A Guide to Getting Pregnant :: When “Just Do It” Doesn’t Work

Sometimes getting pregnant takes longer than one would like.  If you ask me, it’s totally unfair.  Once you’re ready, you shouldn’t have to wait more than a couple cycles.  But if you’ve been trying for more than just a few months, you’re not alone.  So the ladies at Houston Moms Blog got together and pooled our best resources and pieces of advice to share.

Disclaimer :: Obviously, we’re not doctors.  If you are struggling with infertility or just feel like something may be off, we urge you to get in touch with your OB.  But if you’re not quite to that point and are looking for some steps to take before the fertility specialist, we’re here.

Tracking Your Body & Your Cycle

There are a few options that are relatively budget friendly for making sure you are ovulating – and to help you know exactly when that’s taking place.

Basal Body Temperature :: Tracking your Basal Body Temperature requires a specialized thermometer.  You can order one online or pick it up at many pharmacies.  This requires you to take your temperature before you hop out of bed in the morning.  You’ll then chart the temperatures for your entire cycle and look for trends in your temperature to determine when you ovulated.  This is only helpful for looking back after the cycle is complete.

Ovulation Predictor Kits :: While more expensive than a Basal Body Thermometer, these can also be purchased at most pharmacies.  However, you may find them cheaper online.  These have a very simple concept – you pee on a test strip every morning until the kit detects an LH surge, indicating you will ovulate in the next two days.

You’ll find that if you do need to consult with a doctor about conception, having information on when you ovulate will save you some stress down the road.

Resources

While we’re not doctors, there are some awesome books and websites we’ve personally used for learning more about our bodies and tracking testing results.  Here’s a little roundup of those resources…

Taking Charge of Your Fertility :: This website has charting software to help keep track of your Basal Body Temperature.  There is also a ton of information about fertility – and a book, if you really want to dive in deep.

Fertility Friend :: This is another excellent resource for fertility tracking.  It also has a community where you can connect with other mothers currently in the same boat as you.

The Fertility Diet :: The book claims that you can take control of your fertility, starting with your diet.  It includes helpful meal plans and recipes.

The Lingo

If you’re jumping in to the fertility forums and mommy boards, you’ll need to know the lingo.  Here are the most commonly used abbreviations ::

TWW – Two Week Wait {This refers to the two weeks between ovulation and your period start date.}

TTC – Trying To Conceive

BBT – Basal Body Temperature

OPK – Ovulation Predictor Kit

BD – Baby Dance {As in bow-chicka-wow-wow.}

CM – Cervical Mucus

HPT – Home Pregnancy Test

M/C – Miscarriage

AF – Aunt Flo {We’d use another – not so nice – name if this weren’t a family friendly site.}

DPO – Days Past Ovulation

BFN – Big Fat Negative

BFP – Big Fat Positive

HMB Tips

And last, but not least, since many of us have been down this road, we compiled a few of our personal tips…

• Tell your partner to wear loose underwear.  The boys need to breathe!
• Sperm is created three months before ejaculation.  So remember that night of partying a few months ago?  Yeah, that’s affecting life now.
• Not everyone’s cycle is 28 days.  So, just getting busy days 10-14 won’t always be successful.
• Cervical fluid is key.  That egg white stuff?  That is important to help the sperm swim to your cervix.
• Don’t do it every day!  Try every other day, so those swimmers have time to replenish.

Unfortunately, we know many of you have been through this too.  So what are your best tips and tricks?  Let’s keep this resource going in the comments below…