To reduce stress while you are trying to conceive, you can try the following:
- exercise
- counseling
- prayer
- yoga
- improving your diet
Prior To Conception
Before planning to have a baby, visit your doctor to check for risk factors that may cause complications with our pregnancy. Prenatal vitamins should be taken before you start trying to get pregnant so that your body is ready to support another life. Some medical and dental procedures cannot be done while pregnant so you can discuss with your doctor what steps need to be taken to address those issues before becoming pregnant.
Recently Answered
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Wesley Medical Center answered
Non-invasive prenatal testing is a blood test that isolates fetal genetic material to screen for evidence of aneuploidy (abnormal chromosomes). Non-invasive fetal testing is done through a blood draw taken from the pregnant woman.
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Dr. Michael Roizen, MD , Internal Medicine, answeredSee All 2 AnswersRemember that 50 percent of pregnancies are not planned, so it is important to take a healthy approach to pre-pregnancy planning. So if you're a woman of childbearing age and not using birth control, you should follow these steps to better your chances of a healthy pregnancy.
- Stop smoking
- Stop drinking alcohol
- Stop using recreational drugs
- Avoid second-hand smoke
- Begin to floss every day if you do not already
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Boston Women's Health Book Collective , Administration, answeredAs your body changes during pregnancy, you may need to try different sexual positions to find what is comfortable for you. Some women discover new or increased sexual pleasures during pregnancy because of such experimentation. "Spooning" while sitting up offers plenty of room for manual stimulation, side lying allows for comfortable oral stimulation and experimenting with pillows and support devices can help enhance and support a variety of positions and activities. Positions in which you face away from your partner can help with breast tenderness, as can wearing a sports bra.
By the time you are about halfway through pregnancy it may be uncomfortable to lay on your back during sex. If you feel sick or faint when on your back, it could be because the enlarged uterus is pressing on blood vessels in the lower part of your body. Be guided by how you feel and explore other positions to learn what makes you comfortable. Due to a sense of fullness, some women find vaginal penetration uncomfortable at some points during pregnancy and opt for manual, oral, or self-pleasuring sex instead. This can be a period to explore various kinds of touch and find creative ways to enjoy our sensuality. If you want to continue having intercourse, the following positions may be helpful:
- Pregnant partner on top (This puts no weight on your abdomen and allows you to control the depth of penetration and clitoral placement.) rear-entry or side-lying positions
- Face to face: sitting on a sturdy chair, edge of the bed, etc.
- Whatever is fun, is safe, and feels good
Some cramping after making love is normal throughout pregnancy. Your uterus contracts during orgasm and these contractions might be more noticeable during pregnancy as the uterus gets bigger. It can feel as if your uterus gets hard for a few minutes. If you are past your due date and you want to induce labor, people may tell you that having sex will help. The evidence on this is mixed.
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Piedmont Heart Institute answeredAs you age, you have an increasing chance of having a baby born with a birth defect. Yet most women in their late 30s and early 40s have healthy babies. See your doctor regularly before you even start trying to get pregnant. She will be able to help you prepare your body for pregnancy. She will also be able to tell you about how age can affect pregnancy.
During your pregnancy, seeing your doctor regularly is very important. Because of your age, your doctor will probably suggest some extra tests to check on your baby's health.
More and more women are waiting until they are in their 30s and 40s to have children. While many women of this age have no problems getting pregnant, fertility does decline with age. Women over 40 who don't get pregnant after six months of trying should see their doctors for a fertility evaluation.
Experts define infertility as the inability to become pregnant after trying for one year. If a woman keeps having miscarriages, it's also called infertility. If you think you or your partner may be infertile, talk to your doctor. Doctors are able to help many infertile couples go on to have healthy babies.
This answer is based upon source information from the National Women's Health Information Center.
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American Diabetes Association answeredSee All 5 AnswersThe general recommendations for any woman planning a pregnancy are:
- Have a rubella lab test done.
- Start taking multivitamins with folic acid and calcium.
- Stop smoking, alcohol and drugs.
- Involve your husband or partner in the planning.
- Receive genetic counseling (optional).
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Dr. John C. Lipman, MD , Vascular & Interventional Radiology, answeredIt would be very unlikely. Increasing age (over 35) decreases fertility, and it is markedly diminished at age 50. Fibroids also can hinder a woman's fertility, and there may even be a negative impact on fertility from Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) similar to that seen with women that undergo surgery (myomectomy). There have been numerous pregnancies reported after Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE) but further studies are needed. -
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Dr. Hilda Y. Hutcherson, MD , OBGYN (Obstetrics & Gynecology), answeredWhen conception doesn’t happen as quickly as you would like, things can get pretty stressful, pretty fast. You start focusing solely on reproduction and may lose sight of your relationship as a couple. That’s normal.
If you’ve been trying to conceive for a year or more, though, you’ll find yourself dealing with even more obstacles to a healthy sex life. Not only has the pressure to get pregnant skyrocketed, but the fertility treatments you pursue can add a new wrinkle to an already difficult situation. Side effects like mood swings, bloating, and headaches can make women feel anything but in the mood.
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A woman may need to boost her sexual desire while trying to conceive. No matter how excited a woman is about the prospect of being pregnant, she can experience just as many sexual roadblocks as her male partner. Sex on demand can be tricky for her, too -- even if she’s the one doing the demanding.
It’s easy for women to get in the goal-oriented, baby-making mindset, where sex is simply a means to an end. That can mean that she may not even be in the mood when she initiates sex, but is guided instead by ovulation. Yet a lack of desire can lead to additional problems, like decreased lubrication and difficulty climaxing. Here’s how to boost desire when you’re trying to conceive.
• See a doctor. Antidepressants, anti-hypertension drugs, and other medications can contribute to low libido in women, as can anxiety and depression and diseases like arthritis and diabetes.
• Get emotional. Research suggests that women tend to feel sexual desire towards those men for whom they feel an emotional connection. The most important thing a guy can do to get a woman in the mood for sex is to make a strong emotional connection outside the bedroom. One way to do this: Try hugging for 20 seconds. Studies have shown that’s about the amount of time it takes for women to produce significant levels of oxytocin, also known as the cuddle hormone. Oxytocin is stimulated via touch, and is directly correlated with a sense of connection and well-being.
• A woman’s biggest sex organ is her brain. To turn her on, a man needs to help her turn her brain off. Research involving brain scans has found that the parts of the brain responsible for processing fear, anxiety, and emotion slow down significantly in women -- but not men -- as they become aroused. Help out around the house and otherwise take some of the pressure off her so she can focus on sex, not laundry, dirty dishes, or work.
• Relax. Not only can stress sap your sexual desire, it can also make it more difficult to conceive. Practice a form of stress management regularly, and consult a therapist if necessary to help eliminate sources of stress.