It’s difficult to say exactly how long it will take to get pregnant. However, these general statistics may give you an idea of how long it will take. Normally fertile couples have a 20 to 30 per cent chance of getting pregnant each cycle. About 84 per cent of couples in the general population will conceive within one year if they have unprotected, regular sex, and half of the remainder will conceive naturally within the following year, if they keep trying. This means that while some couples will get pregnant in the first month of trying, for other couples it may take at a couple of years before they conceive. Even then, some healthy couples can take even longer to get pregnant.

There are things you can do to increase your chances of conceiving. Here is our first (of many) tips:

Relax!
The first and foremost tip is to relax. This is very important since you have your hopes riding high, and sometimes trying to get pregnant could take time. Studies have also shown that any kind of stress could trouble the fertility situation in both women and men. It is important to lower any sort of stress levels. In order to do that, try to join support groups that deal with such issues, and even issues regarding fertility. Negative ideas and thoughts such as not being able to have a baby should completely be wiped from your mind. The best techniques here could be deep breathing and yoga which could be a stress buster, this should, however be practiced every day.

While it may seem improbable, stress is a crucial factor that stops you from getting pregnant. Your body and mind need to feel relaxed at all times so make sure you have a positive attitude and always get a good night’s sleep.

Don’t get stressed out. One major mistake most couples do when trying for a baby is that they get all too worked up. This is wrong because being stressed prevents the body to work properly, thus, giving you a hard time in conception.

Some ways to de-stress:
Find a quiet place where you can enjoy some peaceful down time
Practice slow, deep breathing techniques or meditation
If you can, get away for a short break with your partner
Indulge yourself and get a massage
Talk to a close friend or relative, get everything off of your mind
Try some light exercise, like an evening walk
Use you go-to method of relaxing.

So if you are feeling tightly wound, find a way to de-stress and try to enjoy the ride (wink, wink) – relax because you being stressed is not helping.

This cervical mucus can make or break the conception process depending on its consistency which changes throughout a woman’s ovulation cycle. Cervical mucus can be friendly and inviting, or it can be hostile. Hostile cervical mucus is mucus that is too thick to allow sperm to enter the cervix, which can hinder conception. Here are the various stages of a woman’s cycle and how the cervical mucus changes:

Before Ovulation – During the first few days after menstruation has stopped, the cervical mucus will be almost non-existent with little or no discharge present. There is a very low chance of pregnancy during this stage.

Approaching Ovulation – A white, creamy, moist, and sticky discharge should appear. Although there is a chance of pregnancy during this phase, it is still on the low side.

During Ovulation – The mucus discharge will resemble egg whites at this stage and because it is the thinnest and most abundant, the survival rate of sperm is much higher. This stage has the highest chance of pregnancy.

After Ovulation – The mucus will return to the sticky stage, the vulva will become dry, and the chance of pregnancy drops to very low again.

Every single woman will have hostile cervical mucus at some point during her cycle. Others, however, have more prominent hostile mucus and it becomes a real problem. Luckily, for those women who suffer from severe hostile cervical mucus, there are treatments available and there are methods for increasing good cervical mucus. The two methods to treat hostile cervical mucus include using a lubricant and taking guaifenesin. Using a lubricant is probably the simplest way to make hostile cervical mucus more receptive to sperm. However, using any over the counter lubricant is not wise as some of them can produce the opposite desired effect. Therefore, you should use only lubricants that have been scientifically proven to not harm sperm and counteract hostile mucus. Pre-Seed is currently the only lubricant on the market that has proven it can accomplish both of these tasks.

The second treatment option is to take guaifenesin. This is a rather controversial method because guaifenesin is the active ingredient in the U.S. over the counter cold medicine, Robitussin. If your doctor suggests this treatment method, you will be instructed to take two teaspoons by mouth three times per day, starting five days before ovulation and ending the day of ovulation. As with choosing lubricants, it is imperative that you find a product that contains guaifenesin only as the active ingredient because anything else can be detrimental to the conception process.

Although there is no way to prevent hostile cervical mucus, there are things that can be done and taken to increase the production of good cervical mucus such as eating a healthy diet, drinking lots of water, and taking supplements. Some of the important supplements to consider are Vitamin C, Nitric Oxide, lactobacilli, grapeseed extract, and Evening Primrose Oil.

Initial signs that there might be a sperm allergy are painful intercourse or burning and/or itching after being intimate. There are two types of sperm allergies: localized and systemic. Localized sperm allergies will manifest symptoms immediately after the sperm has made contact and the systems will appear at the site of contact. Common symptoms include burning, pain, swelling, itching, blisters, and vaginal redness. Systemic sperm allergies can occur anywhere from 5 to 25 minutes after the sperm makes contact and affects not only the contact area but other systems within the body. Symptoms associated with this type of allergy include hives, soft tissue swelling, itching, difficulty breathing, and vascular collapse. It is possible for a woman to experience both localized and systemic sperm allergies.

Even though the exact cause of sperm allergies is unknown, it is speculated that genital tract infections, genital abnormalities, or women who are exposed to abnormal sperm could be the cause. Luckily, this condition is treatable and fertility can be regained. It is important to have a thorough exam by your gynecologist and then get a second opinion because often this condition can be misdiagnosed as recurrent yeast infections or sexually transmitted diseases. However, once a firm diagnosis has been made, there are three treatment options available. They include protein desensitization, sperm desensitization, and artificial insemination.

1. Protein Desensitization – This is a procedure in which small amounts of semen proteins from the male’s semen are injected into the woman’s blood once every ten to fifteen minutes for a period of several hours. This treatment is time consuming and in order for it to be effective the patient must be exposed to her partner’s sperm at least twice a week.

2. Semen Desensitisation – This procedure is similar to protein desensitization except that semen is injected into the vagina.

3. Artificial Insemination – This isn’t necessarily a treatment per se, but for a woman with a severe sperm allergy who wants to conceive, this procedure can help because the sperm is washed prior to insertion so that the proteins are removed.

Other treatments include medications such as antibiotics, antihistamines, epinephrine, leukotriene receptor antagonists, allergy shots, and non-traditional therapies such as acupuncture and herbal remedies. Some effective herbal remedies are burdock, chamomile, kudzu, peppermint oil, and probiotics. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent developing a sperm allergy except to use a condom when having sex with multiple partners.

On a side note, women are not the only ones to suffer from a sperm allergy. Men can develop an allergic reaction to their own sperm usually as a result of a vasectomy, a varicocele, or a congenital abnormality in the male genital tract. Treatments for men would consist of treating the underlying cause or even desensitization treatments.

The reality is that it is common for a young, healthy couple to take 6+ months to fall pregnant. For some it may take up to a year. But factors such as the couples individual health, age, and medical issues also have an impact.

Armed with a little bit of knowledge, the average couple can greatly improve their likelihood of conception, as well as a healthier pregnancy.

The site is split into 5 main categories; Getting Pregnant, Increasing Fertility, Fertility Issues, Male Fertility, and Infertility / Options.
We also have this blog which will be regularly updated news, opinion and reviews.

We hope you find the information to be helpful and look forward to hearing about your conception success!