When You Are Trying To Get Pregnant, Finding Your 4 Most Fertile Days

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Doctor

zygoteWhen you are trying to get pregnant you would assume that predicting ovulation and getting pregnant are one in the same, but you need to know the biological foundation of what actually maximizes your probability of conceiving. Here are some facts you should know when trying to conceive (with medical references).

1. Finding your 4 most fertile days before ovulation makes all the difference.

According to an article published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, “Proper identification of the fertility window may shorten the time to conception from 6 months to one month for the majority of women.” (3 out of 4 women).

If you have been trying to get pregnant, ask yourself one question: are you sure that you are utilizing your entire fertile window or are you like many couples-“saving up for that one day that you plan to have intercourse”? Reproductive Endocrinologists agree that conception is possible from intercourse beginning 5
days before ovulation extending through the day of ovulation, and that the highest probability of conception occurs with intercourse on the days prior to ovulation, rather than the day of ovulation itself. Since sperm may survive for up to 6 days in the female reproductive tract. You should be having intercourse those days when trying to get pregnant.

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Working Out – Family Style

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Doctor

family-outAs everyone knows exercise is reaps hug benefits no matter what your age. But, sometimes just the word makes you want to hide. Exercise doesn’t have to seem like work if you do it with someone else. Here are five fitness ideas for families who want to be healthier and need a little boost in the right direction.

A family workout has many benefits. First of all, you have each other for accountability. When one person wants to slack off, their loving family members can help them see the light. Secondly, you have a buddy to push you to do your best. It is a friendly competition that can help you achieve fitness goals you never thought possible.

  1. Backyard sports – it’s probably been a long time since you played a game of dodge ball or kick ball. Now’s your chance. Get the family together and start a game on the weekends. This type of stop and start movement gets the heart rate up and works the muscles. Other ideas include basketball game, softball game or volleyball.
  2. Take a class together – for example, martial arts centers have programs from youth to adult. Each person can learn skills and then practise them together. Aerobics classes are another idea for a family exercise session. The guys in the family may not feel co-ordinated enough to do a step aerobics class but there’s always spinning, swimming or kickboxing classes to choose from at your local YMCA or the gym.
  3. Enjoy nature – families feed off of each other. If one person can do it, the others want to try to do it also. Go for a family hike. Parks have some beautiful trails that range from easy to more challenging. Outfit your family with the proper gear and learn about nature together. Along the same lines as hiking is mountain climbing. There are trails here too. Help each other climb the rocks and take in some breathtaking views. Both activities work your heart, lungs and lower body. Even on a cool fall day you will feel the burn and the cleansing sweat of a good workout.
  4. Do yard work – no one wants to choose outside work but if you do it together it can be fun and heart pumping. Take turns mowing a section of the yard. Pushing a lawnmower works the upper and lower body. Rake leaves in the fall. For more fun, jump into the big pile and then let everyone help rake them up again.
  5. Play a video game – video games have become more athletic and virtual these days. The big talk is about the Wii game console. Using the Fit board or the regular games, your family will have plenty of laughs and even more exercise as they move to make the characters move in the games.

Who says family workouts have to be boring? Get together as a family and do something that you love to stay healthy.

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Cramping During Pregnancy

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Doctor

Many women experience cramping during pregnancy. While cramping during pregnancy may be a sign something is wrong, often it is a normal side effect of pregnancy. How do you know if cramping is normal or not? Let’s look at cramping in more detail so you understand why it may happen and what is going on in your body during pregnancy.

Cramping In Early Pregnancy

During each of my three pregnancies, I experienced cramping during early pregnancy. During my first pregnancy this cramping concerned me to no end. I experienced cramping from pregnancy weeks 2 through about week 12. Sometimes my cramps were so severe I was confident I was going to have a miscarriage or get my period.

When I had my third child, I knew I was pregnant because I had cramping that was really bad right before I was supposed to get my period, but I had no period. Why does the body cramp so badly? There are many reasons. First, many different changes are occurring in your body during early pregnancy. As your body prepares for ovulation, you may feel cramping on one or both sides of your abdomen.

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Planning a Pregnancy

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Doctor

Pregnancy is very tricky it happens, when one does not want and does not happen when one desperately tries to get pregnant. So planning is a bit out of reach most of the times. When the woman after 4 to 5 years period of marriage fails to conceive, it becomes mandatory that medical help available should be sought.

Dial a Help:

Simple to complex methods are available like intrauterine insemination, hormone therapy for both the husband and lady after ultrasound investigation of the lady and sperm count and motility of the sperms, which can be determined by laboratory checkup of the semen sample.

About 20 years ago ‘test tube baby’ was hot news, now it is a reality. If other methods available fail, one can try test tube baby to at least have a baby to leave as your heir. The procedure is called in vitro fertilization, the objective is to get the egg fertilized in the laboratory and then to implant in the uterus. Hormone therapy is given to increase the success rate of pregnancy. The initial procedure has been improved upon and called Assisted Reproductive Technology. This new technology has successfully employed on a large scale.

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Unplanned pregnancy

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Doctor

Un-planned Second pregnancy happens quite frequently in young couples and is a cause of tension because the first child is still milk feeding and has not reached an age to self manage any of the nursing functions. The mother is worried how to bring up the two children of small age. Some times the budget of the couple does not permit to have two children within a period of just say 2 years.

Momentary Feelings:

Such a situation is very embarrassing even just to talk of, actual condition is much more complex. The information, which one learns in the next month of missed period makes one difficult to believer or accept. There are very wild thoughts coming in mind what to do of this pregnancy, to carry it through or go for its termination. One parent proposes of carrying through, whereas the second parent insists for termination. For months no decision can be arrived at and the pregnancy proceeds to be delivered.

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Why Exercise Pelvic Muscles?

Posted on May 14, 2009 by Doctor

female-pelvic-musclesPregnancy, childbirth, and being overweight can weaken pelvic muscles. When your pelvic muscles get weak, you can do exercises to make them strong again.

Pelvic floor muscles are just like other muscles. Exercise can make them stronger. Women with bladder control problems can regain control through pelvic muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises.

Pelvic Fitness in Minutes a Day

Exercising your pelvic floor muscles for just 5 minutes, three times a day can make a big difference to your bladder control. Exercise strengthens muscles that hold the bladder and many other organs in place.

The part of your body including your hip bones is the pelvic area. At the bottom of the pelvis, several layers of muscle stretch between your legs. The muscles attach to the front, back, and sides of the pelvis bone.

Two pelvic muscles do most of the work. The biggest muscle stretches like a hammock. The other muscle is shaped like a triangle. These muscles prevent leaking of urine and stool.

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Varicose Veins & Pregnancy

Posted on May 13, 2009 by Doctor

varicose-veinsIf it you don’t know what varicose veins are, then count yourself as lucky. Unfortunately, this problem is one that many women fight with – and that over 40 percent of pregnant women experience sometimes during their pregnancy. What are varicose veins and how can you avoid getting them?

Hormones Play a Big Role

While you are pregnant, your body undergoes a great deal of changes. Your hormone levels change and result in changes in your body. One of these changes is that you often have an increased amount of progesterone. This can cause the blood vessels to relax, leading to varicose veins. Sometimes, if the blood vessels relax, the two halves of the valves in the veins will separate just a small amount, and won’t meet back up to block the back-flow of blood. When this happens, you’ll see varicose veins.

Family History

Family history is hard to run away from – and it is often the leading indicator of problems that you will have. If you have a history of varicose veins in your family, you’re more likely to have varicose veins. This isn’t something that you can afford or alter, unfortunately. The flip side is, of course, relevant as well. If you don’t have a family history of varicose veins, then you are less likely to have them yourself. It is important to note, as well, that varicose veins tend to get worse with each pregnancy. If you have a family history, and you had them during your first pregnancy, chances are good that you’ll have them in increasing strength in subsequent pregnancies.

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Pregnancy Workouts At Home

Posted on May 12, 2009 by Doctor

pregnant-exersiseIf you’re trying to stay in the fitness habit during your pregnancy, a well-chosen fitness routine that you can do in the comfort of your own home can make it much easier to keep your new commitments.

It can also come in handy after you’ve had your baby, when it’s not as easy to go for a fitness walk or to an exercise class with your baby in tow. You should try to formalize a great routine now and also use it after baby is born.

Firstly, find a good spot in your house that may inspire you to work out whenever you have some free time. Maybe some place near the TV so you can catch up on your favorite shows and workout at the same time.

You might also want to opt for an exercise video or even some home equipment like a treadmill or elliptical trainer. Although the latter can be a serious investment, the cost is often no more than that of a one-year gym membership, a swim card for the local pool, or a year’s worth of drop-in aerobic classes.

Plus, you won’t have a built-in excuse not to exercise when the weather is bad or you can’t find a baby sitter.

Make sure that you keep plenty of water close by and keep your house relatively cool while you are working out. If you should feel faint or dizzy at any time, stop immediately and grab some water. Also make sure you have plenty of room to stretch and cool down afterwards. Flexibility and keeping your heart rate at a relatively low level are both very important.

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Common Pregnancy Symptoms: Hemorrhoids and Varicose Veins

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Doctor

Hemorrhoids and varicose veins are so common during pregnancy that they may be more properly considered pregnancy symptoms rather than complications. Hemorrhoids and varicose veins occur during pregnancy due to hormonal and physical changes.

Pregnancy is accompanied by an increase in progesterone levels, which relaxes the walls of the veins, increasing the risk of blood vessel swelling and symptoms such as hemorrhoids and varicose veins. Blood volume increases during pregnancy, further increasing the chance of hemorrhoids and varicose veins.

In addition, pregnancy puts pressure on veins as the uterus expands and the fetus grows. This enlarges blood vessels in the anus and the legs, adding yet another factor that contributes to hemorrhoids.

Constipation is another of the more common pregnancy symptoms, and can contribute to hemorrhoid formation due to bowel straining. The combination of all these factors sharply increases the odds that a pregnant woman will experience varicose veins or hemorrhoids.

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Childhood Sexual Abuse and Teen Pregnancy

Posted on May 6, 2009 by Doctor

yangest-motherCassandra Logan, Ph.D. Emily Holcombe, Suzanne Ryan, Ph.D., Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D. and Kristin Moore, Ph.D.

OVERVIEW

Pregnancy rates among adolescent females have fallen steadily since 1990, from 116.9 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 in 1990 to 75.4 pregnancies per 1,000 female teens the same age in 2002.

Teens aged 15 to 17 experienced a decline in pregnancy rates of more than thirty percent, from 74.2 pregnanciesper 1,000 in 1990 to 42.3 pregnancies per 1,000 in 2002. The rates for teens aged 18 to 19 also declinedbetween 1990 (172.4 per 1,000) and 2002 (125.6 per 1,000). While the teen pregnancy rate hassignificantly declined since 1990, the United States continues to have a higher teen pregnancy rate than many countries in the western industrialized world. For example, data collected in the mid-nineties from 46developed countries indicate that the teen pregnancy rate in the U.S. is higher than all but one of the countries examined, and is more than four times the rate in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Moreover, the teen birth rate in the U.S. in 2002 was more than double the rate for Canada.

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