Have you become a parent yet?

So you are married for the past one year and everyone you meet asks you the same Effing question : Anything special at home? Even though you understand immediately, you feign as though you dont really get the question. Is this a familiar scenario? If yes, you have arrived at the right blog. Instead of doing pujas, visiting hundred temples or swamijis, just read on... 

First, if it is less than a year since you are trying to concieve, you have nothing to worry.  If it is been longer, visit a Gynaecologist for a check up. Infections or poor health can interfere with getting pregnant. Maintain a healthy weight, exercise moderately, eat healthy, limit coffee and minimise tension. Take prenatal vitamins with folic acid atleast a month before planning to concieve.

Now a short trip to the biology classroom. Every month, female hormones cause an egg to be released from the ovaries. This is called ovulation. Once the egg is released, it has to meet a sperm from male. When both egg and sperm meet on a date, TADA! magic happens. So for a baby to be created, you need to have sex at the time of ovulation.

How do you know when ovulation occurs? There are few methods for women to know this. 
1) Use a calendar to mark the day your period begins each month. Note the number of days each period lasts. Ovulation is most likely to occur at the midpoint of your cycle. If you have a 28 day cycle,  ovulation will begin 14 days after the 1st day of your previous period. In a longer cycle, such as 34 days, ovulation is likely to begin 20 days after the 1st day of the previous period. There are many iphone or android ovulation apps that can help calculate this.
2) Watch for changes in cervical mucus. Just before ovulation, you might notice an increase in clear, slippery vaginal secretions resembling raw egg white. After ovulation, the discharge will be scanty or disappear. 

3) Try an Ovulation Predictor Kit which tests urine and tells when you are ovulating. Fertility monitors such as the Clear Blue Easy monitor also help. An ebay search will provide you with such a kit. 

After a woman ovulates the egg will survive only for a single day. Sperm, on the other hand lives for up to 3 days. So when you do the math, you arrive with the following solution:

Don’t wait until the day of ovulation to have sex. Have sex daily on 13, 14 and 15th day of your period when ovulation is mostly likely to occur. Ovulation Predictor Kits helps in pinpointing ovulation day.

When couples try to conceive, sex becomes a monotonous exercise. Try something romantic to spice things up. If the woman has an orgasm just prior to ejaculation, it increases chances of pregnancy manyfold. The missionary position is the best. Placing a pillow under the woman's hips tilts her pelvis and keeps the sperm inside longer. Don’t let her get up immediately after sex. Let her relax and allow the sperm to stay in the vagina as long as possible. 

So that is it folks. We have covered all the bases. Wishing that the storks come to your home with an express delivery soon.