Trying to Conceive: Preconception Facts

Are you trying to conceive? Are you ready to conceive? Are you approaching your “fertile period”? If you have the average 28-day cycle, you’ll ovulate on day 14 of your menstrual cycle. If you want to increase your chances of conception, you don’t have to wait until the day of ovulation. When trying to conceive you can start trying as soon as you reach the fertile period. Women can be fertile for five days before and 24 hours after ovulation.

If you take a home pregnancy test, it may give you a negative result. The level of the pregnancy hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) may not be high enough yet. After implantation, the level of hCG will quickly increase, doubling its amount every few days. So, if you first test negative with a home pregnancy test, wait a few days and try again. Your home pregnancy test will be accurate around the time of your expected period.

Congratulations if you were trying to conceive and you did conceive! In roughly nine months, you are going to be a new mother. Although you won’t look pregnant in the first trimester, you will definitely feel it. From morning sickness to fatigue to breast tenderness, the first 13 weeks of pregnancy is often the most challenging. The higher levels of hormones can wreck havoc on your body, your mood, and your life.

Morning sickness – or pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting – is the hallmark of the first trimester. This pregnancy symptom makes its appearance around 6 weeks pregnant, and it won’t go away until the very end of the first trimester. Some moms-to-be will feel nauseous for the first three months; others are constantly vomiting. You may feel like your nausea will never end, but morning sickness will pass in time.

Other pregnancy symptoms that you’ll battle in the first trimester include fatigue, breast changes, frequent urination, dizziness and fainting, heartburn and gastrointestinal discomfort, excessive salivation, and mood swings.

While you struggle with your first trimester pregnancy symptoms, your baby is developing fast and furiously. Your baby will develop more in the first trimester than at any other time during pregnancy. In the first 13 weeks, all of your baby’s major organs (brain, heart, lungs, liver, and spinal cord) are developing; his or her facial characteristics (nose, ears, mouth) will take shape; and his or her arms and legs are forming.

To get your pregnancy off on the right start, make sure that you schedule a preconception checkup when you’re planning to conceive. The first trimester is a critical time in fetal development, so it’s extremely important that you maintain a healthy lifestyle and eat a balanced diet to ensure that your baby develops healthy and strong. Consider adding a regular exercise regiment, too.