My Most Fertile Days?

A woman who wants to conceive may wish to know when she is most fertile in a month. Your ovulation and menstrual cycle are co-partners that work together to determine this.
Your most fertile period in a month are the 4-5 days before ovulation begins and the day of ovulation. You will not be pregnant if you have intercourse the day after ovulation. Sperm can survive at most five days before it dies so you need to really calculate well to know when are the optimal days for fertilization to take place, that way a better chance of conception is greater.

My most fertile days: Calculate with your wall calendar.

Let’s use the calendar at your home, mark the first day of your period. When your next period starts, mark the day before on the calendar. Continue marking the first and day before the first day of your menstrual cycle for few months. Calculate average days between your periods together to determine the average length of your cycle. For instance, if you tracked for three months and noted 30, 31 and 29 days the average length of your menstrual cycle would be 30 days.

Ovulation takes place about half way through the menstrual cycle. In the above example, ovulation would normally occur on the 15th day of the cycle. Intercourse should take place three to four days before the 15^th to achieve fertility and conception during these fertile days.

Important note: Your cycle is not necessarily monthly. If you have a 30 day menstrual cycle the first day could start in the middle of the month so use the calendar to mark the 15th day of your cycle and the three to four days before that midpoint as your fertile days.
My most fertile days: Calculating with your vaginal mucus

Vaginal mucus will change as ovulation comes closer. The mucus is normally thick and glue-like. Start noting the characteristic of your vaginal mucus on the first day after your menstrual cycle stops. About five to seven days later, there should be a change in the feeling and look of cervical mucus. The mucus will change from that thick, glue-like consistency to being thin and stretchy. Watch out for the change in your mucus in the morning when you get out of bed, let it be the first thing once you go to pee! This is a great sign of your coming fertile days – now is the time to have intercourse.
My most fertile days: Other ways to know

A mild cramp is often noticed about two days before ovulation. Sex drive may increase due to a reduction in oestrogen levels. Basal metabolic temperature may also slightly rise. These changes indicate ovulation and you most utilize the period.

Endometriosis And Infertility – Can Endometriosis Prevent Pregnancy?

Endometriosis is a condition where parts of the inner lining of the uterus begin to grow outside of it, affecting main organs like the ovaries and the fallopian tubes.
It’s very important to know what is the relationship between Endometriosis and Infertility, because it is estimated that 10% of women during their “reproductive years”, regardless of their ethnicity or social background, suffer from Endometriosis.
This means that 176 million of women worldwide have to deal with it and may be having trouble to conceive.

So, how does Endometriosis and Infertility affect my chances to get pregnant naturally?

Having Endometriosis does not mean you won’t be able to have children, it just means that it will be harder and it could take more time (up to three years). Actually, nearly 70% of women suffering from moderate Endometriosis do conceive without extra help. Nonetheless, if your Endometriosis is severe, it might require surgical intervention, IVF or other kind of treatments.

What does Endometriosis do to my body?

Endometriosis can:

* Block your fallopian tubes

* Destroy parts of the fallopian tube that won’t allow the egg to be released

* Inflammation of the pelvis that stimulate the production of cells that attack sperm

* Create immune response from the pelvis, interfering with fertilization

How do I know if I have Endometriosis?

The most common symptoms of Endometriosis and Infertility are:

* Pelvic Pain, usually occurring at the same time that the MC (menstrual cycle)

* Irregular Ovulation or the absence of it

However, if you suspect you may have Endometriosis, it is strongly recommended that you pay a visit to a Reproductive Endocrinologist and practice yourself an Ultrasound or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

How do I treat Endometriosis?
There is actually no cure for Endometriosis, although, there are several treatments that can help you to conceive.

They are:

1 – Medications to prevent ovulation from occurring for a period of time to allow the Endometrial to heal itself.

2 – A Surgery procedure to remove the Endo called Laparoscopy

3 – IUI (Intrauterine Insemination) or IVF Treatment (In Vitro Fertilization)

As you see, Endometriosis and Infertility can be detected and treated and it’s not the end of the world. Still, if you are afraid you might be suffering from it, it would be strongly recommended to ask for a Reproductive Endocrinologist recommendation as soon as possible.

After Childbirth Horror


Whether or not they are beginner mothers, post partum despair has been a natural incidence with women who have gone through childbirth. Actually, researches demonstrate the occurrence rate of after childbirth despair among females at 5% up to 25%. Notwithstanding this less percentage, after pregnancy despair is taken with utmost view as this affects the mommy's capability to tend her infant, which could lean towards the infant's underdevelopment or worse, to the injury or even demise of the baby or the mom. Post partum Misery is said to happen within a day and up to the initial few months subsequent to a woman's childbirth, which may continue up to numerous months or probably years. The signs of post partum depression include sleeplessness or sleeping too long, decrease in need to eat or overeating, apprehension, agitation, irritability, loss of sexual drive, fatigue, lethargy, feelings of shame, despair, sadness, remorse or incompetence, loss of interest in matters that usually mattered, disposition swings, withdrawal from kin and buddies, lack of pleasure or drive in life, difficulty paying attention, incapacity to get by with normal day-to-day routines, difficulty remembering or deciding, difficulty spending time with the child, thoughts of hurting herself or the infant, damaged communication and writing, low self-worth, headaches, chest and stomach pains, lightheadedness, tremors, and hyperventilation.
After pregnancy Despair is primarily linked to the hormonal adjustments in a female's body at the time of pregnancy. It is also credited to lack of sleep and weariness from giving birth, agonizing giving birth, misgivings about being a mother, beleaguered by having a infant, painful pregnancy constipation, and changes in appearance, individual time and schedule.
In addition, other dangerous factors for after childbirth despair are also recognized, such as: previous miscarriage or stillbirth, account of depression or other pre-existing psychological diseases like schizophrenia or bipolar condition, stressful happenings during pregnancy like violence, loss of employment or death of a loved one, matrimonial problems, poor support system, money troubles, smoking or drug abuse, bottle-feeding, unplanned pregnancy and even the mother's immature age, and social, racial and sexual orientation.
Because after pregnancy depression affects the mom mentally and psychologically, the probable difficulties and consequences if it is left uncured are inconceivable. What used to be an ordinary despair could result to after pregnancy neurosis, which is a full split from truth wherein the mother will then experience excessive fear, fantasies and spells of hostility. Hence, the mother if still able, if not, her spouse or loved ones, must directly ask medical help upon the start of any of the signs of post partum depression. The doctors would normally give hormone therapy; suggest counseling and psychotherapy; or advise medication such as antidepressants, although vitamins for depression can also be taken.
In the meantime, the mommy or her partner, kin or pals on her behalf, should make sure that she get all the encouragement she can get from loved ones. If necessary, she must be driven to join support organizations and to ask assistance and advices when needed. Besideds, she ought to get a break when she can as when the child is sleeping. She ought to avoid pressuring and expecting so much from herself, instead, she ought to read self-help and moving books in order to assist her deal with new obligations. She must evade being in solitude. Instead, she ought to find a time to talk about emotions with her husband and to get out of the house and see friends. Finally, she must seek a moment for herself and devote it for rest and reflection and also individual grooming.

How And Why To Avoid Childbirth Tears During Labour!

A child birth tear during labour can cause significant pain and discomfort during both at the time of labour and afterwards. Is there anything that you can during pregnancy and in the build up to labour to prevent the chance of you suffering a child birth tear?

This article explains that there are some small steps that you can take to reduce the risks of a tear.

What Is A Childbirth Tear?

Childbirth tears are natural tears to the skin ( the virginal tears by itself) that happen during labour. They are more likely to occur if the birth is assisted by ventouse or forceps or if the baby is in distress and the medical team need to move quickly to ensure the baby suffers as little as possible. They are also now considered to be more likely to happen if the mother has an episiotomy (a medically applied cut to the vagina walls to speed up the delivery of the baby). It used to be the case that an episiotomy would reduce the chances of tearing.

Why Avoid Childbirth Tears?

Whilst many tears can be minor with minimum long term complications, these tears being called a first or second degree tear, the more severe third or fourth degree tears can cause significant problems and pain. They can lead to infections, swelling, immobility and in the most severe cases incontinence and pain during sexual intercourse.

Therefore, if there is anything that you can do to reduce or avoid the likelihood of you tearing during childbirth you should do it.

How To Reduce The Chances Of Childbirth Tears.

The first thing you should do, relatively early on in your pregnancy is to discuss the chance of you tearing during childbirth with your midwife. Explain that you are very keen to do all that you can to avoid this and ask her for her help in doing so. You should particularly ask her to talk to you about how pelvic floor muscles can reduce your chances of tearing, and how to carry out a perineal massage to help the flexibility of your perineum (see below).

Perineal Massage.

You should undertake a perineal massage for around five to ten minutes a day from around the 34th week of your pregnancy. This can help to stretch the perineum so that during birth there is less likelihood of it tearing.

Use an oil or a water soluble jelly to carry out the perineal massage (not mineral oil or petroleum jelly but vegetable or wheat germ oil, or K-Y Kelly will work). Start by placing your thumb inside your vagina approximately one third of the way down one side of your vagina. From this starting position, move your thumb slowly down the starting side and then across the bottom of the vagina and halfway back up the other side, all of the time whilst gently stretching your vagina as you do this. Try to relax as you do it and as you become more comfortable with the massage push down a little harder until you feel a tingling or stinging sensation (but do not push any harder once you feel this). This will stretch your perineum and make it more flexible to reduce the prospects of it tearing.

Pelvic Floor Muscles.

You should also practise pelvic floor muscle exercises during your pregnancy. Whilst these are primarily used to help you to learn to tighten and strengthen your pelvic floor muscle, this also means that you will know when your pelvic floor muscle is relaxed. This is important as during labour if you can relax this muscle as you push (fighting the natural tendency to tense it) you will reduce the likelihood of tearing.

Summary.

These are only small steps, but if you take them and avoid a childbirth tear during your birth, you will have saved yourself a considerable amount of stress, anxiety and pain.

Causes Of Miscarriages (most common causes)

A miscarriage is never forgotten. It doesn’t matter if it was one week ago or several years, because it’s not just a “miscarriage”, but the BABY that has been lost and could be next to you right now.

So if you endured this kind of loss and you’re fearful it may arise again, learning about the causes of miscarriages will help you prevent them and have an accomplished pregnancy that will bring to you a marvelous and healthy child.

These are the 3 Most Common Causes of Miscarriages:

*Genetic Causes

Genetic causes of miscarriages usually happen because of an advanced maternal age. The reason of this is that, as you age, your body starts to deteriorate; and after 35, your eggs start to “loose their freshness” and develop genetic issues, so try to keep in mind the relashionship between age and fertility when evaluating your conception plan.

If the miscarriage happens before the 12th week of pregnancy, probabilities are there is a genetic cause that provoked it. Another characteristic of genetic causes of miscarriages is that it is usually a single event. This indicate that if you had a second or a third miscarriage, chances are it’s NOT because of a genetic problem.

Nonetheless, if you are trying to conceive and you are over 40, it is highly recommended that you consider the possibility of looking for a donor of eggs.
The child will still be developed in your womb, but you will be using “fresher” eggs that have less chances of having a genetic anomaly.

*Physical Causes

The physical causes of miscarriages are mainly related to 2 parts of your body involved with reproduction. Your cervix and uterus.

The uterus is commonly known as the womb, and its function is to nurture and hold the baby while it develops inside of you. The cervix is a muscle in the lower part of the uterus that mantains the baby in its place until the moment of birth comes.

The causes of miscarriages related to the uterus are:

- Malformations in the uterus:

Most common are “Septate uterus” or “Two horn uterus”.

What they cause is that the space inside your womb gets divided or reduced by strings of tissue, affecting the full development of the embryo because it doesn’t have enough space to grow the way it’s supposed to.

- Malformations in the cervix:

Incomplete cervix

Think of the cervix as the door to the uterus. If you happen to have an undeveloped cervix, when the embryo has reached certain size, it will start putting pressure against it, and if the cervix doesn’t have the strength to hold him, this could very easily lead to a miscarriage.

Malformations are causes of miscarriages that are intricate to deal with. Nonetheless, they can be fixed using surgical procedures.

To know if you may have any of these internal issues, make an appointment to your gynecologist or fertility endocrinologist to practice yourself an ultrasound. This is usually enough to find out, however, if the ultrasound results are not very clear, the next process would be to do a Laparoscopy, which is a minor surgery that allows the doctor to look inside your uterus.

*Hormonal Causes

Hormones are the chemicals produced by your brain to give signals to all the organs of your body. Progesterone is the most important hormone that controls of all your reproductive functions.

Hormonal causes of miscarriages happen when the creation of Progesterone falls out of balance and starts altering the way your body controls pregnancy, including your menstrual cycle and the inner lining of your uterus.

The most common cause of hormonal miscarriages is a condition called Polycistic Ovaries Syndrom (PCOS), which starts producing a great number of masculine hormones (testosterone) and less quantity of feminine hormones (progesterone).

Some of the symptoms of PCOS are

-High blood pressure
-Growth of unwanted body hair
-Oily skin
-Dandruff
-The absence of your period or too much irregularity on it

To reduce your chances of miscarriages when conceiving with Polycystic Ovaries, you should follow a treatment with a fertility specialist or a qualified gynecologist.

These treatments usually consist on the prescription of substances to regulate your hormonal production; such as a very popular fertility drug called Clomid, exercise and a healthy diet.

These are the main causes of miscarriages you should know to improve your chances of having a secure pregnancy and giving birth to a healthy child.

Pregnancy and Smoking- affects your unborn baby

Numerous things could be harmful to your unborn child in the event you smoke throughout pregnancy. If there was ever a correct time to quit smoking, it's whenever you discover out you're pregnant. Whatever distress it causes you to quit, your baby's health is worth it.
Plus you will find obviously so many numerous positive advantages for you, too. Not only will you feel significantly much better, but you'll have a great deal more energy which you'll require. Simply because pregnancy is really a stressful time you have to be additionally committed to what you're performing. Here are just a couple of the numerous hidden dangers for your child when you are smoking throughout pregnancy.
Cigarettes have hundreds of added chemicals which attack all of the systems. When a mother smokes throughout pregnancy, the baby's immune system is compromised which makes them much more susceptible to colds and infections. Smoking throughout pregnancy also causes numerous complications for the respiratory system. Your child's growth will also be affected by your smoking although pregnant. 1 of the most typical problems with babies born to mothers who smoke is low birth weight which can trigger complications. It has been estimated that low birth newborns make-up about twenty to thirty percent of all low birth weight babies. An additional typical condition of smoking throughout pregnancy is the likelihood of preterm labor. Approximately 14% of preterm labors could be attributed to smoking throughout pregnancy. Infant mortality could be attributed to smoking throughout pregnancy such as SIDS. The American Lung Association has studied this statistic to its fullest.
Much more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. In reality, millions of diagnoses are made every year, and also the figure appears to be climbing every year. Researchers know that there are lots of causes of ADHD, but it's also recognized that smoking a minimum of half a pack a day increases your child's tendency toward hyperactivity. This leads to an increased risk of your child being diagnosed with ADHD.
The most severe effect for your unborn child could potentially be fatal. Although most recognized effects passed on to your baby aren't fatal you should keep in mind that you're compromising the health of your baby. Numerous of your body's organs and processes will and could be negatively affected, there's also evidence supporting that your child's future behavior nay be affected.

Week 17 and 18 of Your Pregnancy

As week 17 starts, your baby starts get rounder and fatter. Your baby is roughly the size of a large pear, around 12 centimeters long and weighs nearly 150 grams. The baby's skeleton also continues to grow. While week 18 marks the development of your baby's sense of hearing and he or she can hear your heart beating. The brain also continues to develop cognitive skills and the nervous system continues to develop reflexes. The baby may recoil from a large noise.
Changes to Your Body
The main change you will notice is a fluttering in your belly. This is the baby kicking! You may also feel the occasional tap as if the baby is reminding you that he or she is still here!
By next week, your swelling belly may bring along some slightly uncomfortable symptoms, including heartburn. It's caused when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, and causes burning sensation. Symptoms are most common during the second and third trimesters, because your growing uterus may compress your stomach and push its contents upward.
Lifestyle Considerations
Now's the time to sign up for childbirth classes with your partner! Ask your hospital about its programs or look on the Internet to find information about classes near you. To ease symptoms, you may need to eat five or six smaller meals instead of three large ones. Avoid fatty, fried foods, which take longer to break down, as well as things that are spicy, acidic or bubbly.
Good Advice
Make sure you are drinking your milk. Your baby's soft rubbery skeleton is hardening into bone and needs calcium to grow strong. You may wanted to start taking classes about baby care, a little next week and yet another to get experience with mothering first hand. Call up a relative or friend who has a baby and ask to spend the day with her so you can learn more about diapering and feeding a baby. EzineArticles.com