Contents
- Gender: finding the right rhythm to conceive a baby
- Have a child quickly: target the right days!
- Baby conception: I adopt a balanced diet
- A healthy lifestyle to increase your chances of pregnancy
- Having a baby: and on the human side?
- Don’t wait too long
- Eliminate factors harmful to fertility
- Have a balanced diet
- Make love in the right position
- Have an orgasm
Gender: finding the right rhythm to conceive a baby
Regular sexuality. It’s almost trivial, but to have a baby, you have to have sex. Around the period of ovulation, that is to say between the 10th and the 20th day of the cycle according to women, the ideal would be to make love every other day. Take the time for cuddles. The more we make love, the more we have chances of getting pregnant : paradoxically, this evidence is sometimes difficult to apply. Fatigue, stress, anxiety, disappointment … everyday life is riddled with enemies of libido. It is not uncommon for a decrease in desire or an erectile dysfunction to cause difficulty conceiving a baby. So really give yourself time, for both of you.
Have a child quickly: target the right days!
The fertility window is not that big. The fertile period lasts about 3 days. But that’s an average. Because we must distinguish between the lifespan of the oocyte, which is barely 12 to 24 hours at the time of ovulation, and that of the spermatozoa, which may themselves reside warm in the uterus for a little less than a week (3 to 5 days). In other words, the days preceding and that of ovulation are the “good” days. The famous ovulation. This is when the ovary releases an oocyte. This release takes place 14 days before the end of the menstrual cycle, which itself lasts an average of 28 days, but sometimes more and sometimes less. Also, unless you have a time machine, this D-day is very difficult to determine, since you have to count backwards. Ovulation tests allow you to more accurately determine when ovulation will occur. These tests measure the peak of a key hormone, LH (luteinizing hormone). To have the best chance of being pregnant you must make love the day of the peak as well as the next day.
How do I spot my ovulation phase?
Among the methods that help you spot your ovulation phase, that is, the moment when the ovary releases an oocyte, you can opt for the temperature curve. It consists in taking his temperature every morning on an empty stomach, at the same time and with the same thermometer. When the temperature rises by 4 / 10th of a degree, ovulation takes place.
Baby conception: I adopt a balanced diet
Vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E, essential fatty acids, zinc, selenium, manganese and iron are essential for female and male fertility. B vitamins are known in particular to promote ovulation. THE’folic acid (B9), naturally present in eggs or spinach, is particularly recommended for mothers-to-be and their babies to prevent anemia and prevent malformations of the fetal neural tube.
Nine months before starting the arrival of her little Gustave, Sarah, 29, a yoga enthusiast and sensitized to a healthy lifestyle, quit alcohol and adopted a diet rich in fruits, dried fruits and vegetables. “ I knew that pregnancy was going to take energy. My reserves were going to be solicited, so as much as they are as qualitative as possible “. An approach encouraged by specialists who advise to pay attention to what you eat some time before conceiving a baby.
A healthy lifestyle to increase your chances of pregnancy
It is good, too, to watch your weight. Obesity affects fertility, as do overly drastic diets that disrupt the menstrual cycle and interact with hormones. As well as stress, intensive sports practices, travel or hormonal disorders.
Better stop smoking, at least 3 months before starting your baby. Ditto for the future dad: the quality and vitality of spermatozoa are reduced by tobacco and alcohol. In women, alcohol would disrupt the production of progesterone by the egg. Implantation of the fertilized egg may be more difficult, and miscarriages more frequent.
Also, if you are on treatment, check with your doctor that your medications are compatible with pregnancy.
And above all, getting pregnant shouldn’t become an obsession. Dramatize and relax, although it is often easier said than done. This also applies to your man! If you’re feeling overworked, why not try yoga or the gentle gym? Homeopathy, acupuncture or even sophrology can also help you. And continue to exercise regularly (swimming, walking…) to clear your mind and stay in shape!
Having a baby: and on the human side?
Tight pants and briefs are responsible for an increase in scrotal temperature (bursa enclosing the testicles). Gold heat decreases sperm production. It has been observed that cyclists who practice mountain biking at high doses have poorer bursae than non-cyclists, and the sperm count is lower. It is therefore more reasonable to practice another sport or at least to equip yourself comfortably with suitable clothing and padded at the crotch. The quality of the bike and its suspensions also play a role … And perhaps driving on the road is preferable to rugged forest trails.
Don’t wait too long
Today’s society tends to roll back the age of first pregnancy from year to year. At the biological level, however, there is one fact that does not vary: fertility declines with age. Maximum between 25 and 29 years, it decreases slowly and gradually between 35 and 38 years, and more quickly after this deadline. Thus at 30, a woman wishing to have a child has a 75% chance of succeeding after one year, 66% at 35 and 44% at 40. Male fertility also declines with age.
Eliminate factors harmful to fertility
In our way of life and environment, many factors affect fertility. Accumulated in a “cocktail effect”, they can actually decrease the chances of pregnancy. As far as possible, it is therefore important to eliminate these various factors, especially since most of them are harmful to the fetus once the pregnancy has set in.
- tobacco could lower female fertility by more than 10 to 40% per cycle (3). In men, it would alter the number and mobility of spermatozoa.
- alcohol can cause irregular, non-ovulatory cycles and increase the risk of miscarriage, while in men it is believed to impair spermatogenesis.
- stress affects libido and triggers the secretion of different hormones that can have an impact on fertility. During significant stress, the pituitary gland secretes in particular prolactin, a hormone which, at too high levels, risks disrupting ovulation in women and men, causing libido disorders, impotence and oligospermia (4). Practices such as mindfulness help fight stress.
- excess caffeine could increase the risk of miscarriage, but studies remain conflicting on the subject. As a precaution, however, it seems reasonable to limit your coffee consumption to two cups per day.
Many other environmental factors and lifestyle habits are suspected of influencing fertility: pesticides, heavy metals, waves, intensive sport, etc.
Have a balanced diet
Food also has a role to play in fertility. Likewise, it has been proven that being overweight or, on the contrary, very thin can impair fertility.
Dance The Great Book of Fertility, Dr. Laurence Lévy-Dutel, gynecologist and nutritionist, advises to pay attention to its various points to preserve fertility:
- favor foods with a low glycemic index (GI), as repeated hyperinsulinemia would interfere with ovulation
- reduce animal proteins in favor of vegetable proteins
- increase dietary fiber intake
- watch your iron intake
- reduce trans fatty acids, which can potentially damage fertility
- consuming whole dairy products once or twice a day
According to a recent American study (5), daily intake of a multivitamin supplement during conception could reduce the risk of miscarriage by 55%. However, be careful with self-prescription: in excess, some vitamins can be harmful. It is therefore advisable to seek professional advice.
Make love in the right position
No study has been able to demonstrate the benefit of this or that position. Empirically, however, we advise to favor positions where the center of gravity plays in favor of the path of the spermatozoa towards the oocyte, such as the Missionary position. Likewise, some specialists recommend not getting up immediately after intercourse, or even keeping your pelvis raised by a cushion.
Have an orgasm
It is also a controversial subject and difficult to verify scientifically, but it could be that the female orgasm has a biological function. According to the theory of “up suck” (suction), uterine contractions triggered by orgasm lead to a phenomenon of aspiration of sperm through the cervix.