How to Get Pregnant FAST:
The Secret Unravelled

For a couple, conceiving a child can be one of the easiest or one of the hardest things to do. Many couples who have not been able to conceive after even a year of trying find that there is no specific reason for their infertility. They may have difficulty conceiving because of extenuating circumstances like fast lifestyles and stress caused by work. Many turn to medical science but many also use the holistic approach to try and get pregnant; most times to complement medical procedures like in-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination and the use of donor eggs. Here are some tips on how to get pregnant fast:

Track the menstrual cycle

• Women need to know when they are ovulating and using ovulation kits can help pin-point that phase in the menstrual cycle. These kits predict this phase two days before it actually begins, so the couple can set aside time to try and conceive. Couples should have sex every day during ovulation which lasts around 72 hours. It is important to remember that the egg starts to disintegrate within 24 hours of being released. Sperm lasts for about two-three days, giving the couple a window of five fertile days per cycle to become pregnant.
• Another way to track the cycle is for the woman to chart her basal body temperature. Tracking this over three or four months helps the woman find the days she is most fertile. It also helps in detecting defects in the luteal, or latter, phase of the cycle. This is when implantation occurs and defects like a shorter than normal luteal phase and low production of progesterone will obstruct it.
• Changes in cervical mucus can help identify the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. Closer to ovulation the mucus changes in texture and quantity. During the non-fertile period, it will be creamy and sticky in appearance while as ovulation draws near the flow becomes heavier and takes on an elastic quality and looks like the white of an egg.

Diet, health and exercise

• It is very important for couples — especially the woman — to eat healthy, balanced meals rich in vitamins, iron, antioxidants and folic acid when trying to conceive. The diet should include lots of fresh fruit like apples, oranges, plums and berries and green vegetables like spinach, parsley and peppers. Drink around three liters of water a day. Tea is a better option than coffee or caffeine-based products like colas.
• Vitamin supplements should be taken prior to (and during) pregnancy. The woman should start taking folic acid at least a month before even trying to conceive. Folic acid helps reduce the chance of any birth defects. Vitamin C helps in the growth of a strong placenta that will protect the baby during pregnancy.
• Both the man and the woman should maintain their ideal weight by exercising for about half-an-hour, three to four times a week. Walking and swimming are good ways to do this, even post-pregnancy. For women especially, being under-weight leads to low production of estrogen which disrupts regular ovulation.

Avoid toxins and hazards

• If a couple, or even one partner, smokes they should stop straight away — not once they find out they are pregnant but as soon as they make the decision to start trying to conceive. This goes for recreational drugs and alcohol, too. Only medication prescribed by the doctor should be consumed, prior to or during the pregnancy. Avoid being around environmental hazards like pesticides, radiation and lead. All this can inhibit fertility and even trigger congenital defects and diseases in the fetus.

Avoid stress and stay positive

• Life and work are stressful; add to that the anxiety of trying to conceive and it becomes a vicious circle. Avoiding stress as much as possible raises the chances of getting pregnant. Couples should not take medical opinion as the final word. Doctors can be wrong so never give up trying or staying positive and optimistic.