Pregnancy comes with many signs and symptoms. For many women they will only experience a small proportion, while for others they won’t experience any at all. Although signs and symptoms can give you a good indication that you are pregnant, most women know deep down inside them that something has changed and this change can be enough for them to know. Of course though to be completely sure you should take a pregnancy test or see your Doctor.
For some mothers, pregnancy symptoms can begin immediately after conception. Usually signs will start popping up when your baby implants after ovulation. When your baby implants it causes an increase in progesterone levels. This can cause a temperature rise and if it remains high for 15 or more days after ovulation then it can be a very early sign of pregnancy. Some women may experience a temperature drop at implantation instead. Some women also experience implantation bleeding and this can be brown, red or pink in color. Further more some women experience slight cramping.
Using a pregnancy test will, in most cases, give you a strong indication of pregnancy. A pregnancy test measures the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine. Some tests are super sensitive and can tell you if you are pregnant as little as four days after your period is due. Most tests you have to wait 10 days after your period is due. In some cases the test maybe negative but you are in fact pregnancy. If you have tested yourself early on, wait until 14 days after ovulation and test again and it is much more accurate. If you feel the test is wrong seeing your Doctor is a good idea. They can give you a blood serum test which is much more accurate and sensitive as they can detect very low levels of hCG.
Other symptoms of pregnancy include a missed period (which is the first symptom women notice), frequent urination, morning sickness, breast changes, cravings, body changes, and fatigue and smell/food aversions.
Despite a missed period, many women experience breast tenderness early on and this can be one of the first indications of pregnancy. Breast tenderness can also be a sign of an impending period, but breast tenderness in relation to pregnancy is more intense. You will find that your breasts are much more tender and there will be a clear indication compared to tenderness from an impending period.
Many women find that they frequently need to urinate. This symptom is very common and is also a problem for women in the third trimester when baby is pressing down on their bladder.
Morning sickness of course is another symptom – one many women dread! It can start as early as 2 to 4 weeks after conception but many women experience is around the 9th or 10th week. Despite being called morning sickness, many women experience sickness and various different times of the day and it can be different each day or every week. Typically it will be worse during the first trimester and ease off in the second and third, however for some sickness can be bad throughout.
Food and smell aversions can also be fairly common. Some women find that smells they were ok with can suddenly cause them to feel nauseous or even be sick. Cravings are also experienced in about 85% of women.
Fatigue can also be a symptom and many women feel completely wiped out from their normal routines. This usually is overcome after the first trimester, but rest is important.
Lastly it is worth acknowledging intuition. Many women just know that they are pregnant or that something is different. It is hard to explain exactly what this feels like but it is something that is very real and that can be experienced before or after symptoms are apparent.
Despite the symptoms described here there are many less common symptoms. If you feel you are pregnant take a test or go to the Doctors and get it confirmed.
An Ovulation Kit For a Baby Boy ? What is It? Where to Buy It, And How to Use It
The other day, I had a reader comment on my blog asking for more information about “an ovulation kit to get a baby boy.” Specifically she wanted to know exactly what this was, how to use it, and where to get one. I’ll go over everything you need to know about ovulation kits in the following article.
Why It’s Important That You Use An Ovulation Kit Rather Than Guess About Ovulation When You Want A Boy Baby: I’m a huge fan of these kits because of personal experience. Like a lot of people, I was taught to figure out my ovulation date the old fashioned way. I was told to start looking for signs and symptoms of ovulation (stomach pains, cramping) half way through my menstrual cycle. I was also told to see if my cervical mucus looked like egg whites and to look for a spike in my basal temperature. The problem is that none of these things happened at the same time the way that they were supposed to. The cervical mucus would tell me that I was getting close, but the temperature was not at all corresponding.
Finally, I threw up my hands and sprung for an ovulation predictor (the saliva kind) and I was shocked to learn that I actually had not even ovulated yet. I apparently ovulate late in my cycle because each month after that showed the same thing and I got pregnant within two months once I caught on.
If you want to conceive a boy, it’s so important that you have intercourse on the day that you actually ovulate – not one day sooner and not one day later. The Y sperm that produce sons do not live for long during this process. If you are off with your calculations and gage it too early, you’re much more likely to get a girl instead.
Ovulation Predictor Options: If you’ve going to be using one of these kits, you have a few options. You can get the urine kind (where you urinate on a stick much like pregnancy tests) in any drug store. Basically you get about 7 little sticks and you begin testing mid way through your cycle. With most of these tests, you need to collect first morning urine because otherwise, it will be too diluted to test. You will begin to get a positive response as your ovulation approaches. If you don’t get pregnant on the month that you’re using them, you’ll generally have to buy another box the next month.
You can get more sensitive models online that are supposed to show approaching ovulation sooner, but I’m not sure that they are worth the extra money. Some swear by them, but I think there’s a better option. Some will even go so far as to get the blood test kits, but I think that this is huge overkill (not to mention painful.)
Because of my personal experience, I really like the saliva ovulation kits for a few reasons. First, they are reusable so you save a lot of money. You don’t have to keep buying them every month. Basically, you will smear a little saliva on the lens and there is a little microscope within the tester. You look into the lens and you can see magnified indicators which show the beginning of your cycle, ovulation approaching, ovulation as it happens, and also show when it is over.
The kits come with photos that you can compare to your own reading. I was afraid I would have a hard time identifying what I was seeing, but I didn’t. I find too that these saliva models give you a bit more notice than the urine testers. But, every one is different and which you prefer is going to be an individual decision. I have had friends who have said “Yuck, you’re spitting on a piece of glass?,” but once they tried it, they saw that it’s pretty simple and easy to use, and the yuck factor is pretty low. You can sometimes find these at baby stores or you can get them on the Internet.
Why Ovulation Kits Aren’t The Only Thing You’ll Need: Although I believe that these kits are an important part of your arsenal, you’d also be wise to also pick up some PH testers. Why? Because if you want a boy, you’ll generally need to lower your PH and / or acidity. The son – producing sperm are too weak to live with a high PH. These testers generally run only about – , but they aren’t reusable. They are a lot like the urine ovulation testers, but they check your PH, not your ovulation. They will ensure that you aren’t just guessing about when your body is at it’s optimum levels to get a boy baby.
Conceive A Boy is a website I set up to make the process of having a son a bit easier. I’ve included step by step instructions and resources for the PH testing strips and saliva predictors mentioned in this article as well as hints, tips, and support. Check it out if you like at http://conceive-a-boy-baby.com/
Pregnancy Symptoms and Pregnancy Care and Pregnancy Tips
Pregnancy is a natural process. Naturally body changes will also be involved once a woman is pregnant. Most women don’t face much complication throughout their pregnancy period though some might have to face few difficulties. Most women experience mood swings, fear and anxiety throughout their pregnancy period. Pregnancy is the time filled with anticipation, happiness and excitement. Most women start experiencing symptoms within a week and some others might experience after few weeks of conception.
Pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks or nine months which is divided into three trimesters. Pregnancy is counted from the first day of woman’s last period. The signs and symptoms of pregnancy vary in intensity, duration and frequency from woman to woman. The early signs of pregnancy are as follows:
1. Missed period
2. Breast tenderness
3. Fatigue
4. Frequent urination
Get a physical.
Before spending a year trying to get pregnant, it’s a good idea to have a thorough physical examination, according to Sanford M. Markham, M.D., an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “Make sure that there aren’t any physical problems, such as masses or cysts in the pelvic area,” he says. “Your doctor should also treat any low-grade vaginal infections that you might have. He or she should also check for sexually transmitted diseases.” Other conditions that can interfere with pregnancy are ovarian cysts, fibroids, and endometriosis, an inflammation of the lining of the uterus, Markham says.
Have sex around the time of ovulation.
The woman’s egg is capable of being fertilized for only 24 hours after it is released from the ovary, according to Richard J. Paulson, M.D., an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology and director of the In Vitro Fertilization Program at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles. The man’s sperm can live for between 48 and 72 hours in the woman’s reproductive tract. Since sperm and egg must come together for an embryo to be created, a couple must try to have sex at least every 72 hours around the time of ovulation (see Extra! Extra! – “Methods of Ovulation Prediction”) in order to hit the mark, Paulson says. “Every 48 hours is even better,” he says. However, he adds, the man should not ejaculate more frequently than once in 48 hours, since that may bring his sperm count down too low for fertilization.
Men should ejaculate every two to three days.
Along with the advice to have sex no more often than once every 48 hours, men should also try to ejaculate at least once every two to three days throughout the month, says Bergh. Men need to keep ejaculating to keep up their sperm supply, he adds. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. The best way to enhance your chances of getting pregnant is to maintain an all-around healthy lifestyle. This goes for both men and women, says William C. Andrews, M.D., executive director of the American Fertility Society and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. “A healthy lifestyle will also help ensure the quality of your offspring,” Andrews says.
Try to eliminate stress.
“There is little doubt that severe stress will interfere with reproductive function,” says Paulson. “At the simplest level, stress will take away your libido. At the extreme, the woman may stop menstruating. Although studies in men are lacking, it is quite likely that a similar effect may occur.”
Keep the testicles cool.
Exposure to extreme heat can be the death of sperm–literally. (That’s why the testicles are outside of the body–to keep them cool.) Bergh’s advice for maintaining the proper temperature is to wear boxer shorts (if you find them comfortable) and to avoid hot tubs and whirlpools. Taxicab and truck drivers will benefit from the use of a beaded seat mat that allows air to circulate. “There was an old Indian fertility ritual where the men used to dip their testicles in cold water,” says Bergh. “They had the right idea.” Varicose veins in the testicles can also interfere with temperature regulation. If you have these, see a urologist, Bergh suggests.
There are many couples that are may looking healthy and perfectly well, and the thought of female or male infertility never crosses their minds.
What is actually infertility?
An infertility problem is defined clinically as the inability to have babies or carry a child to full term during the pregnancy period. If you have had a year of unprotected sexual intercourse or are over 35 years of age and can’t conceive, you may have this problem.
There are many women that after been diagnose of having infertility problem by their medical doctors, could not accept the fact as explained by their doctors. It is not the end of their planned chapter on parenthood; it was just the beginning of a different chapter.
Doctors will take a look at their medical and family history to uncover other symptoms of infertility. Symptoms found are:
1) Having irregular menstrual cycle. It is less likely for women to have a perfect 28 day cycle and there are many having their period only once a couple of months. Any cycle less than 24 days or more than 35 days is considered irregular and can lead to a meeting with a reproductive endocrinologist. By knowing this before hand, you can treat infertility problem
2) Are you having not constant ovulation?
There many women out there assumes that if they are have period regularly, they must be ovulating. In fact, not all women ovulate every cycle.
Since there is usually a 24 hour window where she is most fertile, calculating when she ovulates is crucial to eliminate female infertility. This method is one of the oldest method to curb this problem.
3) What about your family history?
You need to know if your mom had trouble conceiving you and your other family members having problem conceiving babies. This will give you an indication on how answer screening questions.
4) Does age also play a part in female infertility?
Women above the age of 35 may not automatically be infertile, in fact 40 something women also could get pregnant. The reason may due to the number of eggs a woman produces each cycle diminishes in her mid-thirties.
Therefore the chances of getting pregnant become less in comparison to someone in their early twenties with all other factors being constant. After knowing this, you should take having early medical checkup to undercover the symptoms before planning a baby.
5) Are you stress out?
There are lots of medical research that stress is one of the symptoms that causes female infertility. Stress management by controlling your emotional and mental pressures may able to prevent infertility issues.
Fear not medical science is so advanced and there lots of miracle babies being born everyday.
Once you are aware of the symptoms of infertility, and take some measures to prevent it, and at the same time having the faith of having a baby will overcome any fears of infertility.
Therefore, Eddy has started a information guide on how to help people to deal with infertility and offer good how to get pregnant solutions.
Eddy Kong is the author of this site. If you have already started on to get yourself pregnant, your search for solutions may end here. I recommend you visit his site, Signs of Pregnancy. It is one of his sites and he will be personally maintaining it for the latest findings and recommedations from doctors on increase pregnancy. Drop by at his site now for more information and updates.
Signs of Ovulation: 7 Ways to Detect Signs of Ovulation
Signs of ovulation aren’t difficult to notice, once you know what to look for. Some signs of ovulation help warn you that ovulation is approaching, allowing you to time sex for pregnancy. Other signs of ovulation let you know that ovulation has passed. While there are many methods below, don’t think that you should use them all. That would drive you crazy and have you thinking about getting pregnant even more than you probably already do. (Something I don’t suggest!)
If you don’t notice any signs of ovulation, or your periods are irregular, you should definitely let your doctor know. This information may help your doctor make a diagnosis of infertility.
Sign of Ovulation #1 — Cervical Mucus Changes
As ovulation approaches, your cervical mucus changes in amount and consistency. When you’re not ovulating, cervical mucus may appear sticky or creamy, or may be entirely absent. As ovulation approaches, cervical mucus become more abundant, takes on a watery to raw-egg-white-like consistency, and stretches up to an inch or more between your fingers.
Pros:
100% free.
Considered to be one of the most accurate indicators for timing sex for pregnancy.
Get to know your body better.
Cons:
Some people are grossed out by the idea.
Not a definite sign. You can have fertile cervical mucus, and not ovulate. (Common in women with PCOS.)
Clomid or antihistamines may dry up your cervical mucus, which may make detection difficult.
Sign of Ovulation #2 – Increased Sexual Desire
Turns out nature does know what it’s doing (sometimes, anyway.) Research has shown what many of us already notice: Women experience an increase in sexual desire when they are most fertile. This is a couple days before you ovulate, which is the right time to have sex if you want to get pregnant.
Pros:
Doesn’t require any know-how. Just being in tune with your feelings.
Worse comes to worse, if you have sex and you weren’t about to ovulate, you still (hopefully) had a nice time with your partner. Nothing lost!
Cons:
The stress of trying to conceive can squash sexual feelings. Also, depression or anxiety, common in couples coping with infertility, can lower sexual desire.
It’s not a definite sign of ovulation. You may notice an increase in sexual desire at any time in your cycle, including right before your period, or even after watching a great Johnny Depp or Pierce Brosnan movie. (Or maybe that’s just me.)
Sign of Ovulation #3 – Body Basal Temperature Changes
Body basal temperature charting is perhaps the most popular method of tracking ovulation among women trying to get pregnant. Your body basal temperature will rise by a few tenths of a degree, and stay elevated, after ovulation. This rise in temperature is caused by the hormone progesterone, which increases immediate after ovulation. By charting your body basal temperature, you can detect this increase in temperature. Pros:
If your temperature rises, you can be almost positive that you ovulated.
It’s low cost, and almost free (except for the purchase of a thermometer, which you probably already have).
May help your doctor make a diagnosis.
Cons:
Won’t warn you that ovulation is coming, but only confirm that it has passed.
If your sleep patterns are unusually erratic, or you work the nightshift, body basal temperature charting will probably not work for you.
Some women feel overwhelmed by taking their temperature every morning. Also, worrying about every little fluctuation in temperature can make some women more anxious than they already are. It can easily become a bit of an obsession.
Sign of Ovulation #4 – Changes in Cervical Position
Just as your cervical mucus changes as ovulation approaches, your cervical position also goes through changes. When you’re most fertile, your cervix will be higher, softer, and more open.
Pros:
It’s free.
Get to know your body better.
May help you figure out if you’re ovulating, even when your cervical mucus is drier from Clomid or antihistamines.
Cons:
Takes practice to get a feel (no pun intended) for the differences.
Some people are grossed out by the idea.
Not a definite sign of ovulation. Like with cervical mucus, you can have fertile cervical signs but not actually ovulate.
Sign of Ovulation #5 — Breast Tenderness
Some women experience tenderness in their breasts just before or after ovulation. This is related to the hormones rushing in your body, getting ready for the potential of pregnancy. For me personally, the last confirmation I have that ovulation has occurred is breast tenderness.
Pros:
It’s free.
Helps you get to know your body better.
Cons:
It’s by no means an accurate indicator of ovulation.
Breast tenderness may come before or after ovulation, as well as right before menstruation and as a side effect of some fertility drugs.
Getting too obsessed about how tender your breasts feel can lead obsessing over imaginary pregnancy symptoms.
Sign of Ovulation #6 – Positive Result on an Ovulation Predictor Test
Another common way of detecting ovulation is with an ovulation predictor test kit. Ovulation predictor kits, sometimes referred to as OPK tests, require you to either pee on a test stick, or dip a special paper into a cup of collected urine, once a day for a week before you expect to ovulate. There are two lines on the test strip. Whenever the test line is darker than the control line, the test has detected an LH surge. (This is the exact same hormone that causes fertile cervical mucus.)
Pros:
If body basal temperature (BBT) charting is not an option, an ovulation predictor kit can be used. Also, if cervical mucus is dried up from medications, OPK tests can help.
As opposed to BBT charting, you ideally only need to bother with the tests for a week before you expect to ovulate.
When BBT charting gives unusual or confusing results, some women use ovulation predictor kits as an additional confirmation of ovulation.
Cons:
Expensive compared to other methods of ovulation detection. An ovulation predictor test kit for one cycle costs anywhere from – 20 dollars. Over a year, that can add up.
Determining when the test line is darker than the control line isn’t always easy.
You can miss the LH surge and never see a darker line. For example, if you test Monday morning, and your LH surged Monday afternoon, by Tuesday morning, when you test again, it may be over already. (Some women test more than once a day for this reason – raising the cost.)
If you ovulate irregularly, you may need more than one kit per cycle.
Not a definite sign. You can have positive OPK results, and not ovulate. You can also have more than one LH surge detected per cycle, but only the last of those surges correlates to possible ovulation. (Common in women with PCOS.)
Sign of Ovulation # 7 — Saliva Ferning
A unique and uncommon way to detect ovulation, a ferning pattern of your saliva is another possible sign of ovulation. There are special microscopes sold for this purpose, but you could technically use any toy store microscope. A ferning pattern is a pattern that looks like frost on a window pane. The ferning pattern appears during the body’s LH surge, which occurs 24-48 hours before ovulation.
Pros:
Cheaper than ovulation predictor kits.
Unique! (Impress people at parties. “I was checking my saliva’s ferning pattern this morning, and…”)
Cons:
Uncommon. Won’t be easy to find people to ask advice from.
Many women find it difficult to detect the ferning pattern. (I’ve never tried it, but everyone I talked to that did couldn’t figure it out.)
Just as with tracking cervical mucus and using OPK tests, noticing a ferning pattern does not guarantee that ovulation will occur.
For infertility Patients:
There are several methods of reversing infertility in couples. The first resort I always give to my patients and has worked wonderfully for nearly 80% of them is the Pregnancy Miracle System. Pregnancy Miracle is an all natural holistic solution for infertility patients. Read more about it here.
Mark Pelore is a doctor specialized in Infertility and Pregnancy, and is based in Beverly Hills, Carlifornia
Before a Missed Period – Very Early Symptoms of Pregnancy
When most women think about very early symptoms of pregnancy, they automatically assume that a missed period is the top symptom.
Would you be surprised that a missed period isn’t even in the top 5 very early symptoms of pregnancy?
By the time a woman has noticed a missed period due to a pregnancy, at least 5 other symptoms may have made themselves known, possibly weeks before the scheduled period.
Here are five very early signs of pregnancy that can be noticed by a sensitive mother-to-be. And, all five can happen long before a period has been missed.
Elevated Basal Body Temperature The body’s basal temperature (the lowest body temperature that happens during rest) begins to elevate after ovulation, and stays elevated beyond your next expected period. Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary and pushed down the fallopian tube and is ready to be fertilized by a sperm. The implantation of a fertilized egg normally takes place 6 to 12 days after ovulation – that’s about two to three weeks before the next period is missed.
This one-half to one degree Fahrenheit increase in basal body temperature is a subtle early warning sign of pregnancy. This change in basal body temperature, which is measured by a special, more accurate thermometer, can happen as early as two days after ovulation. And, that can be two weeks before you notice a missed period.
Breast Tenderness, Nipple Enlargement And Increased Breast Size Changes and increased swelling and tenderness in the breast and nipples are one of the classic very early signs of pregnancy. Many times, a woman may notice these changes and blame them on a particularly ill-fitting or uncomfortable bra or other article of clothing. But, the sensitive woman will notice these changes for what they are – a new life is beginning to grow inside her with the new pregnancy.
Nipples, particularly the dark area around the nipple called the areola, enlarge and darken in anticipation of breastfeeding the infant. These changes are due almost entirely to hormone releases in the body, all in anticipation of sustaining the new life within. Some experts say the darkening of the areolas serves a purpose – helping the newly born child find the nipple easier for feeding. These changes to the breast and nipple areas should return to normal after birth.
Nausea And Vomiting Also known as “morning sickness,” this early and uncomfortable sign of pregnancy usually targets women and begins around the sixth week of pregnancy, but often occurs earlier. About half of all expecting mothers have morning sickness – which may or may not include vomiting. But, it usually always features nausea.
Often attributed to increased hormone levels in the body, some doctors feel that morning sickness is a good sign that the baby is healthy and is developing normally, and the pregnancy is progressing well. If your morning sickness is accompanied with vomiting, be sure to stay hydrated, keep your electrolyte levels within range. and get plenty of rest and nap throughout the day.
Constipation Another subtle and often overlooked pregnancy clue is constipation – defined as less that three bowel movements per week. Who doesn’t get constipated at one time or another – without being pregnant?
The constantly changing level of the hormone progesterone, which slows down the movement of food through your digestive system, can wreak havoc with the frequency and timing of bowel movements. Many women who are pregnant but don’t realize it may just write constipation off as an unrelated, and irritating issue. Like changes in the breasts, paying close attention here really can make tell a story.
Fatigue And Exhaustion There is a big difference between fatigue and tiredness. Feeling tired and sleepy after a long day’s work is completely normal and expected. Sleep, which usually happens after tiredness, is the remedy for a body needing rest, as sleep allows the body to repair itself and ready itself for another hard day.
Fatigue, on the other hand, is not a normal bodily function and is usually a sign of some other condition. Technically speaking, fatigue really has nothing to do with a tired body, as sleep will not normally resolve fatigue. Fatigue can be a sign of disease such as certain cancers, auto-immune disorders and a host of other conditionss – including pregnancy.
Fatigue can also be a sure sign of an early pregnancy, usually occurring during the first trimester and often partially blamed on a dramatic rise in the level of the hormone progesterone. Pregnancy also can put a huge strain on every bodily function – it’s no wonder that you may feel totally exhausted before the day is through.
Are you experiencing one or more of these very early symptoms of pregnancy? If you have even the slightest idea that you may be pregnant, get a home pregnancy test from your local drug store and test yourself. Then, you’ll know for sure and if positive, you can then notify your doctor and start taking care of your new baby.
If you or someone you love is struggling to get pregnant, then Read THIS Immediately - it could be the difference between failure and success – and a baby! !
Female Infertility Causes and Symptoms and Tips to Increase Female Fertility or Female Libido
Infertility in females refers to the incapacity to conceive and give birth to a living baby. Infertility or failure to reproduce must be distinguished from frigidity which denotes failure to perform the sex act or performing it imperfectly.
1. Weight – Staying fit and in a good shape directly related to your fertility. You may not believe, but in many cases overweight is found as the main cause behind infertility. The amount of fat stored in the body creates ovulation troubles. And, at the same time, lack of weight can also create amenorrhea (menstrual cycle problems). So, it is very important to keep the body weight in a correct proportion.
2. Stress – This is an element that plays a major negative role here. Today, life demands a number of different kinds of tasks from everyone and that creates a big amount of stress that can hinder the ovulation in women.
3. Smoking – A large number of women smoke and they do not know that how badly it affects their fertility. Use of Tobacco can develop cervical complication, irregular periods, and hormonal imbalance in women. It can reduce your fertility by 50%.
4. Malnutrition – It is very vital to have a good amount of nutrition in your diet daily. But, unfortunately not every woman eats healthy diet as for them, even the basic food is a hard thing to get. In this condition, it becomes very hard for their reproduction organs to function properly and it can lead to infertility.
5. Alcohol – Similar to tobacco, alcohol also affects your fertility adversely. It causes irregular periods that increase the rate of miscarriages and create other troubles.
Getting Pregnant Tips
1. Predict ovulation. Learning how to predict your ovulation is key to improving fertility. This is because having sex near ovulation improves your chances of getting pregnant with each menstrual cycle. One way in which to determine when you’ll be ovulating is to use a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer.
2. Check for other signs of ovulation. Look for changes in your cervical fluid to help you predict when you’ll be ovulating. When cervical mucus is produced in greater quantities and when it is stretchy in texture, it means you are ovulating and therefore are most fertile. But if cervical mucus is dry and being produced in lesser amounts, you are less fertile. Some women also experience mittelschmertz (“middle pain”), a mild pain in the abdominal area that is indicative of ovulation.
3. Wear boxers. Men should wear boxers instead of briefs. This is helpful in improving a couple’s chances of getting pregnant because wearing boxers reduces the risk of the testicles overheating, which can result in sperm damage.
4. Getting pregnant sex. While timing sex around ovulation can help improve your odds of getting pregnant, another factor that can help in improving your infertility is getting pregnant sex”. This is because certain sexual positions can help to direct the sperm nearer to the cervix, which increases a woman’s chances of conceiving.
5. Importance of female orgasm. While it is well-known that male orgasm is linked to getting pregnant, female orgasm is also relevant to a couple’s chances of successfully getting pregnant. When a woman experiences an orgasm during sex, it helps to draw the semen into the cervix, thereby resulting in a higher chance of pregnancy.
6. Elevate your hips after sex. Following intercourse, elevating your hips and buttocks can help improve your chances of getting pregnant because it helps the semen stay close to the cervix and prevents leakage of the semen. Lying in bed for about 20 minutes with a pillow propped under your hips can help boost your odds of getting pregnant.
7. Don’t douche. While this is a fairly common practice, douching can actually reduce your chances of getting pregnant. Douching affects female fertility because it disturbs the natural state of the vagina and can aggravate vaginal infections.
Early Menopause Symptoms – How Early Symptoms of Menopause Can Occur
For early menopause symptoms, are you wondering if early symptoms of menopause are what you are experiencing? Certain early menopause symptoms can be considered normal while others indicate underlying health problems.
First, keep in mind that menopause is a natural process for women and not some illness. Menopause is actually a specific date, the day that the end of menstrual cycles has occurred for twelve consecutive months. At some point in life as a woman ages, it is normal that the reproductive cycle slows and eventually ceases functioning.
However, the thirties and early forties are usually premature for early symptoms of menopause to be experienced unless there are health problems or unless there has been a hysterectomy. So what is going on?
Often, women are asking so much of their bodies. Today’s woman probably has a demanding career along with family responsibilities. A stressful lifestyle likely exists with little time to attend to her own needs. There is no time to exercise and unwind from the stress of the work day. Over the months and years, the result is a toll taken on the health and well-being of a woman and early menopause symptoms.
Along with the demands required of her body, she may not be providing her body with the support needed to perform as it was designed. For example, excess caffeine and/or alcohol consumption drain the body of valuable nutrients. With little time to exercise, she may have low energy and at the same time be putting on unwanted pounds which adds to the problem instead of helping. Her eating choices may not be the best, which further depletes her body of the nutrients it requires.
This demanding lifestyle along with inadequate support can lead to experiencing one or more of the early menopause symptoms.
Common early symptoms of menopause for women are:
* Endometriosis
* Hot flashes, night sweats
* Irregular menstrual cycles
* Light or heavy menstrual flow
* Mood swings
* PMS
* Problems with sleep
* Tender or lumpy breasts
* Uterine fibroid tumors
* Vaginal dryness
* Weight gain, especially around the waist and hips
One or more of these early menopause symptoms for women may begin as early as her late twenties or thirties. And a common cause of symptoms of early menopause is hormone imbalance or the incorrect levels of her two primary hormones, estrogen and progesterone.
In a healthy woman having normal menstrual cycles, estrogen is produced for the first ten to twelve days after the previous menstrual flow. If ovulation occurs, the female body then produces progesterone for the next twelve days or so. If pregnancy does not happen, levels of both progesterone and estrogen will drop at around day 28 and menstruation begins.
However, if there is no ovulation, there will be no progesterone production that cycle since ovulation is needed for progesterone to be made in the ovaries. The result is a deficiency of the hormone progesterone and an excess of estrogen, creating hormone imbalance and early menopause symptoms. And with menopause and no ovulation, progesterone levels are reduced to zero.
All the while, estrogen is still being produced, creating more hormone imbalance and early symptoms of menopause. Besides continued estrogen production, estrogen is usually obtained from other sources. Exposure to household chemicals and cleaners, birth control pills, foods sprayed with pesticides and new construction materials and furnishings in homes are examples of sources of estrogen that leads to excess estrogen accumulation in the body.
This condition of too much estrogen in the body is called estrogen dominance. If estrogen levels in the woman’s body increase beyond what is healthy, early menopause symptoms will be experienced.
How can a woman tell if she is experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms? Learn more about additional early signs of menopause and symptoms of hormone imbalance. Understand as much as you can about your health, your specific symptoms, what those symptoms may be telling you and physician-recommended natural treatments.
Copyright 2007 InfoSearch Publishing
Read more about hormone imbalance and natural treatment. David Lee Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and a writer for http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com – visit the website and find information on a wide range of women’s health issues.
Cramping during pregnancy is quite common and normal, but it should be observed closely to make sure there is no coinciding bleeding taking place. Discover healthy and worrisome cramping during pregnancy with helpful information from a certified nurse-midwife in this free video on pregnancy. Expert: Mavis Schorn Contact: www.vanderbiltnursemidwives.org Bio: Mavis N. Schorn, CNM, PhD, is a certified nurse-midwife and director of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Nurse-Midwifery educational program in Nashville, Tenn. Filmmaker: Dimitri LaBarge
Mittelschmerz – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods
Mittelschmerz is one-sided lower-abdominal pain that occurs in women at or around the time of ovulation. The word mittelschmerz actually means “middle pain,” because this pain is felt during the middle of your menstrual cycle. Most of the time, mittelschmerz doesn’t require medical attention. About 20% of women experience mittelschmerz, some every cycle, some intermittently. This pain occurs during ovulation- the midpoint between menstrual periods, about 2 weeks before a period may begin. The location is determined by which ovary has produced the ovum that month. It can show up on one side of the abdomen one month and switch to the opposite side during the following cycle. Occasionally, in addition to midcycle pain and cramping, some women may experience nausea, and/or light menstrual spotting. It can cause pain and cramping; but it is not serious and usually goes away after about 6 to 8 hours. The pain is not harmful and does not signify the presence of disease. In fact, women who feel this pain may be at an advantage when planning or trying to avoid pregnancy.
Diagnosis of mittelschmerz is generally made if a woman is mid-cycle and a pelvic examination shows no abnormalities. Only 20% – 30% of of women will have mittelschmerz or ovulation pains – and please note that mittelschmerz may occur before, during, or even after ovulation. Women with mittelschmerz rarely need to go to a hospital’s Emergency Department, but some serious medical conditions such as appendicitis and ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in the tubes) can mimic the pain of ovulation. In some women, the mittelschmerz is localized enough so that they can tell which of their two ovaries provided the egg in a given month. Because ovulation occurs on a random ovary each cycle, the pain may switch sides or stay on the same side from one cycle to another. Pain at any other point in your menstrual cycle isn’t mittelschmerz. It may be normal menstrual cramping. some cases, a small amount of bleeding or discharge may occur. Some women experience nausea, especially if the pain is severe.
Causes of Mittelschmerz
The common causes and risk factor’s of Mittelschmerz include the following:
The exact cause of Mittelschmerz is not known.
An egg being released from an ovary.
The swelling of follicles in the ovaries.
At the time of ovulation, blood or other fluid is released from the ruptured egg follicle. This fluid may cause irritation of the abdominal lining.
The growth of the ovarian follicle, which can stretch the surface of you ovary, causing pain.
The fluid or blood may irritate the lining of the abdominal cavity, causing pain.
Symptoms of Mittelschmerz
Some sign and symptoms related to Mittelschmerz are as follows:
Lower abdominal and pelvic pain.
Faintness or dizziness.
Light bleeding.
Mild nausea.
Pain occurs on one side of the lower abdomen (can be either side).
Vomiting blood.
Blood in stool.
Pain lasts anywhere from a few hours to 2-3 days.
Spotting of blood.
Treatment of Mittelschmerz
Here is list of the methods for treating Mittelschmerz:
No treatment is usually necessary.
Pain relievers (analgesics) may be needed in cases of prolonged or intense pain.
Hormonal forms of contraception can be taken to prevent ovulation- and therefore ovulatory pain- but otherwise there is no known prevention.
If pain is severe, birth control can be taken to prevent ovulation.
Applying a heating pad to the lower abdomen or taking a warm bath may also help with the discomfort.
If the over-the-counter medications do not control the pain, your doctor may give you prescription anti-inflammatory medication.
Try to drink between six and eight glasses of water every day. Water will help to keep you hydrated, which will alleviate those cramps.
Perimenopause Symptoms – 10 Common Symptoms Of Perimenopause
Perimenopause symptoms are most often experienced by women in their late 30′s, 40′s or early 50′s. The perimenopause symptoms such as fluctuating menstrual cycles can signal the slowing down of reproductive capabilities.
Perimenopause (or peri menopause) can be defined as the time before menopause. Menopause is the cessation of menstrual periods for twelve months in a row. Having symptoms of perimenopause can mean that the woman is getting closer to the age of menopause and the ending of monthly menstrual periods.
Here are common symptoms of perimenopause:
• Changes in the Menstrual Cycle (menstrual flow can be heavier or lighter, longer or shorter time between periods, irregular flow)
Perimenopause and menopause will affect each woman differently. Your only one of the perimenopause symptoms may be that your period stops. However, you may have one or more of the other symptoms of perimenopause. Perimenopause symptoms can be experienced by a woman for a few months or they can last for years. Since the average age of menopause is 51, symptoms of perimenopause can appear in a woman’s late 30′s, any time in her 40′s or early 50′s.
During perimenopause, many women begin experiencing their first symptoms of hormone imbalance. How does hormone imbalance happen?
According to Harvard-trained physician Dr. John Lee, perimenopause symptoms appear because ovulation occurs less frequently or not at all in the years before menopause. When a woman is healthy and ovulating, estrogen is produced during the first part of the menstrual cycle and following ovulation, progesterone is produced during the latter part of the monthly cycle.
With ovulation required for the monthly production of progesterone, if there’s no ovulation, no progesterone will be produced. With declining progesterone production, perimenopause can be the time women experience the onset of hormone imbalance, causing symptoms of perimenopause.
How can a woman tell if the symptoms of perimenopause are related to hormone imbalance? One way is to take a leading womens clinic test for hormone health and related perimenopause symptoms. The health test is free and it takes just a few minutes.