Does Age Play A Role in Trying To Get Pregnant?

With more and more couples putting off having a family until later in life, fertility for woman starting trying to conceive over the age of 35 has become a big issue.


But can age really affect fertility that much, and is it still possible to get pregnant naturally when you are older?
While studies do show a decreasing fertility in both men and women due to hormone fluctuations, the biggest factor in older couples trying to conceive is the rate of miscarriage which increases slowly after the age of 30 and at around 42 years of age is a factor in about half of all pregnancies.

There is also an increased risk factor for birth defects, especially Down syndrome in babies born to woman over the age of 35.

But having said all that, if your biological clock is ticking away and you are ready to start a family then there are things that you can do to help improve your fertility and have that baby you’ve been dreaming about.

If you are over 35 and have been trying to conceive a child for over six months without any luck then you may need to visit your doctor to rule out any physical reasons for your inability to get pregnant. He may perform a laparoscopy to view your reproductive organs to make sure that everything is ok, as well as taking some tests to see your hormone levels.

If you are not ovulating correctly, or strongly enough, he may decide to prescribe fertility drugs such as Clomid to help improve your fertility.

Other things that you can do to help your fertility is to remain stress free (yes I know that’s easier said than done when you are trying to get pregnant), exercise regularly, keep your weight within a healthy weight range and remain as healthy as you can.

They when you do fall pregnant, have the necessary checks to ensure that your baby is healthy too.

Basal Body Temperature (BBT) 101

Don’t know how to chart your BBT temperature or need a refresher course in what exactly Basal Body Temperature means? Then this article will go over some of the basics you need to know when charting your cycle and understanding the temperature changes that your body goes through.


Why measure your BBT?

If you have spent any time at all trying to conceive then you know that you need to know your exact ovulation day to increase your chances of getting pregnant each month, and so measuring your basal body temperature will help to accurately pinpoint your ovulation day (even though you usually only can confirm it after you have already ovulated).

Can BBT charting help you get pregnant?

Yes and No. Charting your temperature is useful for understanding your cycle better and also for determining your ovulation day, but since it can only tell you after ovulation has already occurred it should be used in conjunction with other methods of determining your approaching ovulation such as cervical mucus changes or prediction tests such as OPK’s and saliva monitors.

How and when do you take your BBT?

You need to use a special Basal Body Thermometer because they are more accurate (they measure to a higher level) than regular thermometer’s. Every day at the same time each morning , before you get out of bed and as long as you’ve had at least 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you need to take your temperature orally and then record that day’s temperature. You can then enter the temp onto your online chart or paper chart.

What temperature changes are normal?

Generally you have a lower temperature in the first half of your cycle (your follicular phase) because of the presence of estrogen. Once progesterone is released in the second half of your cycle (the luteal phase) you’ll notice that your BBT will be slightly higher (around 0.4 to 0.6 degrees) until your next period arrives (or you are pregant).

That change in temperature confirms that ovulation has taken place (the last day of lower temperatures).

How to Get Pregnant – Maximize Your Fertility

Getting Pregnant can be easy for some people and a struggle for others, and medicine is still not giving us the clear answers as to why that is the case, but whether you will be trying for the first time, or have been trying to conceive for months (or even years) there are many things that you can do right now to maximize your fertility and know how to get pregnant faster and easier, so read on.

What to do before you conceive

The first thing you need to do if you want to know how to fall pregnant is get yourself as healthy as you can. Once you do fall pregnant, you will have a much easier time if you have a healthy body and so it pays to start now. It’s proven that women who eat healthy foods and exercise regularly have a much easier time conceiving than those who don’t. Yes I know, I’ve heard all those stories of women who are overweight, smoke, take drugs or eat junk food too and still fall pregnant, but we are not talking about them, we are talking about YOU, and what YOU can do to get pregnant.

Check your multivitamin to make sure that you are getting enough folic acid. This B group vitamin is essential for preventing birth defects like spina bifida and you should be taking it well before you conceive for maximum benefits. As a bonus it will give you a slight boost in energy which is important when you want to fall pregnant.
There are other fertility supplements that you can take to help improve your chances of getting pregnant as well.

Also take up some form of mild regular exercise, whether that’s walking, yoga or a leisurely bike ride.
Regular exercise has many benefits to fertility including balancing hormones, reducing stress and improving circulation, all which will help you get pregnant faster.

What he can do

Next make sure that your partner has healthy sperm. He can easily get that tested by visiting a sperm bank or even his local GP. Because this test is so easy to do (especially compared to the fertility tests that women have to go through) it’s worth doing upfront to rule out any issues that may cause problems down the track.
You should also try and convince your partner to wear boxer shorts and avoid hot showers or baths, as this can make his sperm much stronger and this means they’ll be able to live longer and have a better chance of fertilizing your egg.

You next steps is finding out when you ovulate so that you can time lovemaking appropriately. A woman is fertile for around six days of her cycle, which includes the five days prior to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.

There are many ways of determining your ovulation day from charting your BBT, to keeping track of your cervical mucus, to using ovulation predictor kits or saliva monitors. Each method is different and can also be used in conjunction with each other to really pinpoint your most fertile phase.

Pinpointing ovulation really is the main factor in knowing how to fall pregnant but it doesn’t have to be stressful. If you have a regular cycle and want to avoid obsessing over every temperature rise or dip then you could do what many women do and have intercourse every second day between days 10 and 18 of your cycle which should make sure that you optimize your fertile period.

What if you are still not pregnant after 6 months?

If you still haven’t gotten pregnant after at least six months of trying then the next step is to visit your doctor to see if they can determine the reason. Your doctor will usually order a number of tests including hormone tests and perhaps even a laparoscopy to check for any structural issues.

It could be something as simple as balancing your hormones or prescribing a fertility drug like Clomid to help you conceive or you might need further help such as IUI or even IVF to have a baby. IVF methods (while expensive) are becoming very efficient at helping couples have a baby that are unable to do so naturally and shouldn’t be ruled out.

There are many other ideas and tips on this blog about how to get pregnant so I hope you have a look around and find something that brings you closer to your dream of having a baby.

When to Get Pregnant In Your Cycle – Fertility Charting 101

Knowing when you are most fertile is the best way to know when to get pregnant within your cycle. Every women is different and it’s simply not always a case that you ovulate on Day 14 (remember this is just an average), so by charting your daily basal body temperature you will start to get a good indication of your usual ovulation day.

Charting should be used in conjunction with the other methods of determining your ovulation day because while useful, it will only confirm that you have ovulated, not tell you when you are about to. However after around two months of charting you should have a good idea when the best time to get pregnant in your cycle will be.

It’s also useful for detecting luteal phase defects (when the time between ovulation and menstruation is less than 10 days).

So how do you start charting?
The first thing that you will need is a basal body thermometer. You can get those quite inexpensively at most big supermarkets or pharmacies or even online (eBay often has BBT thermometers cheap). Make sure you get a digital one as they are much easier to read.

Starting at Day 1 of your cycle (the first day of your period), take your temperature first thing in the morning at the same time before you get out of bed. You can either temp orally or vaginally – it’s up to you whichever you prefer.

Record it on a notepad and fill in your chart. You can either print out BBT chart or use an online ovulation calculator like Fertility Friend and enter your temperatures in there so it does the calculations for you.
As you approach ovulation you should notice any changes in your cervical fluid to determine if you are becoming fertile. You can note these on your chart as well. Often you may find that your peak cervical mucus day is actually a day or two before you ovulate rather then the day of.

Once you have released an egg you’ll notice that your temperature will increase, often by around 0.5 to 1 degree and be higher than your previous temps of that cycle. If your temperature remains high for at least three temperatures then you can safely confirm ovulation has taken place.
The day BEFORE the rise is your ovulation day.

Draw a coverline to distinguish your high and low temps so you can easily see your charting pattern.
The reason for the increase in temperature’s is that the body releases progesterone in the second half of your cycle which warms the body by around half a degree waiting for the impending pregnancy. If you are not pregnant, the progesterone drops and estrogen takes over and your cycle starts all over again.

There are many variations on what constitutes a ‘perfect’ chart and many women notice erratic temperatures, fall back temperatures, a dip before the rise and other out of place temperatures while they are charting. They are all normal and won’t stop you getting pregnant.

Keep charting throughout the rest of your cycle as often times you may determine if you are pregnant or not from what your chart does. If the temps remain high past your usual cycle length then it is a good chance that you might be pregnant. If you notice that your temps fall then it’s likely that your period is on its way either later that day or the next day.

After a few cycles it’s likely that you’ll know your body very well and you’ll be able to determine when to get pregnant in your cycle just by looking at your previous charts.

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Getting Pregnant by Improving Your Cervical Mucus

Cervical mucus / cervical fluid is one of the three primary fertility signs to getting pregnant according to Toni Weschler of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, with the others being charting your basal body temperature each morning and keeping track of your cervical position during your cycle.


In this post I’ll talk about how you can improve your chances of getting pregnant by increasing the amount and quality of your cervical fluid.

By the way, I’ll use both the terms cervical fluid (CF) and cervical mucus (CM) throughout this post, but they both mean the same thing.

Throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle there are many changes to her body and one of the most obvious signs is the type and quantity of cervical mucus that she produces. It appears right before ovulation and is considered an important sign of fertility.

The typical pattern usually goes something like this:
Menstruation
Nothing/Dry
Sticky/Gummy/Tacky
Creamy/White/Milky

Slippery/Wet/Eggwhite << Most Fertile
Nothing/Dry
It is the slippery wet cervical fluid that is the ideal and most fertile fluid that you can produce because it is what helps get the sperm to the egg – it’s what they swim through and keep them nourished while waiting for the egg to appear and fertilize it. It often resembles egg whites because it’s clear and stretchy and very slippery.
Therefore the more quality egg white cervical fluid that you produce, the more fertile that you will be and the better your chances of getting pregnant.

So how do you make sure that you have lots of fertile cervical fluid?

• First of all make sure you drink lots of water. Your body needs water to make the fluid from and the more you drink the more you should be able to produce.
• Vitamin B6 is a great vitamin for improving the amount of fertile cervical mucus that you produce. Most women are deficient in B6 and don’t realize it because many multi vitamins usually only have a small amount included. You can safely take up to 200mg per day but start with a smaller does (around 60mg) and work up each month.
• Many women swear that snacking on baby carrots and steaming them for their dinner greatly improves the amount of fluid that they produce.
• Plain Robitussin expectorant with the active ingredient Guaiferenesin works by thinning out any mucus in the body and is great if you only produce thick creamy fluid and want to ‘water’ it down. Try taking 2 teaspoons 3 times per day for optimal results.
• Drinking green tea has also improved the fertility of many women and many swear that by drinking it during the weeks leading up to ovulation was the first time that they produced really good quality egg white cervical fluid.

By improving their fluid quality many women who have had trouble conceiving a baby have found getting pregnant much easier and these tips are very easy to do at home.

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