Tips for Getting
Pregnant Faster

An obvious first step is to make sure you are having enough sex, it’s not going to happen if you leave this part out. 

Sometimes it’s not easy to prioritize because of work and other family commitments, but if you want to get pregnant you need to make the time to make love.

“There’s no need to have sex every day,” says fertility expert and midwife Zita West. “Three times a week is fine as the sperm survives for 3 to 5 days.”

Marilyn Glenville, author of Getting Pregnant Faster, agrees. She says, “Don’t have sex every day, every other day is best to allow the sperm to build up in between.”

“There are only six days in a month when you can get pregnant, says Zita, “The 5 days before ovulation and the day of ovulation.”

“Get to know your own cycle,” says Dr. Diane Farrar, research midwife at the Bradford Institute for Health Research. “It’s easier if you are on a 28 day cycle. If not, keep a diary so you know your optimum time.”

Ovulation happens 14 days before you start your period. Once you’ve ovulated an egg is only viable for one day; so 24 hours after ovulation, you’ve missed your most fertile time.

In fact, a ten year study found that having sex starting 6 days prior to ovulation is the most conducive to achieving conception.

“There are lots of gadgets to help, such as tracker apps or ovulation predictor kits, says Siobhan Freegard from Netmums. “Or you can look for your body’s own signs.”

Don’t make it a commando mission to get pregnant though, you need to stay relaxed. You partner might not be able to perform to order either.

If timing and predictor testing is stressing you out, Zita says: “Stay relaxed and throw away your thermometer and charts.”

Some women may have been on the pill for many years before deciding to try for a baby.

It may take a few months off the pill for your periods to go back to normal, but once you stop using it you are able to conceive.

Zita says: “Sometimes it can take your body a while to get back to normal, but you are in fact more fertile when you first come off the pill.”

There is no best sex position for increasing your chances of conception, but it may be worth it to let gravity give you a hand.

So missionary, the classic man on top position, is a good choice.

If you stand up to have sex, the sperm may not be able to make it where it needs to go. Having said that, it only takes one sperm to get pregnant and you can get pregnant from having sex in any position.

If you place a pillow under your hips, keep your legs raised after sex and stay there for 20 minutes or so, it may make it easier for the sperm to reach any potential egg upstream.

 So, don’t leap out of bed after sex. Lie there with your pelvis tilted upwards for a while.

Staying relaxed and keeping stress levels down can help you get pregnant faster.

“Stress and the pressure on one another to conceive can screw up pregnancy, says Zita. “As can other more general stresses, for example, couples may be moving house, trying to get up the career ladder, or they could have financial worries.”

Evidence from a University of Oxford study shows that healthy women trying for a baby may have a reduced chance of becoming pregnant at their fertile time if they are stressed.

The 2010 research found that women with a stress enzyme were 12% less likely to conceive in any one month.

According to Angela Probert, author of The Well-Informed Parent, “Stressful events, such as a new job or a death in the family, may affect the time it takes to conceive by delaying ovulation and causing longer menstrual cycles.”

Probert also says, “Timing sex for certain times of the month can put stress on dad and this can result in problems with ejaculation.”

The jury’s out on this. It’s not scientifically proven one way or another that a man’s underwear makes any difference to his chances of making a baby.

The idea is that wearing loose boxer shorts instead of tight briefs may help fertility by keeping his testicles cool, which helps with sperm production.

Marilyn Glenville says: “There’s some evidence that men shouldn’t balance laptops on their laps with their legs closed. It can get very hot which may not necessarily be good for sperm.”

Using a lubricant during sex may affect the sperm and make it more difficult to conceive. Some may even have spermicidal agents in them.

One study at Queen’s University in Belfast looked at the effect on sperm movement using four lubricants: KY jelly, olive oil, baby oil and saliva.

It found all of them had an effect on the motility of sperm, that is, its ability to swim about.

It’s probably best to stick to foreplay to provide lubrication.

The healthier you both are, the more chance there is of getting pregnant faster.

Being a smoker and being overweight make it harder to conceive.

“It’s all about general health and wellbeing,” says Dr. Diane Farrar, “Keep to a normal weight, eat a healthy, balanced diet, reduce salt, eat fruit, eat fiber and cut out processed foods.”

She says, “The same goes for men. It’s not just the woman who makes the baby. You both need to be as fit and healthy as possible.”

Consider giving up alcohol or reducing it considerably.

After one year of having regular sex, nine out of ten couples will have conceived.

If you are under 35 and nothing has happened after one year of trying, see a specialist.

If you are over 35 and nothing has happened after six months of trying, it’s worth going to see a specialist who can test you for any underlying possible fertility problems and give you advice.