To increase chances of getting pregnant it can be as simple as fully understanding the woman’s menstrual cycle and ovulation period and planning intercourse accordingly. The basal temperature method is often solely recommended by doctors for finding a woman’s fertile time, however basal temperature rises are not an indication of fertility, rather that ovulation has already occurred. A more accurate (and timely) indication of the fertile window is the presence of an egg white-like wet cervical fluid.

The cervical fluid that is wet comes in conjunction with ovulation, so every day it is present couples should have intercourse (provided the man has a normal sperm count) they should only stop when the basal temperature of the woman rises. If there is a case of low sperm count, then it is important that intercourse is staggered to every second day of the wet cervical fluid and stopping as soon as a rise in temperature is noted.

Naturally it is the body’s own natural lubricant which is the best kind – so if you want to give those sperm the best chance they have, take it slow and work up your own lubricant. Organic egg white is the second in line to your body’s natural lubricant, so if you find you need help with dryness, then egg white is the go. Like sperm, the egg white consists of pure protein so it is the best alternative to the body’s natural conduit. Making sure the egg is at room temperature, and you can use an applicator for vaginal creams to insert it if you want. One thing you have to make sure – never use egg whites if you have an allergy to eggs!

Different positions during intercourse can decrease of increase chances of getting pregnant. One position (an oldie but a goodie!) that will use gravity to help along the sperm is the missionary position. If you want to give even more help to the sperm then place a small pillow under the hips – this will make it easy for the sperm to travel inside. Make sure it is only a small pillow, otherwise you can accidentally tip the sperm into a puddle behind the cervix – a terrible place to be if you are a sperm trying to fertilise an egg! If you have a tilted uterus, then intercourse from behind ‘doggy style’ can be the best way to increase the chances of conception, as the sperm has better access when the man enters close to the cervix.

A good friend, who I’ll call Candy for the purposes of the article had PCOS from when she was just a child. Candy had PCOS without knowing it, and was only diagnosed when she was 17 and requested some tests from her doctor. She was most concerned that the condition would stop her from having children in later life, as her period had always been irregular. The tests she got back showed that she had a very severe case of PCOS. She went to see a specialist to see if she could cure the PCOS and if it would stop her having a baby later on. This specialist informed her that despite the PCOS, they could just administer her with drugs when she wanted to have children, even though these are the same drugs that are responsible for women having multiple births and other complications. Needless to say, she is in no hurry to be going back to that ‘specialist’ for those drugs.

As an add-on to that story, Candy had some more tests done not long after to see what was happening in her body, and found out that with a big cleanse, and an adjustment in her diet to include lots of fresh organic produce the PCOS had totally disappeared. Her chances of a pregnancy when the time arrived were just fine.

The problems getting pregnant with PCOS and even the condition itself can be testament to an internal system out of balance, where the body simple cannot sustain a growing baby. By looking at the body’s health and balance and finding natural solutions you can achieve your dream of a healthy happy baby and a natural pregnancy.

This condition is not always discovered. It is also not absolute that every woman will have problems getting pregnant with PCOS and will be unable to conceive – there are those who despite an irregular period are able to carry a baby to full term without problem. PCOS is thought to occur in around five percent to ten percent of women who are able to have children.

So what can be done to help women who suffer from PCOS? There are cases where simply loosing excess weight has triggered a hormone re-balance and a successful PCOS management. There are drugs available for PCOS, however the herbal and natural remedies available for treating PCOS are numerous, so leaping into a course of drugs is not recommended. There are so many drugs available these days, which are given like ‘miracle pills’ that are dolled out for whatever condition we have. Many of these drugs are put on the market without thorough testing of what long-term and intergenerational effects they may have. This is all despite the fact that there is more and more evidence surfacing that these types of drugs can promote cancer.

One of the leading causes of infertility and conception problems in women is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. The over production of insulin is a major reason why PCOS occurs. This can result in women’s bodies trying to counteract the insulin by beginning to produce androgens or male hormones. This induces different response and effects in a woman’s body, and one such effect can be infertility which makes getting pregnant with PCOS a difficulty.

There are also other effects which are a result of PCOS. Every woman will suffer from different symptoms, and no two women’s experience is exactly the same, however there are some similarities. There are some symptoms which are commonly experienced by PCOS sufferers, and these include the development of type two diabetes, weight gain or obesity, pain in the pelvis, acne and an increase in hair on the chest back or face as well as thinning head hair. For many women these other symptoms become insignificant when compared with infertility.

PCOS generally interrupts the normal menstrual functions. In the first stages of the cycle the ovaries develop tiny follicles inside of which are the eggs. As the cycle continues, only one follicle will develop fully and it is from this follicle that the egg comes out of during ovulation. There is a hormone called LH which is responsible for setting this all in motion, and the body responds in the menstrual cycle to rising levels of LH. Sufferers of PCOS don’t normally release enough of the hormone to actually bring on ovulation. What this means is that many of the follicles that usually mature into eggs, turn into cysts instead. These cysts are the ones which are visible when women get ultrasound testing. “String of pearls” is the name many attribute to the look of these cysts on the ovary. On top of this, the menstrual cycle can become very irregular or cease outright in women with PCOS.

By being healthy and active you can improve the chances of balancing out the hormones that are so often the root cause of fertility problems – your health and well being can help to keep your body in balance. Your diet is extremely important, as are issues of stress or emotional trauma. In particular the woman needs to de-stress her body in order to be receptive to getting pregnant. It is often the case that infertility is simply a way of the body telling us that it’s environment is not in the best state to carry a baby – so de-stressing, taking care of your diet and exercise can help to redress this issue.

If there’s one thing a couple should do who have been labelled with ‘unexplained infertility’ it is to go on a ‘no doctors allowed’ hiatus and really learn about conception. To be blunt, this is because doctors on the whole are way too quick to give the ‘infertile’ label after just a year of trying – discovering when is the best time to get pregnant is the key and this can be done with a little understanding of your own cervical fluid.

It’s pretty standard for doctors to focus on basal body temperate and overlook the significance of changes in cervical fluid. The changes in cervical fluid are critical for determining when the best time to get pregnant is. The unfortunate reality for millions of couples out there is that the medical profession advises timing intercourse around changes in body temperature. Some medicos get it half right when they tell couples that by measuring changes in temperature they will only get a post-indication of a fertile time – but they will normally go on to recommend predicting fertile timings off past month’s records, really null advice. There is misinformation in both pieces of advice!

Part 2 of  ’How to Know the Best Time to Get Pregnant’ will be here tomorrow.