Ovulation predictor kits are a great way for women to determine exactly when, during their cycle, they are ovulating helping to take some of the guess work out of determining when they are most likely to conceive.  The kits are also a good way for doctors and patients to determine if a woman is not ovulating resulting in a potential fertility problem.

For women planning a pregnancy and trying to conceive one of the big challenges is timing, knowing exactly when that little egg drops.  There are several ways to go about determining when you will ovulate including taking your basal body temperature and determining the consistency of your cervical mucus, however, those often still leave room for error, still leave questions.  Ovulation predictor kits take a lot of the guess work out of it and provide women with an easy method to figuring out when they are ovulating.  If a couple is having difficulty conceiving their doctor will often recommend the use of an ovulation predictor kit as the first step in determining if there are any fertility issues preventing pregnancy.

Ovulation predictor kits are easy to use and are very similar to the home pregnancy tests available on the market.  In fact, many of the same companies that produce home pregnancy tests also produce home ovulation predictor kits as well.  The kits use urine to test for LH hormones (luteinizing hormone) in your system.  LH hormones are released within 24-48 hours of ovulation.  If you get a positive result on an ovulation predictor then it is safe to assume you will be ovulating some time in the next 24 to 48 hours.  Those 24-48 hours before ovulation is the most fertile time in your cycle and the time when conception is most likely to occur.

Each ovulation predictor kit will come with its own set of instructions and since each test may vary slightly be sure to read through the directions carefully before taking the test.  If you are unsure on how to use an ovulation predictor kit or if one would be useful to you as you are trying to conceive be sure to talk to your doctor.

Plans are made to be broken, or so they say.  I don’t like when my plans are broken. I like when everything goes according to plan.  Which isn’t to say that I don’t like to be surprised by life, I do, it is just that sometimes it is nice when everything works out the way I had planned.

It has been nine months now.  Nine months of actively trying to conceive baby #2.  We are now into the realm of “if we had gotten pregnant (enter month) we’d be having a baby now.”  That sucks, there is no other way to say it, it just sucks.  Maya is going to be 3 in a little over a month.  She was supposed to have a new sibling right before or shortly after her third birthday, that was our plan.  Now, we are looking at her being at least 3 and a half, at least.

Each month that goes by it gets a little harder.  Each month the disappointment is a little harder to bare, it hurts a little deeper.  My body has disappointed me and I hate to say that because it has done some pretty awesome things for me, namely creating and carrying the perfect almost 3 year old that fills our house with her sweetness.  But, right now, it is not helping me out, it is not doing what it was designed to do, it is not getting pregnant.  So, as much as I hate to say it, I’m angry at my body, angry at myself.

Today I’m heading to the doctor.  We’ll talk all about what is going on.  We’ll talk about the fact I have been off the pill for 11 months now and actively trying to get pregnant for 9 months and yet still nothing.  We’ll talk about the things that may be behind this inability to get pregnant; my ovarian cyst, my endometriosis, my one non-functioning fallopian tube and hopefully we’ll talk about a solution, a way to make my body work.  I don’t expect this appointment to end with a magical solution, but I do hope it is the beginning of find some answers.

I expected baby #2 to come along just like baby #1 did, perfectly according to plan.  The best laid plans don’t always work out.

I’m stuck in a waiting game I never expected to be stuck in.  Every month I wait.  Wait for something not to come, but every month it comes.  Waiting is hard, waiting isn’t fun, waiting sucks.  I’m not very good at waiting for things.

Last year as Maya‘s 2nd birthday approached Lorne and I decided it was time to grow our little family.  We decided that having another child when Maya was around 3 would be good.  So, shortly after we celebrated our baby’s 2nd birthday I stopped taking that little daily little birth control pill and began taking a daily prenatal vitamin.  I started dreaming about what it would be like to have a tiny little baby again.  I started wondering what Maya would be like as a big sister.  I started dreaming about the shape our little family would take.

After waiting a couple of months to let my body return to a regular cycle we really began trying to make a baby.  I started paying close attention to my cycle, my timing. We began the waiting game.  Each month we did our best to get the timing right and then we waited.

For 6 months we have been stuck in this waiting game.  Each month I listen to my body to see if it is whispering to me, trying to tell me something.  Each month I wait to see if I will get those telltale signs that our efforts may have worked.  Each month I wait and hope not to see that telltale sign that our efforts were all for naught and that another month has come and gone with no baby.  Waiting it hard.

When we decided to start trying to get pregnant the first time things were easy.  I went off my birth control pill and got pregnant the first month we really tried.  I hadn’t expected it to be that easy and when it was I figured my history wouldn’t affect my ability to get pregnant. I figured this time around would be more of the same.  I was wrong.

About 7 years ago I discovered I had an ovarian cyst growing on my left ovary.  A very large ovarian cyst, about the size of a large grapefruit.  The size of the cyst caused some major damage to my left ovary and fallopian tube.  So much damage that my fallopian tube had to be tied off and my left ovary is pretty much nonfunctioning.  During the surgery to remove the cyst and fix some of the damage it was also discovered that I had endometriosis.

Once I was all healed up from my surgery I started on a form of birth control pill that was known to help control endometriosis as well.  It worked for me and things were good.  I continued to be symptom free as far as the endometriosis was concerned and my doctor was fairly confident that it wasn’t getting any worse and hopefully wouldn’t impact my ability to get pregnant in the future when we decided to start trying.

4 years later when we finally decided it was time to start a family I was a little worried that my history would affect my ability to get pregnant and that it might not be a quick or easy process for us.  However, when I got pregnant right away my fears were laid to rest and truthfully I never really gave it much thought again.  It never even occurred to me that things might be different this time around.  It never occurred to me that unbeknownst to me my body may have been changing in a way that would make having another baby a lot harder than we expected.

I try to remind myself that it has only been 6 months and maybe next month will be our month and all this worry and frustration will become a distant, fading memory.  It is harder to believe that though as the months continue to tick by.  In a few months I’ll have my regular yearly visit with my OB/GYN.  If we are still stuck in this waiting game when that appointment rolls around I’ll talk to him about my fears and about what may be the cause behind our difficulty getting pregnant this time around.

In the meantime we’ll keep enjoying the awesome little girl we are so lucky to have in our lives.  We’ll keep trying.  We’ll keep waiting and hoping that this will be our month.

About half of all pregnancies in the United States are planned, meaning that the couple tried to get pregnant.   It can be an exciting time in a couple’s life, however, at the same time it can bring a lot of frustration, especially if it doesn’t happen right away.  Many people carry the misconception that getting pregnant is easy (I mean people get pregnancy “by accident” all the time) and if you don’t get pregnant right away there must be some underlying fertility issue.  That, my friends, is not the case.  For many couples experiencing a difficulty in getting pregnant the issue is not necessarily infertility, but rather is likely to be a matter of bad timing.

In any given menstrual cycle a woman has a 20% (1 in 5) chance of sperm meeting egg, egg becoming fertilized and implanting and of getting pregnant.  Not really great odds when you think about it, right?  Right.  But, you can make those odds work in your favor if you pay attention to your timing, pay attention to your body.

For the “average” woman a regular menstrual cycle is about 28 days.  Some women will have shorter or longer cycles which is why it is important to pay attention and to know our body.  During a regular 28 day cycle you can expect to ovulate on or about the 14th day of your cycle, however ovulation can occur as early as day 11 or as late as day 21.  This is where timing and paying attention to your body can make a huge difference in how long it takes you to get pregnant once you start trying.

In order to get pregnant the sperm must meet the egg, right?  And in order for that to happen you have to know when you are ovulating.  So, here is where it is all about the timing.  Your chances of becoming pregnant are greatest if you and your partner have sex in the few days leading up to ovulation and for a window of about 24 hours after you ovulate.  Many obstetricians and fertility specialists will recommend that a couple of sexual intercourse every other day while they are trying to get pregnant, this increases the odds that there will be healthy, vibrant sperm present when you ovulate.

So, how do you know when you are going to ovulate.  There are several things you can do to determine when in you are ovulating.  They including:

• Tracking your basal body temperature. When ovulation has occurred your basal body temperature will rise.  You will need to do this for a few months in order to determine when you typically ovulate during your cycle.  Remember, once you have ovulate you have a window of about 24 hours before you lose your chance of becoming pregnant that month.
• Checking your cervical mucus.  This involves testing the consistency of the mucus around your cervix.  As you approach ovulation the consistency of your cervical mucus will change making it a more welcoming environment for sperm.   When you are most fertile (just about to ovulate) your cervical mucus will be of an egg white consistency.
• Using an ovulation prediction kit.  These can be purchased at any pharmacy in the same aisle as home pregnancy kits.  These kits test the LH or luteinizing hormone in our urine.  The LH levels will go up the day before you ovulate.  These tests can be a bit expensive so you may want to try the other options first before trying out the ovulation prediction kits.

85% of healthy, fertile couples will successfully become pregnant within 1 year of trying to conceive.  It is all about your timing and knowing your body.  If you know when you are going to ovulate you can plan to have sex around that time to help increase your odds.  Timing is everything.

If you have not become pregnant after 1 year (after 6 months if you are over 35) of trying talk to your doctor so they can work with you and determine if there may be some underlying fertility issue.

So many women spend a lot of time planning out their lives so that everything happens on a certain schedule, including when they have children.  However, more than half of all pregnancies are unplanned, the result of an accident, a result of failed birth control.  And we are not just talking about teenagers here, more than 30% of those unplanned pregnancies are among women in their thirties who are married and already have children. I know from the amazing number of comments I get on my Early Signs of Pregnancy and What to Do if You Think You Are Pregnant posts that many women think they are all set as long as they are popping that pill every day or using a condom or getting the shot, but no form of birth control is 100% and many times the birth control is misused resulting in reduced effectiveness.  Most unplanned pregnancies are the result of birth control, that used correctly would be 97-99% effective, being used incorrectly.

For many families that unplanned pregnancy may be a surprise at first but ends up being a blessing, but not always.  Using your birth control correctly, being on the right type of birth control for you are keys to making sure your life plays out more like the plan you have set for yourself versus a big book of surprises.  Talk to your doctor about your birth control needs and find a plan that works best for you and that you feel comfortable you will be able to use correctly and consistently.

Here is a quick breakdown of the various types of birth control, their effectiveness (if used correctly) and the common misuses of them.  Use this list when talking to your doctor about your options.

Birth Control Pill: the pill contains two hormones, estrogen and progestin, that keep you from ovulating and help keep sperm out.

• 99.7% effective if used correctly (however in the real world it fails up to 15% of the time because of incorrect or inconsistent use)
• The biggest mistake most women make with this form of birth control is missing a pill and not using a second form of birth control to prevent pregnancy.

IUD (intrauterine device): an iud is a small T-shaped device that is placed into the uterus and acts as a barrier to keep the sperm from reaching the egg and also thins the uterine lining.

• Up to 99.8% effective (fails about 1% of the time in the real world because of incorrect or inconsistent use)
• Even though an IUD is a very effective form of birth control with little room for user error the most common mistake women make that leads to an unplanned pregnancy is forgetting to check for the IUD’s string every month to make sure it is still properly in place.

Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing): a vaginal ring inserted into your vagina that releases estrogen and progestin to prevent pregnancy.

• 99.7% effective if used correctly (fails about 8% of the time in the real world due to incorrect or inconsistent use)
• The most common misuse of the vaginal ring involved a woman forgetting to put a new ring in exactly one week after taking the last one out even if you are still menstruating.

Contraceptive Patch: the patch is another hormone based contraceptive that releases estrogen and progestin to prevent pregnancy.

• 99.7% effective if used correctly (fails about 8% of the time due to incorrect or inconsistent use)
• The most common cause of reduced effectiveness with the contraceptive patch is forgetting to put a new patch on exactly one week after taking the previous one off.

Depo-Provera Injection: hormone injection of progestin that you get every 3 months to prevent ovulation.

• 99.7% effective if used correctly (fails about 3% due to incorrect or inconsistent use)
• The most common mistake with the depo-provera injection is missing an injection entirely or having it late.

Condom: creates a barrier around the penis to prevent sperm from entering the vagina.

• About 95% effective if used correctly (in reality only about 85% effective due to incorrect use)
• The most common mistakes with condoms include putting it on too late, not putting it on correctly, tearing the condom while opening the wrapper and not noticing and using an expired condom.

As you can see, most forms of birth control are very effective if used correctly and consistently, however, due to user error their real world effectiveness can at times be greatly reduced.  The key to successful birth control is using a form a birth control you know you can keep up with, meets your needs and fits into your life.  Remember to talk with your doctor about which form of birth control is right for you.

(Sources: WebMD, Babycenter.com )

Trying to get pregnant with your second or subsequent child isn’t always as easy as it was the first time around.  Many couples find themselves faced with fertility issues when they try to grow their family, they find themselves suffering from secondary infertility.  Secondary infertility is defined, primarily, as the inability to conceive or carry a pregnancy to term after successfully having one or more children.  Millions of couples suffer from secondary infertility.  Although so many find themselves suffering through the inability to have another child they often don’t seek treatment or seek out the social support they need. They have a child already so noone wants to hear about their problems with infertility which causes couples to often suffer in silience with secondary infertility.

For many of the couples who find themselves suffering from secondary infertility they were able to easily (or at least without too much trouble) conceive their first child(ren), so the idea that it may be difficult to have another child never crossed their minds.  However, your reproductive health can change fairly quickly.  A woman’s quantity and quality of eggs can decrease rapidly and result in fertility issues only months after her first child is born.  A man’s sperm count and the quality of his sperm can also rapidly change impacting the couples ability to conceive subsequent children.

There are many factors that can cause a couple to experience fertility issues after successfully having one or more children.  Age can play a big role, particularly if you waited until your 30s to have your first child.  A woman is most fertile between the ages of 18-30 so if she waits until she is 30 or older to have her first child she will be that much older when she tries for the second and may likely experience some difficulty in conceiving.  Untreated infections, endometriosis, or chronic illnesses or conditions can all play a role as well, for both men and women.

Luckily most couples, about 85-90%, will conceive within a year of trying.  This holds true even if you are trying for your second (or more) child.  Most doctors recommend that you seek medical help if you have not conceived after 1 year of trying if you are under 35, 6 months of trying for women over 35, and 3 months of trying for women over 40.  Not every woman will be able to get pregnant the first try every time, it sometimes takes several tries.  Try to stay positive and seek advice from your doctor if you are worried.

Suffering from secondary infertility is painful and couples shouldn’t suffer alone and in silence.  Be sure to talk about how you are feeling with your spouse, your family, friends and seek out a support group of other couples suffering from secondary infertility.  Unfortunately, you may not get the support you need from friends and family who may think you should be happy that you have one child so a support group of others going through a similar situation may be your best bet.  If you can’t locate a support group talk to your ob/gyn for suggestions or visit RESOLVE (the national infertility association).

Try to stay positive and don’t be afraid to seek medical help if you think you are having fertility issues.

(resourses: RESOLVE, Fertility Factors)

Making the decision to have your first child is a huge deal.  A lot goes into that decision.  Afterall, you are deciding to completely change the dynamic of your relationship forever, you will no longer be just a couple you will be a family.  Conceiving your first child means you are taking on the responsibility of caring for another human life and putting their needs, wants and desires before your own.  It is a big deal.  My husband and I waited to start our family until we hit our 30s because we wanted to spend time just being a couple, we wanted to be financially stable and we wanted to be in a place where it was possible for me to stay home with our child. But when we finally took the plunge it felt right, we were ready (well as ready as you can be).

Lately we have begun talking about expanding our family, trying for #2.  The talk has been pretty limited so far, just a few little conversations here and there.  No concrete decisions yet.  I’ve discovered something through these conversations though, deciding to try for #2 may actually be a bigger decision for me than the first was.  With Maya I just knew I was ready every part of me was screaming that it was time, this time I feel like I have more to think about and the signs are quite so obvious.

We want to have more kids.  I’ve always pictured myself with 2.  However, I’m having trouble actually saying “ok, let’s do it.” (and my husband is too).  So much will change when we expand our family.  I used to think that once you had the first the giant changes were over and having more wouldn’t be that big a deal.  I was wrong.  There are so many things standing between me and making the decision to go for #2.  Like:

How will my relationship with Maya change and am I ready for it to change?  I love the way things are now and I don’t want my relationship with her to change.

Can we manage two kids in our condo or should we buy a house first?  I don’t think we have the room we would need but I can’t say that I want to put it off just for a house.

How will we manage two kids?  Traveling, shopping, trips to the zoo, naptimes and bedtimes, it all becomes more complicated with two, am I ready for that?

Will they be the right number of years apart?  I don’t want them too close together or too far apart.

So many little things swirling around in my head, so many questions, so many “what ifs”.  Who knew it would be such a hard decision.  I think the biggest thing standing in the way is Maya.  I want her to have a brother or a sister, both my husband and I loved having siblings growing up.  However, I worry about how bringing a new baby into our life will turn her world upside down.  I think (I know) she would love the baby and would be an awesome big sister so I don’t know why I let it bother me so much.

Maybe, we just need to stop thinking about it so much and just go for it.  Who knows.  We’ll talk some more, figure a few things out and decide from there.  Any tips, pointers, suggestions or opinions are welcome (obviously we could use a little help from the pros on this one).

When you are trying to conceive it can be hard to weed through all of the advice you may receive to find the truth.  Between reading books, researching online, and getting tips from friends and family you will find you have a mountain of tips, tricks and techniques running through your head.  Trying to conceive a child can be an exciting (and fun ) time for you and your spouse.  Everyone would love for it to happen that first magical time you try, but it doesn’t always work that way in the real world.  Often times you have to try and try again before becoming pregnant.

There are a few misconceptions out there about trying to conceive.  Here’s a quick look at a few of the myths out there and the truths behind them.

Myth #1: It is easy to get pregnant.

Truth: For many couples it is not easy to get pregnant.  There is only a 25% chance of becoming pregnant during any given menstrual cycle.  Don’t get upset if it doesn’t happen the first try, it may take a little while.

Myth #2: Having too much sex could hurt your chances of conceiving.

Truth: Unless your husband has been diagnosed with a low sperm count it doesn’t matter how often you have sex, it won’t impact your chances of conceiving.

Myth #3: The best time to try to conceive is the day you ovulate.

Truth: You are actually more fertile during the five days preceding ovulation.  Use an ovulation kit to predict the day, then aim to have sex at least every other day for the five days leading up to your ovulation day.

Myth #4: Using lubrication makes it harder to get pregnant.

Truth: Some studies suggest that lubricants can slow a man’s sperm down, however, most couples shouldn’t worry about it.  If you are having fertility issues your doctor may recommend either not using lubricant or using Pre-Seed, a brand that doesn’t affect sperm.

Myth #5: You can get pregnant as soon as you stop using birth control.

Truth: While this is true for contraceptives such as condoms it is not necessarily true for hormone based contraceptives such as the pill or patch.  While there is a chance of becoming pregnant as soon as you stop using your birth control it does take a few months for your cycle to return to normal and you may not ovulate during this time.

And those are just a few of the myths floating around out there.  Remember that most couples, about 80%, conceive within the first year of trying.  So, although it may not happen in the first couple of tries it will happen eventually.  If you do not become pregnant after one full year of trying to conceive you should talk to your doctor about possible fertility issues.

I receive a lot of questions from readers of my Early Signs of Pregnancy and What to Do if You Think You Are Pregnant articles wondering what their chances of getting pregnant are.  Most of the questions come from women and girls who do not want to be pregnant yet still had unprotected sex.

My answer to these questions is usually pretty similar, any time you have unprotected sex there is a chance of becoming pregnant.  Now depending on when during your cycle the unprotected sex took place will greatly impact your odds of becoming pregnant.

During any given cycle a fertile woman has a 25% chance of becoming pregnant.  If you are desperately trying to get pregnant those odds may not seem very good, however, for those who desperately DON’T want to be pregnant those odds may seem pretty high.

An average menstrual cycle is 28 days beginning with the start of your period and ending with the start of your next period.  However, it is perfectly normal to have a menstrual cycle as long as 35 days or as short as 21 days.  For a 28 day cycle ovulation typically occurs on day 14, however, it can occur any where from day 11 to day 21.  Some woman will ovulate like clockwork on the same day of their cycle every month, others will experience erratic ovulation.

A woman can become pregnant during ovulation.  The best chances of becoming pregnant are the couple of days before ovulation through 24 hours after ovulation.  Timing is key when you are trying to get pregnant, so you can see why your chances of getting pregnant during any given cycle is only 25%.

For those women who do not wish to become pregnant your best chance is to always use protection.  Any time you have unprotected sex there is a chance of becoming pregnant, always keep that in the back of your mind.

If you have questions about your own menstrual cycle or your own specific chances of becoming pregnant talk to your doctor.

(source: WebMD)

Before you start trying to get pregnant you want to do everything you can to make sure you are ready emotionally, physically, and financially for this life changing experience. Being ready physically means being healthy.  Being healthy is important to help support a growing fetus but also to help you conceive in the first place.  Good eating habits and a healthy diet are an important part of a healthy lifestyle.

Getting pregnant comes easy for some women but for others it isn’t so easy.  There is a lot about our daily lives that can impact our ability to conceive such as our stress level, our work/life balance, the safety of our job, how or if we exercise, and what we eat.

What we eat can have a big impact on our ability to conceive, but it also has a big impact on that tiny little baby as soon as it begins to grow inside of you.  We all know that good nutrition is important during pregnancy but it is also important before you get pregnant as well.  What goes into our body seems to have an impact on fertility.

Here are a few things to consider about your diet when you are trying to get pregnant.

1. Reduce your intake of alcohol.  You shouldn’t drink alcohol while you are pregnant so this is a great time to get used to not drinking.  Skip that extra glass of wine with dinner.
2. Eliminate caffeine if you can, if not at least reduce your intake of caffeine.  Caffeine has been linked to miscarriage risk early in pregnancy so it is a good idea to cut your caffeine intake before you get pregnant anyway.
3. Eat whole grains instead of a lot of refined carbohydrates.  Skip the white bread and pasta and go for the heartier whole wheat versions instead.
4. Increase your fruit and vegetable intake.  Pick fruits and vegetables with a lot of color.
5. Watch your fish intake.  Limit how much fish you consume each week and make sure what you do eat is low in mercury.  Steer clear of those high mercury fish like tuna, swordfish, etc.
6. Increase your iron intake.  You can get iron from foods like red meat and spinach.  You can also consider a multivitamin with iron (most women’s multivitamins contain iron).
7. Eat a well balanced diet, try to avoid fad diets especially those that limit any one food group.

Talk to your doctor about your current diet and what changes he or she recommends for women trying to conceive.  If you think your diet may be impacting your ability to get pregnant consider going to a nutritionist for help.  The saying goes that we are what we eat.  By starting to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy eating habits you may be able to impact your chances of getting pregnant.