How to Get Pregnant: Healthy Preconception Nutrition

There’s no need to deprive yourself of delicious food when you go on a fertility diet to increase your conceiving chances. Although eating for fertility will require avoiding processed food, it’s easy to make tasty dishes out of foods that promote healthy eggs and sperm. Not to mention that these fertility-boosting foods are good for your overall health as well. Try cooking up a feast for fertility tonight using foods that contain these essential nutrients, and continue to eat well to boost your ability to conceive over time.

Whole grains for healthy fertility

Fast-burning carbohydrates are a big no-no if you want to keep your body in top baby-making shape. However, complex carbohydrates like brown rice, oatmeal, and whole grain breads won’t interfere with your blood sugar and insulin as much as refined carbohydrates (white flour, white bread, etc). Anything that promotes steady insulin levels is good for fertility. Start out your dinner by serving whole grain dinner rolls.

Zinc for hormonal balance

Foods rich in zinc boost fertility in both men and women. In men, zinc is required to create the tail and outer layer of sperm cells; several studies on zinc and fertility show that men with lower zinc levels also have a lower sperm count. In women, zinc helps the body utilize estrogen and progesterone efficiently. A zinc deficiency is also known to cause chromosome changes in the egg cells, which increases the risk of miscarriage. Before bringing out the main course, serve a platter of oysters. Oysters are one of the richest natural sources of this fertility mineral. It’s got a reputation as an aphrodisiac too!

Leafy greens for both partner's reproductive health

Leafy green vegetables are rich in folate, a must-have nutrient for any woman trying to conceive. Folate is a B-vitamin that prevents serious birth defects. Folate deficiency has also been linked to infertility in both men and women. Although you can easily obtain folate from a good multivitamin, it’s better if you consume folate from a food source, like a salad of leafy greens.

Plant proteins to boost your odds of conception

According to Harvard University’s Nurses’ Health Study, proteins are one of the best fertility-boosting nutrients you can eat. But not just any proteins – the researchers noticed that women who ate more plant proteins from peanuts, peas, and beans are more likely to get pregnant than those who obtain their proteins from red meat. Although you don’t have to become a vegetarian, cutting down on your red meat consumption and including a side of beans in your meals will go a long way to help you get pregnant.

Full-fat dairy for to nurture healthy ovulation

It’s hard to believe that full-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese could boost fertility, but Harvard’s Nurses’ Health study discovered that these foods reduce ovulation problems better than low-fat or no-fat dairy. Don’t over-do the full-fat dairy consumption though! Some foods like ice cream contain too much sugar, which can reduce your fertility.

This article is based on the book “The Full Embrace^TM Pregnancy Success Program by Diana Farrell, M.A. Diana’s books on enhancing fertility have been sold all over the world, and she has helped many couples overcome their infertility and realize their dream of parenthood. She originally developed the Pregnancy Success Program as a way to overcome her own struggles with infertility. Find out more by visiting her website: Pregnancy Success Program 

The Menstrual Cycle - A Guide On How To Get Pregnant Naturally

You have probably heard before that you can count the days of your menstrual cycle, get pregnant more quickly, and learn how to do the whole process with just a quick tutorial. This is pretty much true, but there are a few things that you should know about using this method to get pregnant. For instance, some people may tell you that you'll probably ovulate on day fourteen of your menstrual cycle, but this doesn't actually hold true for many women. It's simply an average, in the same way that 98.7 is simply an average resting body temperature.

Luckily, figuring out how your cycle works isn't too difficult, and if you menstruate in a regular, predictable pattern, chances are likely that you also ovulate in a predictable pattern. Once you have this information about your body, you can use it to make the process of getting pregnant much, much simpler and quicker. Here is the step by step way to figure out how to count your menstrual cycle to get pregnant more quickly.

Step One: Know the Signs of Your Menstruation Cycle

Knowing the signs of where you are in your menstrual cycle is imperative to success. The signs of the first part of your cycle - menses - are obvious. You'll be bleeding and probably have other secondary signs - cramps, headaches, etc. - that you recognize right away. After this, though, many women don't know they're cycle's signs. The main sign that is easy to read is your basal body temperature. By taking your temperature every morning before drinking, eating, getting up, or using the restroom, you can determine what your hormones are doing. Essentially, you should know that your temperature will rise on the day that you ovulate, as your body produces progesterone, a hormone that causes the temperature increase, and that prepares your body for pregnancy.

There are other signs that you're nearing ovulation. For one thing, you might notice vaginal mucous throughout your cycle. When this mucous gets white and thick - like an egg white - you're probably going to ovulate soon. Different women also have other secondary signs, such as slight cramping, bloating, or increased sex drive, and if you recognize these signs, you can use them to predict your ovulation days.

Step Two: Track Your Signs to Detect Ovulation

Keeping track of your signs is just as important as recognizing them. You can track your signs on a traditional ovulation chart, or you can devise your own way to track them. Essentially, you want to write down your basal body temperature each day, and you also want to take note of other secondary fertility signs. When your mucous begins to turn egg-white-like, then you'll be getting closer to ovulation, and when your temperature spikes, you'll have actually ovulated.

Step Three: Use This Information to Get Pregnant

As you track a few cycles, you'll probably notice that your body has a pattern. Once you know this pattern, you can count the days of your cycle to predict when you're most likely to become pregnant. To up your chances of pregnancy, you should have intercourse two or three days just before ovulation, as well as the day of ovulation. This will give you the maximum chance of connecting the sperm and the egg and of becoming pregnant more quickly. Be aware that even though your body most likely follows a pattern each month, it doesn't necessarily hold true every single month. For the maximum chance of pregnancy success, you should chart each individual cycle instead of relying on a simple counting method to determine when you're most likely to become pregnant. Once you're more familiar with your body's secondary signs of fertility, you might be able to accurately predict when you should have intercourse even if you've forgotten to complete your chart for a few days.

This article is based on the book “The Full Embrace^TM Pregnancy Success Program by Diana Farrell, M.A. Diana’s books on enhancing fertility have been sold all over the world, and she has helped many couples overcome their infertility and realize their dream of parenthood. She originally developed the Pregnancy Success Program as a way to overcome her own struggles with infertility. Find out more by visiting her website: Pregnancy Success Program

Conceiving Chances Over Age 40

If you're trying to get pregnant and fear that menopause might affect your conceiving chances, try not to worry too much. Although fertility naturally declines after 35, women over 40 are one of the most common age groups that accidentally get pregnant. In fact, it's not unheard of for women as old as 50 to get pregnant naturally! During your 40s, your periods start becoming highly irregular as your body prepares itself for menopause (the final period). But you won't become entirely infertile until you have not had a period for at least one entire year.

Pregnancy during perimenopause

You're probably aware that a woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have, and that this supply of eggs diminishes drastically by the time she approaches the age of 40. Once this supply is completely exhausted, the woman is said to undergo menopause. However, exciting new research shows that women might continue to produce eggs after birth. This study, which can be found in the journal Nature, suggests that the ovaries might have a hidden reserve of eggs. If more research can confirm this discovery, it could be the most important finding regarding fertility in a very long time.

A similar discovery at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine offers hope to older women trying to conceive. Eighty-six women who were going through premature ovarian failure, or early menopause, participated in an egg donation program at the institute. During the course of the program, seven participants were able to ovulate successfully and three gave birth to healthy babies. The researchers suggest that it's possible for the ovary to regain some of its functions, as long as the ovaries were not damaged by chromosomal abnormalities or radiation therapy. So if these two conditions aren't a problem, you still stand a good chance of getting pregnant after 40.

How to increase your odds to conceive when you're 40

Just because your chances of getting pregnant naturally at 40 are good, it doesn't mean that you should let fate run its course. There are several things you can do to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

*Eat to boost your fertility. Studies show that processed foods, trans-fats, and refined sugar are detrimental to fertility. Avoid these foods and consume more fruits, vegetables, full-fat dairy, and other nutrient-rich foods.

*Quit smoking and drinking for optimal conception health. The chemicals in cigarette smoke and excessive alcohol intake can impair your ovarian function. You must quit smoking if you are trying to conceive. Although some people trying to conceive think that the occasional cocktail is safe, your chances will improve if you give up drinking altogether.

*Take a prenatal vitamin with folic acid. Folic acid is a B vitamin that lowers the risk of serious birth defects associated with a deficiency in this vitamin. The FDA recommends that any woman trying to conceive should load up on folic acid, especially if she is approaching menopause. Additionally, recent studies have indicated that taking folic acid can increase conception rates, and that a deficiency in folic acid is linked to infertility in both females and males.

This article is based on the book “The Full Embrace^TM Pregnancy Success Program by Diana Farrell, M.A. Diana’s books on enhancing fertility have been sold all over the world, and she has helped many couples overcome their infertility and realize their dream of parenthood. She originally developed the Pregnancy Success Program as a way to overcome her own struggles with infertility. Find out more by visiting her website:PREGNANCY SUCCESS PROGRAM

Trying to Get Pregnant: Tips You Can Use Tonight

Boosting your fertility doesn’t have to involve complicated procedures and expensive hormonal treatments when you are trying to get pregnant. Tips you can use such as avoiding certain habits or products that can aggravate your fertility problems can go a long way towards increasing your fertility potential. It’s important to understand which factors can help bring you closer to your dreams of parenthood. Here are some simple pregnancy tips you can try tonight. 

Stay away from cigarette smoke 

Sure, smoking might make you look more glamorous and desirable (or so says the tobacco ads), but it’s not going to bring you one step closer to pregnancy. According to the British Medical Association, female smokers are 40% less likely to conceive than women who do not smoke. It’s difficult to say exactly how this happens because here are literally hundreds of chemical compounds in cigarette smoke. However, researchers believe that some of these chemicals can trigger hormonal imbalances, which cause irregular menstrual cycles or anovulation. Not only that, but these harmful chemicals can also cause genetic abnormalities in mature eggs. In the likelihood that a female smoker does get pregnant, she’s still at risk of an early miscarriage if the chemicals from the smoke stay in her body. 

The bad news is that female non-smokers are not necessarily in the clear. It turns out that passive smoking, or inhaling secondhand smoke, also increases the likelihood of infertility or miscarriages. It doesn’t matter who’s lighting up the cigarette; as long as you’re inhaling the harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, your fertility is in danger. So if your partner is a smoker, ask him to step away from you whenever he needs his nicotine fix. Better yet, get him to start quitting altogether. Studies show that smoking can also contribute to male impotence by impairing sperm function and lowering sperm count. 

Use foreplay to heat things up 

A common problem experienced by couples trying to conceive is a lack of excitement in their sex lives. It’s completely understandable – what with the stress of work, the pressure of a ticking biological clock, and the lack of spontaneity, sex just isn’t as exciting as it used to be back when you were still dating. Instead of getting straight to the point of intercourse, spend a little more time doing foreplay. Believe it or not, foreplay can increase your fertility in two ways. The most obvious way is that it will help you feel more relaxed. By now you probably know how much stress can lower your chances of conceiving because stress hormones upset the balance of sex hormones.

Extended foreplay also encourages natural vaginal lubrication. Stress and fertility drugs tend to cause vaginal dryness, and most couples trying to conceive make the mistake of using commercial lubricants to solve this problem. Leading lubricant brands act as spermicide, even if they are water-based and contain no spermicidal chemicals, because their pH levels are too acidic. Sperm need an alkaline environment in order to survive. Although semen provides this sperm-friendly environment, the pH balance gets disrupted when a commercial lubricant is introduced. Lubricants also contain certain ingredients that affect sperm motility, or their ability to swim. Although a lubricant called Pre-Seed can provide the right environment for sperm to survive, it’s probably best to lubricate the vagina naturally with a little foreplay. 

Sex positions can enhance conception 

When trying to get pregnant, it makes sense to use a position that makes the journey as short as possible for the sperm. The missionary position, or the man on top, is one of the best positions for conception because it provides deep penetration and deposits the sperm right outside the opening of the uterus. Another excellent position is doggie style, or rear entry, with the woman on all fours or lying down on her belly. This also brings the sperm right in front of the cervix and is especially useful for women with an inverted uterus. And yes, MRIs actually confirm that these two positions do place the sperm closest to the egg! Positions to avoid include woman on top, or any position where gravity can prevent sperm from reaching its destination in time. 

Some experts also suggest lying on your back and “bicycling” for several minutes after intercourse to help the sperm swim along. There are no fancy imaging technologies to prove that this works but if anything, it should induce a couple of giggles. And what better way is there to make babies than to be silly and have fun? 


This article is based on the book “The Full Embrace^TM Pregnancy Success Program by Diana Farrell, M.A. Diana’s books on enhancing fertility have been sold all over the world, and she has helped many couples overcome their infertility and realize their dream of parenthood. She originally developed the Pregnancy Success Program as a way to overcome her own struggles with infertility. Find out more by visiting her website: Pregnancy success program