normal sperm cells…to the extent that sperm production ceases altogether.

If the male half of a couple wonders about his fertility, he should have a hormonal profile done to rule out serious medical conditions, give more information on his sperm production, and reveal whether hormonal treatment is indicated. A condition known as testicular failure is a general term for the inability of the testicle to produce adequate numbers of mature sperm. There are several reasons for this condition:

· The testicle may lack the cells that divide to become sperm (“Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome”).

· There may be an inability of the sperm to complete their development Outpatient (“maturation arrest”).

· Sperm may be produced in such low numbers that very few can successfully navigate through the duct system and into the fluid to be ejaculated.

· Men can develop antibodies (commonly called an allergic reaction) to their own sperm. There are many reasons why this may happen – and sometimes no explanation makes sense – but this condition makes it more difficult for the sperm to penetrate the woman’s cervical mucous and make its way into the uterus. The entire fertilization process is made much more difficult. The treatment may very likely be injection of the sperm directly into the egg (ICSI).

· Rarely, there may be a problem with the ejaculatory ducts that carry sperm from the seminal vesicles, where sperm are stored, to the urethra, from which they’re ejaculated. Sometimes the ducts are plugged, or they may be missing altogether. Nonetheless, new procedures can be used to bring about conception through harvesting the sperm.

· If the seminal fluid is very thick, the sperm may have difficulty moving through it. In these cases, the semen can be processed to separate the moving sperm from the fluid and debris; the sperm separated out in this way can be placed into the uterus with a small catheter for an intrauterine insemination (IUI).

· Hydroceles and varicoceles are relatively common disorders affecting the man’s reproductive tract. A hydrocele is a pear-shaped cyst in the groin. A varicocele is a tangle of varicose veins surrounding a testicle. These conditions occur in 10% to 15% of all adult men – of those, 20% to 40% have related fertility problems. Outpatient surgery is commonly used to correct these problems.

· Men may experience infections of the reproductive tract, including the prostate, the epididymis, and the testes. Post-puberty viral infections of the testes may cause significant damage and irreversible infertility.

· Signs such as excessive white blood cells or bacteria (more than 1 million per cubic centimeter) in a semen specimen require testing for asymptomatic STD’s. Antibiotics may alleviate this problem.

Have you ever stopped to think why when we think of trying to get pregnant quickly we almost always refer to our bodies and completely forget that there is another person involved in the pregnancy party?? Sure taking care of your body and knowing exactly when you ovulate can be a tremendous help, but we must also consider that special man in our life that just may have something to bring to the table as well.

First of, let’s make sure that he wears boxers and not briefs. If your man is anything like mine, he has no idea of the exact location of the washer and dryer, so we have control of what he wears – more or less. Wearing boxers can be of great importance because they don’t constrict the testicles’ blood flow and positioning. Testicle positioning is important because they are more sensitive than most of us during our special time of the month when aunt flow pays a visit. Funny how our men always want to seem so tough and indestructible (unless they’re sick and are acting like 2 year old children), but when it comes to the parts that physically make a man a man their sensitivity levels fly through the roof. If the testes are held too close to the body they absorb more body heat and have the potential to pose negative effects on sperm production. Acting like two racing freight trains they’ll still produce sperm, but the quality will diminish significantly. Sperm created in an atmosphere that is warmer than normal will have problems with motility (movement) and sperm morphology (size and shape) and hence will lead to problems with successful conception.

Another popular topic plastered all over the Internet is the importance of sexual positions when trying to get pregnant quickly. I have found several studies that have disproved the importance of or even a presence of sexual positions having a great impact on easing conception. The idea is that certain sex positions bring the penis further into the cervix and at the same time bring the cervix closer within nearer reach of the little man swimmers. Studies have also shown that sperm can swim up to 3 days and survive inside a woman’s body for up to 7 days. In most occasions, the little triathlons don’t need guiding or extra help from body position to swim far enough to achieve their only goal in life. Conclusion: yes, positions during sex may help conception, but they are one of the least important factors when getting pregnant so just stop worrying about the best way to “do it” and just “do it” in the position that makes you both the happiest.

Another note on sexual do’s and dont's – stay away from oral and anal sex when trying to conceive. Both ends of the human anatomy carry bacteria that have a tendency to carry over to the vaginal walls during intercourse and kill the sperm as they swim out of the penis. Avoiding these two activities during intercourse is more important than choosing the best sex position and go a long way to helping you get pregnant quickly.

Ever considered the effects of exercise or our body’s ability to conceive before trying to get pregnant? Most of us have completely dismissed the notion that exercise, whether it be lack of or too much, can have serious effects on our bodies going through the processes that lead to conception. It is hard to gauge how much exercise in too much as most of us consider going to the gym a perfectly healthy thing. While this may all be very true, when it comes time to conceive, the goal for getting your body into shape changes drastically. Our bodies are designed to specifically carry children through the entire 9-month term, but when we try to erode away the fat and tone our muscles to fit in to today’s supermodel figures, we lose the ability to conceive children. The last thing you want to do is to stop exercising altogether, instead simply tone down your routine and avoid muscle-building exercises.

Perhaps few other tips on getting pregnant can be as important as knowing not douche after intercourse. We all feel the need to “clean up” after intercourse, but douching our girl parts afterwards can lead reduce our chances of conceiving as well as aggravating any vaginal infections. Instead, let nature take its course and elevate your hips high enough in the air to where the semen can ooze into your vagina closer to the cervix. You will have less mess to clean up and your have also greatly increased your chances of getting pregnant. Try using a pillow or two to lay your hips on for about 20 minutes.

Another important tip on getting pregnant that is rarely realized is the importance of the female orgasm. Many of us have grown to accept that only the male orgasm is important for conception, and the female orgasm lacks importance. Well, I’m here to tell you and your man that putting a smile on both of your faces at about the same time can seriously help to lead to a successful pregnancy. You see, when a woman experiences an orgasm it helps to draw the semen closer to the cervix, thereby, greatly increasing a couple’s chances to get pregnant.

While you’re concentrating on your body and what you can do to help conceive, don’t forget that your man has a size able role to play in this whole pregnancy thing. Make sure that he wears boxers or loose-fitting underwear to help keep his testes away from too much body heat. Excess heat in the testes causes for problematic sperm production that may not be able to swim properly or have mutated DNA information. On this note, cut out hot tubs and hot showers as these can also cause problematic sperm production with the same principle in mind.