Trying To Conceive
The Ultimate Guide to Increase Your Fertility and Maximise Your Chances of Conceiving a Child
By Lilly Greene
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Trying To
Conceive
The Ultimate Guide to Increase Your Fertility and
Maximise Your Chances of Conceiving a Child
An Angel Books Publication of Mother's Connect 2011
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Lilly Greene
Also available in Print.
e- ISBN: 978-1-4661-3700-4
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Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author
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Dedicated to all mothers and mothers-to-be.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
6. Predetermining the Sex of Your Baby: A Boy? A Girl?
FAQ: Frequently Asked Question
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PREFACE
If you are reading this, it is because you and your partner have discussed trying for a new baby (maybe its even your first, or third), either way, whether you've talked about it, or it's merely a lingering thought, you want to prepare yourself.
First of all...Timing is everything! From preparing your body, to getting to know your body and when is the perfect time to conceive! For those of you who are just out to try to conceive and are not concerned about the sex of the baby, then intercourse before, during and after ovulation is best (ovulation will be discussed in detail later on). Don't get too stressed out over the timing as such, stress is a horrible factor that plays against the act of conception and lowers your fertility as it produces acid within the body. So relax! This is supposed to be fun, and an experience for both to enjoy!
Don't be alarmed if you don't fall pregnant straight away, not all women are as lucky, but the more in tune with yours and your partner's body you become, the higher the chances of you getting pregnant.
In the next few chapters you will learn what's appropriate to eat (or not to eat), how to calculate the perfect time for conception each month (i.e. when you ovulate), and little tid-bits for your partner to be aware of also. There are also a few other factors involved necessary like seeing your GP or a fertility clinic. And then for those who are interested in choosing the sex for their baby, well there is a little something here for you also!
So Enjoy!
Good luck!
And have fun!
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1
PREPARE YOUR BODY
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Knowing how to
prepare your body in order to conceive successfully and healthily is
essential, ESPECIALLY if you've had a previous miscarriage, or even a
family history of conception/pregnancy complications or worse
fertility problems. Understanding how to take care of and maintain
your bodily health will not only benefit you during pregnancy, but
also later benefit the health of your unborn child.
It's a matter
of understanding your body's needs and wants, the right nutrients
through proper diet, and keeping up your fitness through daily and
regular exercise.
In order to accomplish successful conception
sooner rather than later, 6-12months in advance preparation is
recommended in order to give you the time necessary for preparation
(and your body the time to adjust).
Take a visit to your GP and/or fertility clinic.
Have a full check up, including Pap smear and breast check. A pap smear is a quick and simple test in which a number of cells are collected from the cervix and sent to a laboratory where they are tested for changes. Also, have the lining of your uterus and your cervix checked, and test your fertility!
If your using contraception, now might be a good time to get off it. Stop taking the pill, using condoms/diaphragm, or if you have the Implanon, your visit to the GP is what will take care of that. If your on any other contraception (like an injection), well, you’ll have to wait until it has passed through your body before you can really think about getting started. But remember, some contraceptions (like the Implanon, and other injections or even the pill) may take your body a while to adjust back to normal, which is why it is recommended to start thinking about these things at least 6months before planning to conceive. And don’t worry, any concerns you might have, your GP can help.
Make sure your immunisations are up to date, or as prescribed by your doctor. The main ones to think about are:
a) MMR-Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
b) Chicken Pox
c) Whooping Cough
d) Influenza
e) Pneumococcal Disease
f) Cervical Cancer
Some, if not all of these diseases during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects that effect the eyes, ears, brain, heart and spinal chord. In some cases it can even lead to chances of an intellectual disability or be the cause of death. You can ask your doctor to take a blood test to find out if you are already immune, and if not, it’s a simple procedure to get immunized.
Remember, you need to wait a month after immunisation before trying to conceive.
For those who are against immunisations for religious or other reasons, don't feel compelled by reading this to get it done. Some doctors highly recommend it, where as there are those who don't approve. It depends what works for you and your body.
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Have a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Know what it takes physically, mentally and emotionally to achieve the desired outcomes of conception. It's basically taking the ordinary, and turning it into the extraordinary in the miracle of birth through other people's experiences, insights and comments on what works and what doesn't, and most of all the advice and council of your doctor or health practitioner. Most of us don't know or even appreciate the narrow window of opportunity us women have in order to conceive, and it's a matter of necessity in understanding the importance of a good diet, healthy weight, and appreciating the importance of sleep, clean water and how stress can affect the reproductive system.
Stress can affect your nutritional intake, lower your sex hormone manufacture, and possibly even damage your chances of conception through unhealthy changes in ovulation and sperm viability/count. If stress is a major factor in your life it would be helpful to re-evaluate and think of ways to eliminate or even try to lower those factors.
Here are some helpful tips in eliminating or lowering your stress levels:
~Workload-learn to prioritise your time. Try and limit the amount of things you do each day, breaking it up over the week. A little each day will get more done than overloading yourself with useless 'tasks'. Try to keep weekends free, or at least one day a week where you can just kick back, relax, and take the time to evaluate things.
~Meditation-I'm not talking about being in a state of 'heightened mystical spirituality', no, nothing religious. I'm simply referring to taking the time to cleanse your minds of the everyday stresses that you face. Being in a state of contentment and relaxation. It's as simple as finding a quiet place of your own for half an hour everyday. Sit or lie down with your eyes closed, and just breath in and out slowly, feeling the air travelling through your lungs and with each exhaling breath relaxing a different part of your body starting from your neck and working your way down your shoulders all the way to your toes. If different thoughts keep flashing through your mind, a useful thing to do is focus your attention on something such as that car driving off in the distance, the sounds of crickets in the summer, the way the wind ruffles the leaves, or waves crashing against the shore. Anything low and soft in sound can be soothing. When you're finished, don't forget to smile! Its been proven that smiling for a minimum of 20-30 seconds can heighten your mood by sending endorphins through your body (almost as good as having a bit of chocolate).
~Massage-Something as simple as booking yourself in to a massage once a week can help lower daily stress your body goes through. Have you ever gone for a really good massage and end up walking away like your body is almost lighter? Well, that's because those muscles have been loosened up and you have more freedom of movement in your limbs. I've found acupressure massage to be AMAZING in doing so. The practice of acupressure focuses on all your pressure points where most of the tension builds up.
~Hydrotherapy-Hydrotherapy are various excersizes conducted in water such as a pool. It also includes spa treatments and water massages, but be cautious when going out to public pools and spas as recent studies show that causes for lower sperm counts and an increase in abnormally shaped sperm was found in water affected by everyday chemicals such as detergents.1.
~Exercise regularly-As part of a healthy body, exercise is a very important. Going for a 30-60 minute brisk walk on a daily basis can increase your health, and the health of your future baby. Additionally, the fitter you are, the better you'll be able to cope with pregnancy, but be careful not to put too much strain on your body as it can interrupt your menstrual cycle. You need to have a regular period to increase your chances of conceiving.
A low impact stretching class is also ideal, such as kalenetics, or yoga a few times a week. These stretching exercises help encourage blood flow throughout the body and reproductive organs. It is also a great form of relaxation which will help eliminate stress levels.
Yoga is often
perceived as a spiritual practice, as it is a Hindu and ascetic
discipline widely practiced for health and relaxation. It has great
physical benefits also, increasing flexibility and relaxing the
muscles by stretching them. Be sure to speak to a professional Yoga
instructor before trying any poses as to not cause unnecessary harm
to your body.
Kalenetics on the other hand is small muscle
concentrated movements used to stretch, lengthen, strengthen and
tone, it is also really good to promote blood flow and flexibility.
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RELAX
When I say relax, I don't necessary mean take a deep breath and stop worrying. What I'm referring to is relaxing your body. Our everyday movements can put strain on our bodies unintentionally. There are different forms to help that along other than the obvious massaging and exercise or stretching. Infertility is known as a physical condition with both emotional and mental components, both which can be helped along.
A system of complimentary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles used to alleviate pain and to treat various mental, physical and emotional conditions, it's a way of stimulating or rectifying imbalances within specific problem areas in the body. A practice used for over 3000 years, acupuncture is based on the Chinese belief that a balance in the energy flow through the body is needed to stay healthy. When a 'blockage' occurs, the body's energy flow then becomes imbalanced making it difficult for any healing to take place.
Acupuncture can be used in infertility by treating the following:2
~Spasms in fallopian tubes
~Repeated miscarriage
~Idiopathic infertility
~Luteal phase defect
~Hyperprolactimia
~Polycystic ovarian syndrome
~Sperm fragmentation in males
~Endometriosis
These treatments are done through the following ways:
~Through aiding in blood flow to the reproductive organs
~Stabilizing hormone levels that interfere with ovulation and that regulate ovulation so an egg is released.
In addition, acupuncture has shown evidence in increased rate of pregnancy in patients undergoing IVF.
When seeking out an acupuncturist, make sure they are fully qualified.
Acupressure
Really just another term for SHIATSU (meaning finger pressure). Shiatsu is a form of therapy of Japanese origin based on the same principles as acupuncture, but older. It is a therapy in which pressure is applied to certain points on the body using hands (hence the meaning). Acupressure is a way of manipulating pressure points on the body by use of hands and fingers and placing pressure on those points. Although it may take longer for acupressure to reach results, it is just as affective as acupuncture (and a great alternative to acupuncture for those who don't like needles).
Homoeopathy
Homoeopathy is the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of a disease. This is often contrasted with Allopathy that is the treatment of disease by conventional means i.e. with drugs having opposite affects to the symptoms. They're easy to take in either liquid or pill form and are natural medicines that treat the mental, emotional and physical imbalances in the body.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the use of aromatic plant extracts and essential oils in massages or baths. With the human body having an affinity with such oils readily absorbed into the body, it is an awesome tool in aiding the body not only as a relaxant but also as a sexual stimulant in order to improve intimacy between couples.
In women stress can disrupt the hormonal balance and communication between the pituitary glands (a section of the brain that secrets nine different hormones) and ovaries from the brain. Men are affected both physically and emotionally which as a result has a negative impact on their sperm count, mobility and structure-all this in turn contributing to infertility.
Aromatherapy sends the limbic system into action.
The limbic system is a complex system of nerves and networks in the brain, some of which are concerned with instinct and mood. These control basic emotions such as fear, pleasure, anger and even hunger, sex, or care of offspring. Smell has an effect on women's fertility so much so that studies have proven women that are constantly in the presence of a man's perspiration have more regular periods even to the point of girls starting menstruation earlier when in their company.3
Sexual arousal and achievement are accomplished by two systems in the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system aids in the control of most of the body's internal organs such as achieving an orgasm, but an over active one causes pre-mature ejaculation in men and non-orgasm in women when under-active. The parasympathetic system however promotes the maintenance of the body at rest such as preparing for the orgasm.
Aromatherapy is fantastic for sexual stimulation in men and women and act as a great foreplay. Some oils have proven success in promoting the function of the sympathetic system such as jasmine, peppermint, rose, clove, basil, patchouli and neroli (Marjoram, lemon, chamomile, sandalwood and bergamot have the opposite effect).4