Conception.LifeTips.com
Category: Conception Basics Subcategory: Conception Basics Tip: How to Figure Out Your Due Date Based on Your Conception Date In the past, doctors used the first day of the mother's last menstrual period to calculate due dates. This was because the exact date of conception was hardly ever known for sure. These days, with pregnancy tests that can confirm pregnancy only a couple of days after conception, it might be easier to make an accurate guess. Keep in mind that few babies ever come right on schedule. To calculate your due date from conception, use these simple rules: First day of last period: Add 40 weeks. Day of conception: Add 38 weeks. This makes sense because conception occurs when women ovulate, and this happens in the middle of a monthly menstrual cycle. Subtracting two weeks if you use the date of conception from the calculation based on the first day of a period is a good rule of thumb. For example, you might have had your last period on Valentine's Day. That means you probably conceived right around the first of March. You should be prepared to have your baby in time for Thanksgiving. What if you do not know your conception date or the first day of your last period? Women have been known to lose track of these things, but an ultrasound as soon as five or six weeks after conception can usually help estimate the baby's gestational age very accurately. Category: Early Pregnancy Symptoms Subcategory: Early Pregnancy Symptoms Tip: Lack Of Pregnancy Symptoms It is possible to be pregnant and have no pregnancy symptoms whatsoever. Every pregnancy is different. In one of my pregnancies, I tested because I had NO symptoms, NO PMS and was indeed pregnant. Category: Fertility Charting Subcategory: Basal body temperature Tip: Basal Body Temperature Basal body temperature is the temperater the body is at rest. In order for it to be accurate the body needs to have been at rest for at least 3 hours. Temperatures from 96.0 F to 99.0 F are normal resting temperatures, depending on the time of the month.
Tip: Cover Line When charting your basal body temperature, you will need to draw a cover line once ovulation has occured. The cover line is taken by going back 6 days before the rise in temperatues (ovulation). Take the highest of the 6 temperatures and draw a line.1 a degree above it. This is the line in which your post ovulation temperatures should stay above. Tip: High Basal Temperature When Mensturation Starts Occasionally the post ovulation temperatures will stay high when menstruation occurs. If this happens, normally it will fall back down on day 2 or 3 of the new cycle. Some women's temperature will drop down a day or 2 before menstruation while others will drop after the fact. Tip: Normal Pre-Ovulation Temperatures Every woman is different, so is her basal body temperature (BBT). What is normal for one may indicate a problem for another. Normally, pre-ovulation BBT's are in the 96.0 F to 98.0 F range. Tip: Time To Temp? Take your basal body temperature at the same time every day. This insures that the temperature will be true and accurate. Your body temperature naturally rises higher as the day progresses. Subcategory: Cervical Fluid Tip: Types Of Cervical Fluid 1. Dry cervical fluid - the absence of any fluid 2. Sticky cervical fluid - feels "tacky" when touched 3. Creamy cervical fluid - feels lotiony 4. Clear cervical fluid - feels like egg whites Subcategory: Fertility Charting Basics Tip: Charts In order to effectively chart your fertility signs, you will need a good chart. You can download your chart from a number of websites, such as www.fertilityplus.org or you can make your own. If you buy a brand new basal body thermometer, the package should contain a blank one you can copy. Or you can purchase a book such as Taking
Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler and copy the charts in the back of her book. Tip: Low Estrogen A possible indicator of low estrogen could be if your pre-ovulation temperatures are on the high side. Estrogen will normally cause the basal body temperature to be low. Another indication of estrogen is the quality of cervical fluid around ovulation. Estrogen will help the body to produce more of the fertile quality cervical fluid. Category: Fertility Enhancers Subcategory: Guiafenisen Tip: Guaifenesin Guaifenesin, otherwise sold under the "Robitussin" brand, helps to increase cervical fluid. Take as directed on bottle from menstruation to ovulation. Be sure that the only ingredient is guaifenesin. Some cold remedies come with decongestants, and these will defeat the purpose of producing more cervical fluid. Subcategory: Vitamin B6 Tip: Vitamin B6 Vitamin B6 is a great fertility vitamin. Given the choice of just one vitamin to take I'd choose B6 over any other vitamin. Category: Fertility Herbs Subcategory: Herbs Tip: Red Raspberry Leaf Red Raspberry Leaf helps to tone the uterus by causing minor uterine contractions. This is beneficial to reproduction as it helps to increase the blood flow to the uterus. Red raspberry leaf should be taken from menstruation to ovulation. Tip: Vitex Vitex, also known as ChasteTree Berry helps to regulate the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Vitex can be taken either the first half of the cycle or the entire cycle. See bottle for proper dosage.
Tip: Vitex aka Chaste Tree Berry Vitex is also known as Chaste Tree Berry. Vitex has been called the female herb. Vitex is a hormone regulator, regulating estrogen and progesterone. Vitex should be taken from menstruation to ovulation, though some women claim that it is beneficial to take all cycle. Ask your health care providor to be sure about the proper time and dosage. Vitex should NEVER be taken with the fertility drug Clomid. Subcategory: Reproductive Tonics Tip: Cramp Bark Camp Bark is considered a reproductive tonic. Take from menstruation to ovulation. See bottle for dosage information. Tip: Lady's Mantle Lady's Mantle is considered a reproductuve tonic. Take from menstruation to ovulation. See bottle for dosage information. Tip: Nettle Nettle is considered a reproductive tonic. Take from menstruation to ovulation. See bottle for dosage Tip: Rehmannia Rehmannia is considered a reproductive tonic. See bottle for dosage information. Category: Fertility Monitors & Ovulation Predictor Kits Subcategory: OPK Advice Tip: Ovulation Predictor Kits and Charting It is a good idea to chart your fertility signs while using an ovulation predictor kit. The kit will tell you approximately when ovulation will occur. Charting will confirm it. Tip: Ovulation Preditor Kit's Time Frame Ovulation predictor kits will predict ovulation within 3 days of ovulation. Some women will see the positive test result 4 days ahead, while others will see it only 2 days ahead.
It's important to chart in accordance with using these kits to accurately hit when ovulation actually occurs. Category: Fertility Tests Subcategory: Fertility Tests Tip: Luetenizing Hormone Level Luetenizing hormone level test is done by drawing blood from your arm. This should be done on day 3 of your cycle. Tip: Prolactin Hormone Level Prolactin is a hormone that if the levels are high enough causes anovulation or a luteal phase defect. The test is done by drawing blood from your arm 7 days past the luetenizing hormone surge. Category: Healthy Pregnancy Subcategory: Healthy Preconception Tip: Calcium Eating foods rich in calcium is important to maintain healthy bones in both you and your developing baby. Dairy foods contain maximum amounts of calcium. If you are unable to eat dairy foods, take a calcium supplement. Tip: Iron Iron is important in pregnancy and should be taken while trying to conceive to insure healthy blood. Iron can be taken in supplement form. Iron can be found in foods such as enriched breads, prune juice, nuts, caviar, cheddar cheese, egg yolks, chickpeas,lentils, pumpkin seeds, black-strap molasses, mussels, wheat germ, whole-grain products, seaweed and red meats. Tip: Pre-Pregnancy Exam Before you start trying to conceive you should schedule a pelvic exam. Your doctor will give you a pap smear as well as check for an abonormalities in a regular exam of the uterus and ovaries. Tell them you are planning on getting pregnant and ask them about a prescription for prenatal vitamins.
Tip: Prenatal Vitamins It's important to start prenatal vitamins while you are trying to conceive. It gets you in a good habit and the folic acid in prenatals help to prevent certain birth defects. Prenatal vitamins also contain a good amount of calcium and iron which are beneficial in pregnancy. Category: Home Pregnancy Tests Subcategory: miu/hcg Tip: HPT's That Detect 100 miu/hcg Answer detects 100 miu Conceive detects 100 miu Equate (Wal*Mart) detects 100 miu First Response (U.S.) detects 100 miu Precise detects 100 miu QTest detects 100 miu Walgreens detects 100 miu These test detect 150+ miu/hcg Fact Plus detects 150-250 miu Tip: Normal hcg Levels In Pregnancy The levels are miu/hcg 3 weeks - 5-50 4 weeks - 3-426 5 weeks - 19-7,340 6 weeks - 1,080-56,500 7-8 weeks - 7,650-229,000 9-12 weeks - 25,700-288,000 13-16 weeks - 13,300-254,000 17-24 weeks - 4,060-165,400 25-40 weeks - 3,640-117,000 Subcategory: Testing Information Tip: Lifesign Brand Geodesic Meditech`s Lifesign test detects 15 mi/hcg and can be used as soon as the first day of a missed period. It is available here - http://www.geodesicmeditech.com/index.html?id=100 Tip: When To Test Given the fact that implantation normally takes place from 7 to 10 days after ovulation - an extremely sensitive test can give a positive test result 1 day after implantation. Most directions say that you can test on the day your cycle is due. However you can test much earlier if you can pinpoint ovulation and possible implantation. I received a positive test result 4 days before my menstural cycle was due.
Category: Infertility Subcategory: Anovulation Tip: Causes of Anovulation These things can cause anovulation: Breastfeeding, excessive weight gain or loss, illnesses, chemical birth control such as pills, shots or patches, strenuous exercise, stress and travel. Pituitary and thyroid problems and PCOS are also causes of anovulation. Subcategory: Infertility Tip: GIFT - Gamete Intra-Fallopian Transfer GIFT procedure is almost the same as in vitro fertilization (IVF) except the fertilized eggs are placed in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus. A failed IVF will lead to GIFT. The success rate of GIFT is much higher than IVF. Tip: How Long Should You TTC Before Seeking Help? Find out from your doctor about how long you should try to conceive before seeking further help should a pregnancy not occur. Depending upon your age and health, the range in trying to conceive is anywhere from 3 months to 1 year before advancing on to infertility testing and measures. Tip: Intrauterine Insemination Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is also known as artificial insemination. IUI's are used when a man's sperm count is low or the woman has unexplained infertility or poor quality cervical fluid. The sperm is taken from the man and injected into the uterus by means of a catheter during ovulation. Tip: ZIFT - Zygote Intra-Fallopian Transfer ZIFT is similar to the GIFT procedure. ZIFT is used when a man's sperm count is low. In ZIFT the fertilized egg is matured to the zygote stage before the fertilized egg is placed in the fallopian tube. Subcategory: IVF Tip: Step Five 5 days after the Gonal-F/Follistim injections are given your doctor will check your blood
for estrogen and perform a vaginal ultrasound. Based on the results your doctor will adjust your dosage of Gonal-F or Follistim, which will be injected again - and again you'll go for the same tests until the eggs in the ovaries are matured. Tip: Step Four Gonal-F or Follistim is given to stimulate the ovaries to produce multiple eggs. These are given as injections for approximately 5 to 6 days. Tip: Step Three On the 2nd day of the menstrual cycle another ultrasound will be done to check the appearance of your ovaries. If they appear normal you will be given a date to start Gonal-F or Follistim therapy. The dosage of Lupron will be decreased. Category: Miscarriage Subcategory: Preventing Miscarriage Tip: Chemical Pregnancy Prevention If the causes of chemical pregnancies are chromasomal or immune - your physician can prescribe the best treatment with medications. If the chemical pregnancies occur because of a luteal phase defect, low progesterone or inadaquate uterine lining you can take vitamin B6 (at least 50 mg a day), use progesterone cream after ovulation and take one baby or low-dose aspirin a day. These will aid in increasing the luteal phase - helping the progesterone to rise and in the case of the aspirin -will aid in the blood flow to the uterus -thus helping to increase the uterine lining. Category: Ovulation Facts Subcategory: Ovulation Tip: Releasing More Than One Egg Occasionally a woman will release a 2nd (or rarely more) egg within the same cycle. This normally happens within 24 hours of the release of the 1st egg. This is why it's smart to keep having intercourse for 1 to 3 days after suspected ovulation in order to conceive.
Category: Reproductive Hormones Subcategory: Female hormones Tip: Chemical Birth Control Birth control pills, the "Patch" and the "Depo" shot can cause fertility to be difficult after quitting. It can take from 1 to possibly 18 months for the reproductive hormones to regulate after stopping chemical birth control. Tip: FSH FSH also known as follicle stimulating hormone. FSH stimulates the ovaries into maturing the egg(s) and into producing estrogen. FSH is produced by the pituitary gland. Tip: HCG HCG - human chorionic gonadotropin is referred to as the pregnancy hormone. HCG is produced by the developing embryo when it implants into the uterine lining. HCG is the hormone that is detected by pregnancy tests. HCG helps to maintain the corpus luteum in the event of pregnancy which maintains the high levels of progesterones. Tip: Progesterone Progesterone is the hormone released after ovulation. Progesterone is responsible for the basal body temperature rising and for maintaining the uterine lining - in preparation for the fertilized egg. Progesterone is produced by the corpus luteum. Category: Trying To Conceive Subcategory: Procreation Tip: Cut Down on Stress If you are trying to conceive unsuccessfully, the best thing to do may be to take a break. For a couple of months stop taking your basal temperature, stop trying to predict your fertile days, and just do what comes naturally. You may find that the best way to get pregnant is to stop trying. Tip: Douching Douching is not advised ever - unless your physician told you to do so. Douching will
decrease your chances of conception by washing out the good fertile-quality cervical fluid. Douching has also been linked to certain cancers and infections. Tip: Intercourse Everyday? Whether or not you need to have intercourse every day in order to conceive depends upon yours and your partners health and stamina. If your partner has a low sperm count it would be more beneficial to have intercourse every other day. If you are not sure of when ovulation occurs, it may be beneficial to have intercourse every day in order to catch ovulation. Tip: Orgasm Orgasm helps to increase the chances of conception. Orgasm increases the blood-flow to the reproductive organs helping them to function better. Orgasm also helps the cervix to "suck" up sperm in the vagina, thus helping the sperm to reach the awaiting egg. *Note: Conception is possible without female orgasm - it just increases the chances of conception occuring. Tip: Taking a Break Sometimes when the stresses of trying to conceive have led you no where you may need to take a cycle or two off. Sometimes it's during these "breaks" that conception occurs! It has been proven before - especially by this site's guru!