Congratulations, you have consciously chosen to become a parent by trying to get pregnant. Doctors recommend natural attempts for at least 12 months (6 months if you are over 35), before starting infertility tests and treatments. How do you make sure you are using the best time to get pregnant? To get pregnant, start learning more about your body and how to get pregnant by gathering the tools you need to complete this project. Please note that this is for use outside of the approved indications of Instead menstrual cups and is not recommended by the manufacturer or the Ministry of Health.
Steps
Step 1. Make a note of your cycle
The first day of the cycle marks that date on the calendar with the number "1". The first day of your next cycle, mark "1" on the calendar and mark the number of days that last cycle lasted to the previous day. Ovulation (the release of the egg from the ovaries) usually occurs in the middle of the cycle. In a typical 28-day cycle, for example, ovulation tends to fall on day 14. In a 30-day cycle, ovulation should occur on the 15th day. You can start trying to get pregnant before your period is over. Of course, you should stop taking contraceptives before trying.
Step 2. Use ovulation tests on day 12 or two days before the middle of your period, the day that comes first, and keep using them until you have a positive result or start the next cycle
Use them once a day. I recommend the cheaper and generic sticks, they look like pregnancy tests and you can pee on one end or dip them in a cup with pee (read the instructions carefully). Try to use them at the same time every day. Ovulation can vary depending on the cycle and the woman. Mark the test results on the calendar every day. It is important to know that these tests detect the so-called LH (luteinizing hormone) surge that goes from the pituitary gland to the brain, this indicates to the ovaries that it is time to ovulate. It doesn't happen immediately, the LH surge precedes true ovulation by 24-36 hours.
Step 3. If the ovulation test is positive, wait 12 hours and then have sex
The cervix is an amazing organ. It produces different types of mucosa. The white mucosa blocks sperm (and bacteria) and does not allow it to enter the reproductive tract. After conception, the cervix creates a mucous membrane that protects an unborn fetus, and expands up to 10 centimeters to allow it to be born, then returns to its original shape after birth. During the fertile period, a few days in the middle of the cycle, the cervix produces the so-called fertile mucosa. It is clear and elastic, the consistency of egg white. This mucosa is like a freeway for sperm to travel up to the cervix and reproductive tract. Upon arrival at the cervix, the sperm chemically changes, to allow fertilization of the egg. This process takes about 12 hours, so to coordinate true ovulation with the modified sperm wait 12 hours after the positive ovulation test before having sex again. This will synchronize your ovulation with the maximum modified live sperm count in your system.
Step 4. Use the Instead cups properly after having sex
I don't recommend having sex and then "harvesting" the semen with the cup. Instead, (haha) ask your partner to take the semen and deposit it directly into the cup. Have one ready at hand and open it at the right time. Rub the seed around the inside of the lips and inside, covering the thermoplastic membrane. Squeeze the sides and insert the cup as directed by the manufacturer - along the back of the vagina covering the back of the cervix and with the front flap near the pubic bone. The fertile mucosa of the cervix will flow from the cervix to the cup, covered with a seed film. This will maximize the effectiveness of both, the mucous membrane of the cervix and your partner's semen, which will liquefy after about an hour, when the sperm enters the mucosa and reproductive tract. Leave the cup inside for more than 6 hours, but never beyond 12 hours.
Step 5. Remove the Instead cup after more than 6 hours
Removing the cup can be tricky and a little scary, but try to be cool and remember that she will come out with some commitment. If you are unable to insert your hooked finger under your lower lip and pull, break the seal at the top by tapping with your finger and pulling it down and out. Putting your legs to your chest and squatting down can also help. Examine the contents of the cup once removed. Is it full of clear liquid with some white bits? It should contain liquefied semen and fertile mucosa.
Step 6. Wait until the next cycle to check if you are pregnant
It is a waste of time to rush to take the test too soon, you would have a false negative, confusing and demoralizing you. It takes 7-10 days for a fertilized egg to reach the uterus and implant itself. You should have typical pregnancy symptoms such as breast pain, fatigue, nausea, back pain, sometimes even before a positive test. If you get pregnant, the first day of your pregnancy is actually the first day of your last period, according to the medicine. Not happy to mark this date on the calendar? You should also be able to determine the time of conception. This will amaze your gynecologist. Good luck!
Advice
- A healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle should be taken for granted. Physical activity and healthy eating habits improve fertility, as well as quitting smoking and drinking. Are you preparing to become a parent after all, why not start doing it right away?
- Can you get pregnant by recording your cycles and using ovulation tests, without using Instead cups? Sure, you can, but the cups give you an extra guarantee by maximizing the effectiveness of the mucous membrane of the cervix and semen.
- You can also check your mucous membrane with your fingers if you can. It should expand a few inches between your toes and appear clear during the fertility period.
- You can use this method even without having sex. Simply have your partner produce the semen in the cup instead and proceed as usual.
- Have sex often, but not too much. Having too much sex can decrease sperm count, your man can only produce a certain number at a time. Every other day during the week of ovulation is the typical frequency for couples trying to have a baby, but theoretically you could get pregnant after having sex only once. It is important to have sex at least once 12 hours after a positive ovulation test.
- Relax and enjoy. Don't make it a task just because you have a goal in mind. Once you get used to using the cups, it will become all natural.
- You can also use ovulation monitoring devices instead of sticks. These are small electronic devices with a sensor to be placed on the tongue and which measures your LH surge thanks to the electrical properties of saliva. There are reusable and quite expensive devices, for example BabyComp costs around € 700, but in the end they save money compared to disposable tests. Some of these devices even have internal calendars that indicate your "most fertile" days.
- Documenting your attempts can help your doctor make a diagnosis. It is better to approach infertility from a position of knowledge than to guess what the problem is. At the very least, you can take ovulation tests and document the length of your cycle. Fertility monitoring usually consists of a hysterosalpingography (x-ray to check the reproductive tract), ovarian reserve test, progesterone test, partner semen analysis, and several other tests. The most common cause of infertility is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which can prevent ovulation. Once your doctor restarts ovarian production with Clomid and you start ovulating again, then you can get pregnant. PCOS does not imply that you will NEVER ovulate again, it just becomes rarer, depending on the severity of the condition. So it makes sense to make the most of every opportunity, by recording and testing, and using the cups.
- Timing example: Day 1: first day of cycle, day 1 of cycle 1. Day 28: last day of cycle 1. Day 1: first day of cycle, day 1 of cycle 2.
- Diligence is important when recording your period. Missing an ovulation test can mean missing ovulation. If your period progresses and you can't get a positive ovulation test, you can always let it go and wait for the next one. Implantation is unlikely if there are only a few days left in the cycle.
- Infertility can easily become very expensive and it makes sense to constantly check your desire to want to become a parent. The analysis itself is expensive, and artificial insemination can cost hundreds of euros, while in vitro fertilization can cost thousands of euros. In fact, very often these treatments are not covered by health care. You may have several choices, none of which are very tempting. There is fertilization with egg donation, other options are the surrogacy of maternity, adoption or not having children.
- The Instead cup is designed as a menstrual cup, an alternative to internal and external pads. However, its hypoallergenic thermoplastic surface and lack of chemical components gives it great potential as a fertility aid. It is not approved by the Ministry of Health to be used as a fertility aid and frankly I hope it never will be. Similar products that are approved cost 10 times more. I recommend making a good supply of cups, in case the company has problems in the future and they may become unavailable.
- It is also possible to identify the LH surge by looking at saliva under a microscope. A fern pattern can be seen during the peak.
- Day 12: Negative Ovulation Test * Day 13: Negative Ovulation Test * Day 14: Positive Ovulation Test Day 14.5: Have Sex Using Cups Instead. Day 15: true ovulation occurs, sperm in the reproductive tract, fertilization. Day 25: implantation. Day 28: Last day of cycle 2. * Day 29: Positive pregnancy test.
- If you follow these instructions, you will either become pregnant or know you need medical help. In the first case, congratulations and welcome to the confusing and stressful world of parenting. In the latter case, infertility is one of the most painful and harmful conditions that can happen, in addition to terminal illnesses, but there are also positive aspects.
Warnings
- Attention, when you insert the Instead cups they could be slippery, do not insert them upside down! There is a part referred to as the top, obviously if the semen is on the incorrect side there is little chance that the sperm will go into the mucosa.
- Obviously you should stop any birth control before attempting to get pregnant.
- Learn about the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy! They can be very dangerous and harm your future fertility. If you have pregnancy symptoms along with severe pain, see a doctor right away.
- Do not use sex lubricants that are not approved for fertility, they could kill sperm. Don't have oral sex, saliva kills sperm.
