C
cazd
Guest
Tips for swift conception!
***New suggestion - His & Hers vitamins****
From Sanatogen - They're vegetarian and seem to contain most of what you need.
Pregnacare has L-Arginine and Selenium so I think its better for ladies to stick to that.
But a proper "Man Pill" in its own special pot might be easier for your OH to... erm... swallow!
Its best if pre-conception vits + omega 3 are taken 3 months+ before TTC. (especially if you're veggi)
I've been pouring through books on baby-making and just wondered if you guys might be interested in what I've learned.
But... don't hold me to it - I might be wrong!
I've just skimmed over the major points from all my books - if you want any extra info or reasoning just ask?
And... if I've missed anything major - let me know and I'll add it in?
Females:
No alcohol
No smoking
Reduce caffeine intake to 2 decaff cups a day
Herbal teas are mostly OK but avoid earl grey, black tea, green tea and chamomile (red bush tea seems to be OK)
No soft cheeses - brie, camembert, goats or blue cheeses like stilton or even some hard cheeses with wax on - basically anything unpasteurised is bad. (Cottage cheese = OK)
No raw eggs and no runny egg whites
Get your 'five a day'
Eat wholewheat carbs - brown bread + brown pasta
Organic everything is best
Drink 2 litres of filtered water each day
Take 400 micro/g? of folic acid each day (or pregnacare)
Get up-to-date with vaccinations - rubella, tetanus, measles, mumps + chicken pox.
Have blood tests for anaemia + other stuff
Don't pick up cat poo
So pelvic Floor exercises and improve core stability
Get Vitamin A from dairy and Betacarotene from orange, yellow and green veg
Zinc for conception (hard cheeses, wholegrain cereals, pulses + green veg)
Manganese (fruit, nuts, seeds)
Selenium (brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, dairy + wholemeal bread)
Vitamin B6 (dark green leafy veg, avocado, nuts, lentils, bananas
Iron (spinach, brocolli)
Maintain a 'healthy' weight (BMI of 24) and be prepared to put on 2 stones or more when you're PG!
Male Diet:
Stop or Reduce alcohol intake to max 2 units per day
No smoking
Reduce caffeine intake - decaff = preferable
No saunas, jacuzzis or super-hot baths
Ensure good levels of:
Selenium (meat, chicken, eggs, brazil nuts)
Zinc (Meat, eggs, dairy, whole grains, legumes, wheatgerm)
Vitamin E (veg oils, nuts, seeds, wholegrains & vit C supplement aids Vit E uptake)
Vitamin C (citrus fruits, tomatoes, melon, papaya, OJ, potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower, sprouts)
Vitamin B12 (milk, cheese)
Multi-vits are good for men but don't take ones with added iron
Both address any environmental factors
fumes at work, radiation from machinery, pylons etc
De-stress
Exercise - aim for resting pulse under 70 bpm
Stop contraception (DOH!) I mean remove implants, coils etc well in advance of TTC and use condoms/charting instead if you're regular.
They say that from coming off the pill it can take 3 months+ 'till your bodys back to 'normal'
Watching your cycle:
With a 28 day cycle Ovulation is usually 14 days before AF.
BBT (basal body temperature) goes up when you ovulate (by about 0.2 degrees centigrade or 0.4 degrees farenheit)
Keep track of this by taking your temperature when you wake up in the mornings at the same time - before you do anything.
Or after 4 hours sleep if you're on shifts etc.
After a few months you'll have a good idea which day of your cycle is ov day.
Mucus testing is also a good indicator of fertility - when it goes from being thick and blobby to thin and sticky you're ready to ovulate.
The 'stretchier' it is the closer you are to ovulation.
The only way to get to know your mucus is by testing it every day - stretching it between your fingertips. Fun Fun!
OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) are highly recommended by the TTC-ers
The cervix changes around ovulation too - it drops and opens and after ovulation it closes again.
POAS (peeing on a stick) is v addictive and can end up costing you a small fortune. Amazon and ebay are good places to buy.
Intercourse:
Have sex in the week running up to and including ovulation.
But only on every other day.
****interesting addition****
'normal' sperm counts should have sex every day, but low sperm counts should do it every other day to allow the reserves to build up again. That's why a lot of TTC books suggest every other day - to be on the safe side.
Men abstain from masturbation during this week.
After ejaculation stay still for up to a minute and don't let him pull out.
Semen starts to liquify after a few minutes and thats when the sperms start to swim.
Feel free to put your hips up on a pillow or even do the air bicycle - it might just help.
Don't worry if you think you've 'lost' a lot after moving. The strong sperms are probably on their way.
There's a product called Pre-Seed that helps the swimmers along.
Its marketed for vaginal dryness but some of our TTC-ers have been v successful with it. It gives the sperm safe lubrication right to your egg.
Boy or Girl:
The vagina is naturally quite acidic but gets slightly more alkaline close to ovualtion.
Female (X chromasome) sperms cope better with acid than male (y chromasome) sperms
So... for a girl have sex 2 or 3 days before ovulation or the day after.
For a boy have sex at ovulation.
So there you have it... the sum of hours of reading and about £60 on books that all say mostly the same things!
***New suggestion - His & Hers vitamins****
From Sanatogen - They're vegetarian and seem to contain most of what you need.
Pregnacare has L-Arginine and Selenium so I think its better for ladies to stick to that.
But a proper "Man Pill" in its own special pot might be easier for your OH to... erm... swallow!
Its best if pre-conception vits + omega 3 are taken 3 months+ before TTC. (especially if you're veggi)
I've been pouring through books on baby-making and just wondered if you guys might be interested in what I've learned.
But... don't hold me to it - I might be wrong!
I've just skimmed over the major points from all my books - if you want any extra info or reasoning just ask?
And... if I've missed anything major - let me know and I'll add it in?
Females:
No alcohol
No smoking
Reduce caffeine intake to 2 decaff cups a day
Herbal teas are mostly OK but avoid earl grey, black tea, green tea and chamomile (red bush tea seems to be OK)
No soft cheeses - brie, camembert, goats or blue cheeses like stilton or even some hard cheeses with wax on - basically anything unpasteurised is bad. (Cottage cheese = OK)
No raw eggs and no runny egg whites
Get your 'five a day'
Eat wholewheat carbs - brown bread + brown pasta
Organic everything is best
Drink 2 litres of filtered water each day
Take 400 micro/g? of folic acid each day (or pregnacare)
Get up-to-date with vaccinations - rubella, tetanus, measles, mumps + chicken pox.
Have blood tests for anaemia + other stuff
Don't pick up cat poo
So pelvic Floor exercises and improve core stability
Get Vitamin A from dairy and Betacarotene from orange, yellow and green veg
Zinc for conception (hard cheeses, wholegrain cereals, pulses + green veg)
Manganese (fruit, nuts, seeds)
Selenium (brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, dairy + wholemeal bread)
Vitamin B6 (dark green leafy veg, avocado, nuts, lentils, bananas
Iron (spinach, brocolli)
Maintain a 'healthy' weight (BMI of 24) and be prepared to put on 2 stones or more when you're PG!
Male Diet:
Stop or Reduce alcohol intake to max 2 units per day
No smoking
Reduce caffeine intake - decaff = preferable
No saunas, jacuzzis or super-hot baths
Ensure good levels of:
Selenium (meat, chicken, eggs, brazil nuts)
Zinc (Meat, eggs, dairy, whole grains, legumes, wheatgerm)
Vitamin E (veg oils, nuts, seeds, wholegrains & vit C supplement aids Vit E uptake)
Vitamin C (citrus fruits, tomatoes, melon, papaya, OJ, potatoes, brocolli, cauliflower, sprouts)
Vitamin B12 (milk, cheese)
Multi-vits are good for men but don't take ones with added iron
Both address any environmental factors
fumes at work, radiation from machinery, pylons etc
De-stress
Exercise - aim for resting pulse under 70 bpm
Stop contraception (DOH!) I mean remove implants, coils etc well in advance of TTC and use condoms/charting instead if you're regular.
They say that from coming off the pill it can take 3 months+ 'till your bodys back to 'normal'
Watching your cycle:
With a 28 day cycle Ovulation is usually 14 days before AF.
BBT (basal body temperature) goes up when you ovulate (by about 0.2 degrees centigrade or 0.4 degrees farenheit)
Keep track of this by taking your temperature when you wake up in the mornings at the same time - before you do anything.
Or after 4 hours sleep if you're on shifts etc.
After a few months you'll have a good idea which day of your cycle is ov day.
Mucus testing is also a good indicator of fertility - when it goes from being thick and blobby to thin and sticky you're ready to ovulate.
The 'stretchier' it is the closer you are to ovulation.
The only way to get to know your mucus is by testing it every day - stretching it between your fingertips. Fun Fun!
OPKs (ovulation predictor kits) are highly recommended by the TTC-ers
The cervix changes around ovulation too - it drops and opens and after ovulation it closes again.
POAS (peeing on a stick) is v addictive and can end up costing you a small fortune. Amazon and ebay are good places to buy.
Intercourse:
Have sex in the week running up to and including ovulation.
But only on every other day.
****interesting addition****
'normal' sperm counts should have sex every day, but low sperm counts should do it every other day to allow the reserves to build up again. That's why a lot of TTC books suggest every other day - to be on the safe side.
Men abstain from masturbation during this week.
After ejaculation stay still for up to a minute and don't let him pull out.
Semen starts to liquify after a few minutes and thats when the sperms start to swim.
Feel free to put your hips up on a pillow or even do the air bicycle - it might just help.
Don't worry if you think you've 'lost' a lot after moving. The strong sperms are probably on their way.
There's a product called Pre-Seed that helps the swimmers along.
Its marketed for vaginal dryness but some of our TTC-ers have been v successful with it. It gives the sperm safe lubrication right to your egg.
Boy or Girl:
The vagina is naturally quite acidic but gets slightly more alkaline close to ovualtion.
Female (X chromasome) sperms cope better with acid than male (y chromasome) sperms
So... for a girl have sex 2 or 3 days before ovulation or the day after.
For a boy have sex at ovulation.
So there you have it... the sum of hours of reading and about £60 on books that all say mostly the same things!
I heard the same as broody- girl sperms are more hardcore so have sex a few days before Ov for a girl and on/as close to Ov as poss for a boy xx
