A BABY FOR YOU
The following information is provided in order for you to maximize the opportunity for fertilization to occur.

First of all if you are taking oral contraceptives, you should discontinue their use and wait for a minimum of at least two (2) menstrual cycles before attempting to become pregnant (4 would be preferred).

If you are planning to get pregnant you should keep accurate records pertaining to your menstrual cycle and ovulation day. You can spent all kinds of money on charts which are are made for this but you can just as easily record the start and stop dates of your cycle and ovulation day on any calendar.

Day Of Ovulation: If you are planning to have a baby, the first rule would have to be the having of sexual relations a few days before and on your day of ovulation. As we have seen, timing is critical to getting pregnant because when ovulation occurs the ovum (egg) is only available for fertilization for about the next 24 and possibly 48 hours. We also saw that Male sperm live from three to five days and that being the case, then the couple can begin having intercourse up to 5 days prior to ovulation and as often thereafter as deemed appropriate (at least every other day). The idea is to have sperm ready and waiting when ovulation takes place. And that being the case, a woman needs to be able to predict her ovulation day with a high degree of accuracy. Read Ovulation for more detailed information.

Basel Body Temperature: One way to determine the ovulation day is to take your rectal temperature on a daily basis and this should be done with a great degree of accuracy and accomplished immediately upon waking every morning and recorded on a calendar -- this is referred to as Basal Body Temperature (BBT). To monitor this you will need a Basel thermometer which you can obtain at any local drug store. A Basal thermometer is required because it is more sensitive to heat change and the graduation marks on the thermometer take this sensitivity into consideration. To take your temperature, the thermometer should be inserted into the vagina or the rectum.
A woman's normal Basal temperature from the time she starts her period until ovulation will usually be between 97.2 and 98.6 degrees. However, on her day of ovulation her temperature will rise a few 10ths of a degree to as much as one degree. Again, this raise in temperature marks the ovulation day, and a woman's temperature will remain high until her next period begins. The problem here is that you have already ovulated and you husband is at work.

Since the idea is to have sperm in place before ovulation, you need to have intercourse two to three days before ovulation. In this case the chart doesn't help at all. But if you have recorded this information for several months and if you are somewhat regular in having periods, then you should notice that you have been ovulation on say the 14th day. Armed with that information, you can start the baby making process 4 or 5 days before the expected day of ovulation and continue doing so every other day for about a week.

Since male sperm will live from three to five days and the ovum (egg) will live for up to 48 hours we can now see that there is a very precise and narrow window of opportunity available which provides you with the best period of time to have sexual intercourse in order to achieve pregnancy. And by knowing the ovulation day, we can narrow that window down to three days before ovulation to one day after the day of ovulation (five days total). If you have a problem accurately predicting your ovulation day, then you will have to create a larger window of opportunity.

The LH Surge: However, there is another and more accurate method to determine when to begin intercourse to achieve pregnancy and that is through the use of a simple urine test which can be done at home. About three days before ovulation, the woman's pituitary gland dramatically increases production of a hormone referred to as luteinizing hormone (LH) and this increase is commonly referred to as the "LH surge." Testing urine by a simple test will indicate the increased presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the woman's urine. This hormone is present throughout your menstrual cycle, but dramatically increases from 24 to 36 hours prior to ovulation.

You can purchase ovulation predictor kits without a prescription from any drugstore and follow the instructions that come with the test (It may say to use the first urine of the day but I would recommend the second. Whenever you are asked for a urine sample you should always discharge about half of your urine before providing the sample.) Typically you will purchase a kit that will provide for taking the test five times. This is because you will need to take the test 2 times a day.

The instructions will also tell you how to how and when to begin taking the test, and how to determine if the test is positive or not. I should point out that if you are on certain medications (such as fertility drugs), false positives may occur. But, once you identify the LH surge, intercourse should begin and should be accomplished frequently for the next four days.

Diet: Diet is also another consideration and I think not enough emphasis is placed on this subject. There are some startling statistics out on the number of baby's being born with birth defects. When it comes to food it is a given that fertility in both men and women is linked to the quality of your diet. Society has become addicted to fast foods, instant oven meals, and all types of junk food and this cannot have a good effect on our health.

Today many people seem to live in fast food vendor restaurants. In addition, people's refrigerators as stuffed with microwave dinners and they eat tons of white flour and sugar products. And what they drink is probably not much better -- lots of cokes, coffee and booze. To make matters worse most soil has been depleted of its organic minerals which means that what is grown is deficient in minerals. From my perspective, a good multiple vitamin is a necessity. Check with the nearest pharmacy or a health food store for supplements designed for pregnant women, but don't wait until you are pregnant to start taking them.

If you are having problems with your periods and in determining ovulation, then you might want to look at your diet as the cause. Men need folic acid and zinc as well as vitamins C and E in order to produce healthy sperm. A lack of folic acid in a woman's diet may cause her to bear a child having spina bifida which affects 1 in 1,000 babies born in the United States. In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control, taking the recommended dosage of Folic acid reduces some types of baby birth defects by 50%. It should go without saying that any couple seeking to have a child should eat good wholesome nourishing foods and well balanced meals.

We all need a balanced diet, especially those attempting to have children. And I don't mean balanced out of cans and boxes. You need lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, and don't forget grains. And don't look at most cereals to get grains in your diet, as most cereals contain more sugar in them than anything else. Sugar and white flour seem to be the foods of the century. If you need something sweet try honey and for grains, throw out the white breads and buy the whole grained breads. You can substitute honey for sugar in receipts but remember to use only 1/2 much honey as the receipt calls for (If the receipt calls for 1 cup of sugar only use 1/2 cup of honey). And don't forget to use real dairy products: milk, cheese, and yogurt are good for you and you should eat them daily.

If you are having problems getting pregnant quit drinking coffee. If you are a real addict, 1 cup a day and no more. Instead of coffee drink green tea and herbal teas are also good for you. No drugs.

Alcohol is another no no, as it has been shown that women have about a 50% greater chance of getting pregnant if they abstain from alcohol. Likewise alcohol also affects men in that it reduces their sperm count. If you consume a lot of alcohol -- quit -- or as a minimum reduce your intake and substitute fruit drinks.

Take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are happy with what you see. In other words get to the recommended weight for your body build, and do so before you get pregnant. If you are underweight -- gain a little. Women who are underweight have a tendency to deliver children who have low birth weights. If you are overweight -- lose a lot. Women who are overweight have more pregnancy and birth problems.

Other Tips: Discontinuing of oral contraceptives has already been mentioned and while you are discontinuing things, if you are smokers, it would be a good idea to discontinue that also, as it can affect the quality of the male sperm as well as affect the woman's chances of conceiving.

Sexual position may be important as the idea is to place the sperm as close as possible to the egg and to do this it seems that the missionary (man on top) best accomplishes this mission. Gravity may have a factor also as it is a lot easier to swim downriver than it is to swim upriver. In case of gravity it would easier for sperm to move with gravity rather than against gavity. There is about a 7 inch distance for the sperm to travel, and best estimates tell us that it takes from 15 minutes to an hour for the sperm to make this journey. Because of this, many doctors recommend that the woman remain on her back for an hour with a pillow under her butt.

While male orgasm is absolutely necessary, studies are now saying the female orgasm also also assists in conception as the contractions that accompany the female orgasm help carry sperm towards the cervix.

Stress may be another factor as it may have an adverse efect on the ovulation cycle.

There are many factors that affect a woman being able to become pregnant and if you are not successful following the above suggestions, then after about 6 months to a year, you should seek the assistance of a medical doctor.


The signs of pregnancy will vary from woman but the initial sign would be not starting her next period. However, it is not unusual for a pregnant women to experience light bleeding five to ten days after ovulation and a woman may think she is starting her period. If you are still taking your temperature, and if pregnant, your temperature will remain higher than normal.

Some women may experience nausea and vomiting within a week of becoming pregnant, others will not. If a woman fails to start her period, experiences light bleeding and continued high temperatures, it would be a good idea to go to the local drug store and purchase a pregnancy test kit.

As the pregnancy progresses other things may be noticed such as feeling faint, dizzy, lightheadedness, and tenderness of breasts as well as their enlargement. As the baby increases in size you may experience heartburn, constipation, and the need to urinate more frequently. You may find that you have become impatient and easily annoyed or provoked to anger. Your husband may be the first to identify this sign of pregnancy.