Up to 15 percent of couples have trouble getting pregnant, meaning they are unable to conceive after 12 months of trying.1
Considering these statistics, it is important to make preparations before pregnancy. Read more to find out what you can do to make sure your journey to and during pregnancy is as smooth as possible.
How Fast Can You Get Pregnant?
No one can for sure say how many months or how many years it can take for you and your partner to get pregnant. On average, most couples get pregnant within three months of trying, but this timeline can take longer based on your age, habits, and conditions that may inhibit fertility. Up to 95 percent of couples trying to have a baby will get pregnant within about 4 years of trying. This essentially means that, if you’re trying to conceive, you probably will if you try for long enough.13
Whether you’re having trouble getting pregnant or ready to start a family soon, learn how you and your partner can get pregnant faster below.
1.Optimize Your Health
Check Your Diet and Lifestyle
The food you eat can have a significant impact on both male and female health. In general, you want a healthy, balanced diet of diverse foods that mainly focuses on fresh fruits and vegetables and lean sources of protein.
Women: Some specific nutrients that you should focus on include:
- Calcium – Calcium can keep your reproductive system healthy, which can contribute to faster conception. Once you’re pregnant, you will need plenty of calcium to build your baby’s bones and teeth. If you don’t have enough calcium, the fetus will take from your own bones, which can increase your risk of osteoporosis. Aim for about 1,000 mg per day.6
- Iron – Iron is essential to red blood cells and helps to transport oxygen and other nutrients throughout your body. Without enough iron, your developing fetus is at risk of being premature or underweight. Women with enough iron also have less trouble getting pregnant. Women should get about 18 mg of iron per day.6
- Fiber – Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that contributes to your digestive health and may help boost fertility levels. Getting 10 grams of fiber per day can help to reduce your chance of developing gestational diabetes by 26 percent.6
Multivitamins are a good idea, in general, to ensure that you get the nutrients that you need, but for pregnancy in particular, take a prenatal vitamin that contains folic acid. Folic acid is a synthetic version of the B vitamin folate. Folate is involved in the production of red blood cells and plays a significant role in the development of your baby’s neural tube, which eventually turns into the brain and spinal cord.
Taking folic acid even before you’re pregnant is highly recommended. The neural tube is one of the first organs that a fetus develops. Birth defects in the brain and spinal cord can occur within the first 3 to 4 weeks of pregnancy. It’s important to have enough folate in your system prior to conception to prevent these defects. You should take about 400 mcg of folic acid every day for at least a month prior to becoming pregnant and every day while pregnant.5
While current medical recommendations do not suggest that you take a prenatal with DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid for neural development, many parents opt to take one to support the development of their baby’s brain and nervous system.
There are also benefits of taking probiotics for mom and baby.
Men:
- Zinc - Zinc is an essential mineral that help support cellular growth. Creating sperm is an energy intensive process that requires multiple rounds of cell division. Consuming adequate amounts of zinc can help support male virility.
Exercise at Least 30 Minutes a Day
The importance of exercise cannot be stressed. The goal is not to burn calories but to get the blood flowing and metabolism going.
Females: Underweight women are more likely to have low-birth-weight babies, while overweight women are more likely to have abnormal hormone cycles due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and tend experience birth and pregnancy complications. Being over- or underweight can also make conception more difficult, so try to stay within your recommended weight and BMI as possible.8
Males: Try to optimize your weight to support your physical sexual performance. Strength training has the added bonus of supporting testosterone levels.
2. Manage Your Stress
Women: Chronic stress is a modern epidemic, and while it may seem like stress only affects your mood, it has some real effects on your physiology, including your ability to conceive. Stress influences your hypothalamus, which is the gland that regulates your emotions, appetite, and the hormones responsible for signaling your ovaries to release eggs. Stress can actually cause you to ovulate later or not at all.9
Therefore, it may be best to plan a short getaway or vacation around the time of ovulation
Men: The pressure to perform while your partner is ovulation is real. Some couples resort to the "turkey baster" method as a last resort. This method is sub-optimal because it lacks the physical act of intercourse helps force sperm to go up the woman's reproductive canal. The turkey baster method deposits sperm in the female's vagina but does not help them go past the cervix.
That said, it is important to "keep going" after ejaculation to help support the flow of sperm up the woman's vagina and past the cervix.
Some men have found that taking natural male enhancement products can help them perform while stressed. You can also talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for sildenafil (Viagra®) or Cialis® to help support performance.
3. Know When to Have Sex to Get Pregnant
If you’re trying to get pregnant, it’s important that you and your partner understand your menstrual cycle, which can help you determine when you are most able to get pregnant. The menstrual cycle occurs naturally as a means of preparing the body to get pregnant.
The Best Time of the Month to Get Pregnant
Women typically release a fertile egg 14 days before the start of bleeding during their menstrual cycles. For the woman with the typical 28-day menstrual cycle, it is best to have intercourse around this time – especially several days before and several days after ovulation. This helps ensures that a fertile egg that is released is met by spermatozoa from the father.
This makes figuring out when you ovulate a key to conceiving. There are now numerous apps, like Glow, that allow you to track your menstrual cycle and determine when you are ovulating, but you can also use an ovulation predictor kit, which tests your hormone levels to identify your fertile window. You can also chart your cycle by measuring changes in your basal body temperature, cervical mucus, and cervical firmness.11
3. Best Sexual Position to Get Pregnant
In terms of position, there’s no scientific evidence saying that any singular position will increase your chances of pregnancy. You should, however, lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after intercourse to ensure that any sperm heading into the cervix will actually make it inside.12
You also don’t need to overdo it in terms of sexual frequency. Aim to have sex everyday during the 2 days leading up to ovulation and the morning and evening the day of ovulation. This ensures that you will have healthy sperm cells in your fallopian tubes, ready to fertilize the egg as soon as it is released.11
When Should You See a Doctor for Help?
Many couples who are unable to conceive on their own will seek assistance from a doctor. If you are under the age of 35 and have not gotten pregnant after having unprotected sex for 1 year, you should consult a fertility doctor. If you are 35 or older and have been trying to conceive for 6 months without any results, it may be time to see a doctor or specialist.14
Remember that it is a team effort and should not be thought of one partner's fault or the other if things do not work out this cycle.Sources:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-infertility/symptoms-causes/syc-20374773
- https://www.babycenter.com/0_17-things-you-should-do-before-you-try-to-get-pregnant_7171.bc
- https://www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/pregnancy-health/pregnancy-vaccines/
- https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_vacpregnant.htm
- https://www.webmd.com/baby/folic-acid-and-pregnancy#1
- https://www.whattoexpect.com/getting-pregnant/health-and-wellness/foods-to-enjoy/prepregnancy-diet.aspx
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/female-fertility/art-20045887
- https://www.babycenter.com/0_trying-to-conceive-five-changes-to-make-to-your-diet-now_3558.bc
- https://www.babycenter.com/404_can-stress-get-in-the-way-of-getting-pregnant_1336350.bc
- http://womhealth.org.au/conditions-and-treatments/understanding-your-menstrual-cycle-fact-sheet
- https://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-tell-when-you-ovulate_484.bc
- https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/7-tips-getting-pregnant-faster#2
- https://www.babycenter.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-get-pregnant
- https://www.babycenter.com/404_ive-been-trying-to-get-pregnant-8211-when-do-i-need-to-see-a_7109.bc
About the Author:
Dr. Bryan Do, D.O. is an osteopathic physician whose research interests include gastroenterology, immunology, and dermatology. He is particularly interested in the role of probiotics in the gut-brain-skin axis and has written many articles on the topic. He graduated from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before graduating from Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana and becoming a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Osteopathic physicians are taught to take a holistic approach to medicine and to consider mind, body, and spirit when treating a patient. Osteopathic physicians receive training in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) in addition to the standard rigorous medical school curriculum. Both physicians with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree as well as a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) can practice medicine.