Pregnancy day by day book pdf free download

She also discusses the components of a healthy diet, with an emphasis on natural foods. New to this edition is integrative health advice based on Dr. Romm's new credentials as a Yale-trained physician, combined with her twenty years of experience as a midwife and herbalist. The Pregnancy Encyclopedia has answers to all your questions--including the ones you haven't even thought of yet. Top experts in the field offer encyclopedic coverage of the topics relating to pregnancy and birth, from fertility and family planning to nutrition and exercise to lifestyle changes, planning for the future, and more.

In all, this comprehensive guide covers more than topics of interest to expecting mothers and their partners. In this uniquely authoritative and comprehensive month-by-month guide, the Searses address emotional and physical changes that take place during pregnancy, baby's brain development, healthy pregnancy habits, pregnancy superfoods, optimal weight gain, fitness, managing stress, sleep, choosing the right healthcare provider, birthing choices, the transition into parenthood, engaging personal stories, and more.

The Pregnancy Countdown Book counts down the biggest milestones every step of the way, with one page of helpful information for each day of your pregnancy. The perfect gift for expecting moms of all ages, The Pregnancy Countdown Book is a delightfully irreverent look at the craziest nine months of your life. Being hit by an inated airbag will not hurt you or the baby, but to lessen the impact you should position your seat as far back as possible.

You might also become dehydrated, which later on can increase the risk of premature labor. Be cautious also about less energetic activities.

Hot tubs and saunas are best avoided since the heat could make you feel faint and may be harmful to your baby. An aromatherapy massage sounds like a treat, but some oils may be toxic to the baby, especially in the early months. If you want pampering, look for spas with treatments for pregnant moms.

In pregnancy, your skin becomes more sensitive to the sun, so whatever youre doing be careful to protect against overexposure to the sun. Pregnancy reduces the efficiency of your immune system, increasing your risk of an infection. When youre traveling, stomach bugs caused by contaminated food and water are more likely to strike. If youre unsure about local tap water, buy bottled water make sure the seal is unbroken and use it when brushing your teeth as well as for drinking. Avoid drinks with ice and dont eat salads or fruit you cant peel since they may have been washed in contaminated water.

A less obvious danger is fruit such as melon, which may have been injected with water to increase its weight. Avoid outdoor stalls or cafs where food might have been prepared hours in advance. Try to find restaurants where food is freshly cooked and standards seem high.

Be scrupulous about hygiene, and carry moist wipes in case handwashing facilities are inadequate. The 40 weeks, or days, of pregnancy are a time of constant change as your body continually adapts to accommodate the new life growing inside you. This extensive chapter guides you through the physical and emotional changes youll experience and offers reassurance, advice, and practical tips.

Your babys progress is charted in fascinating detail with scans and day-by-day insights into how your baby grows and develops within your uterus.

By the time you discover youre pregnant, your baby has reached the embryonic period and the brain, heart, and other organs are starting to form. Pre-conception care A daily prental vitamin supplement before and during early pregnancy helps protect your baby from spinal cord defects. Avoid alcohol Drinking soft drinks rather than alcohol may help you to conceive; add fruit to drinks for extra benefit. At first, only you are aware of subtle body changes.

By three months, changes may be visible. First trimester Your baby is developing rapidly and you may have a whole host of symptoms, but outwardly theres little sign that youre pregnant. Starting to show By the end of this trimester, your waistline may start to expand. The release of an egg At ovulation, an enlarged follicle in the ovary ruptures to release the mature egg, ready to be fertilized in a fallopian tube by your partners sperm.

Early growth In the crucial first weeks, the babys vital organs begin to develop and the neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, is forming. The path to conception Sexual intercourse timed to coincide with ovulation is most likely to lead to a successful pregnancy. Youre at the beginning of an incredible stage of life that will see your body undergo dramatic changes.

Feeling exhausted A classic symptom of early pregnancy is a feeling of complete exhaustion, thought to be due to rising hormone levels and the dramatic physiological changes your body undergoes as your baby grows rapidly.

At 6 weeks, budlike structures can be seen on the embryo that will develop into your babys limbs. By 8 weeks, the head has grown rapidly, giving an unbalanced appearance, and the limbs are lengthening.

At 9 weeks, the fetus is starting to have a recognizable form, with facial features beginning to develop. Facts and figures At 7 weeks, your baby measures just 13 in 8 mm crown to rump. Dating the pregnancy Between 10 and 14 weeks, your first ultrasound will confirm the gestational age of your baby.

Your original due date may be revised as a result of this scan and the timing of future tests will be based on its findings. Parents-to-be As the realization sinks in that youre facing parenthood, you may discover a new dimension to your relationship and an enhanced sense of togetherness. Soothing foods Early pregnancy can often be marred by nausea and vomiting, especially in the mornings; eating crackers or sipping a decaf tea can help quell the symptoms. Its business as usual for your body this week.

Youre having a period, so you know youre not pregnant. But if you conceive during this menstrual cycle, the first day of your period will count as the first day of pregnancy. Its a good idea to review your lifestyle and to make sure that you understand how everything works inside. Knowing the facts may help to raise your chances of conceiving.

The thick lining of the uterus Muscular wall The fallopian tube is. Each ovary contains eggs at various stages of development. By the end of next week, at the mid-point of your cycle,. The lining of the uterus builds up in the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle to prepare for pregnancy. The yellow and blue areas seen here are cells and the pink area, secretions.

If no pregnancy occurs, the lining breaks down and menstruation occurs. This is day one of your period. If you are trying to conceive during this menstrual cycle, keep a note of this highly significant date.

Although this is officially the first day of your pregnancy, you wont conceive until around two weeks from now. This is classified as day one because once you conceive your pregnancy will be dated from the first day of your menstrual period.

It would be more logical to date a pregnancy from the day of ovulation or conception, but, like most women, youre unlikely to know the day on which you ovulate, let alone conceive. You are, however, far. Having a baby Theres no perfect time to become parents, but you might want to bear in mind the following: O While practical matters such as. O This is a decision only you and your partner can make. Dont act on the advice of family members and friends.

O You might conceive immediately or it could take several months, so relax and dont have a set date in mind. Just 20 percent of couples actively trying to conceive become pregnant in the first monthly cycle. Start taking this vital supplement now, from day one, if you havent already. You should take folic acid as soon as you begin trying to conceive because it will be essential to your babys development in the first few weeks of pregnancy see p.

The amount of folic acid that has been shown to be effective is a daily supplement of mcg. A diet of foods rich in folate is also advisable so eat plenty of green vegetables, such as green beans, spinach, and broccoli; legumes, such as peas, beans, and chickpeas; fortified cereals; and wheat germ and other fortified grains.

While dating a pregnancy in this way is a handy, if slightly baffling, convention, it does mean that your body is getting geared up for pregnancy from today. In around days, or nine months time, you could be holding your newborn baby in your arms. Good luck and enjoy the journey! For 75 percent of couples it takes six months. So be patient and try not to get too stressed if you dont manage to conceive immediately. Your eggs are already developing, as can be seen in this color-enhanced ovary.

The small white structures are the immature follicles that contain the eggs at different stages of development. Once one of the follicles matures, the egg will burst out.

By tracking your menstrual cycle and understanding how it works, you may increase your chances of conceiving. This is day two of your period and day two of your complete menstrual cycle, which starts on the first day of your period and ends on the first day of your next period.

A full cycle is, on average, 28 days, but many women have a shorter or longer cycle. This may be the time when your period is at its heaviest, since the tissue and blood that make up the lining of the uterus the endometrium is shed.

The average blood loss during menstruation is around two tablespoons 30 ml. While the lining is being sloughed off,. As soon as your period has finished, an egg begins to mature within its follicle in one of your ovaries, ready to be released around mid-cycle.

This is called ovulation see p. Meanwhile, the lining of the uterus starts to build up again under the influence of the hormones progesterone and estrogen, ready to receive a fertilized egg. If the egg is not fertilized, hormone levels fall, the lining sheds, and the cycle begins again. Periods can synchronize in women who live or work together. Scientists claim that pheromones chemicals that trigger a biological response in someone waft from one woman to another.

Receptors in the nose detect these pheromones and a biological process takes place whereby one woman naturally adjusts her menstrual cycle. The monthly cycle of an egg as it grows to maturity inside an ovary is shown at the top of the chart. It is released from its follicle around day The bottom of the chart shows the corresponding development of the lining of the uterusshedding at the start of a period, then rebuilding in preparation for the fertilized egg.

The empty egg follicle called the corpus luteum secretes progesterone, which is a hormone that helps the endometrium reach a thickness of about 0. The lining of the uterus, known as the endometrium, can be seen here pink structure shedding during menstruation. This happens if a fertilized egg does not implant. The red dots are red blood cells, released when the blood vessels break down.

When youre trying to get pregnant, it helps to be aware of lifestyle and medical factors that can affect your menstrual cycle.

You may notice the timing and volume of your period differs. Should I monitor my menstrual cycle? Yes, monitoring your cycle is an important part of planning for pregnancy because it can help you figure out roughly which day youre ovulating see p. It means you can ensure you have sexual intercourse at roughly the right time. Its also helpful to note the length of your cycle, which may vary. The most important thing to note is that from ovulation to the start of your next period is always around 14 days so when you get your next period, you can figure out roughly when you ovulated.

In both these cases, periods can become lighter or less frequent. If your periods are erratic, it can be difficult to predict when you might ovulate. Unpredictable or missed periods may mean that ovulation isnt occurring at all.

If you know this to be the case because youre monitoring the signs of ovulation see p. You may be able to become pregnant naturally and easily despite problems related to your period, but some conditions that cause long, irregular, or heavy periods are linked to lower fertility. Heavy periods can be caused by. A higher than average level of blood loss can also make you anemic, which is not the best start for pregnancy for you or your baby, so you may want to look at boosting your iron intake see p.

Painful periods can impact fertility. Endometriosis is a common disorder that can make periods painful and cause discomfort during sex. If you have these symptoms, see your doctor who might arrange a scan or refer you to a specialist. In endometriosis, cells resembling those that line the uterus come to lie outside the uterus on structures such as the ovaries, the fallopian tubes, and walls of the pelvis.

There are treatments for endometriosis, including laser surgery, that can boost a womans chances of conceiving. IVF in vitro fertilization may be an option if a woman is having trouble conceiving.

The first stage with this procedure is to stimulate the ovaries to produce many follicles, so that multiple eggs can be fertilized outside the body. Starting on around day three of your cycle, you will be given drugs to stimulate your ovaries. You will need to inject yourself see right or use a nasal spray to suppress the normal cycle, followed by injections of a follicle-stimulating-like hormone.

Egg retrieval will then take place see p. In this color 3-D scan of the human brain, the green central structure is the hypothalamus. This controls emotions and body temperature, and releases chemicals that regulate the release of hormones from the pituitary gland green circle at bottom.

Like many women, you may sometimes feel ruled by your hormones, and it helps to understand why they fluctuate. Your pituitary gland, which lies in the base of your brain, produces follicle-stimulating hormone FSH. During your period, the level of FSH rises steadily, triggering the development of the follicles around 15 20 each month in each ovary.

As well as containing each egg, the follicles produce estrogen. The hormone estrogen circulates, affecting the pituitary gland and causing it to produce luteinizing hormone LH this triggers ovulation see p. This week your estrogen levels are low and steady, but will rise dramatically later in your cycle. Progesterone levels are low during your period, but start to rise several days afterward and stay high for the.

Under the influence of progesterone, the muscles in the cervix relax, easing open the cervical canal. Changes also affect the mucus, which becomes more fluid, so sperm find it easier to swim through. It is progesterone that enables the lining of the uterus to thicken in preparation for implantation of the fertilized egg.

Men get PMS too! Mood swings, temper tantrums, and loss of libido in men were found to be caused by falling levels of testosterone due to stress.

Fertility rites Rooted in folklore, these fertility tips require a leap of faith and a good sense of humor! O Use the moon.

Exponents of lunaception believe that women whose menstrual cycle aligns with the lunar cycleso they menstruate during the new moon and ovulate when the moon is fullhave more chance of conceiving. Its based on the theory that womens cycles are influenced by natural light. O Dance around the Maypole. There are four hormones at work during the menstrual cycle: FSH follicle-stimulating hormone causes LH FSH Estrogen Progesterone the egg follicles to start developing in the ovary; estrogen is produced by the developing egg and peaks just before ovulation; LH luteinizing hormone triggers ovulation; progesterone 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Days of cycle thickens the lining of the uterus.

Fertile phase. This cross section through the ovary shows several ovarian follicles. Between each follicle, the connective tissue can be seen.

Each month about follicles mature, but it is usually only one that will fully mature and release an egg. Making some lifestyle changes is essential when youre trying to get pregnant and cutting down on alcohol is a good start. Even though its still the week of your period, and some time before you. Opt for nonalcoholic drinks if youre trying to get pregnant. A high intake of alcohol can adversely affect your chances of conceiving.

Illicit or street drugs can harm your unborn baby. You should try to stop using drugs before you conceive. However if you regularly use drugs, or find it hard to manage without them, it is essential to get medical support. Ask your doctor for advice. He or she will be able to help and put you in touch with a support group.

Being infected by the rubella virus for the first time in early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of the baby developing an abnormality, and increasing the risk of miscarriage.

If you were vaccinated against rubella as a child, your antibody level may be high enough to protect your baby. If it isnt high enough, youll be offered a MMR measles, mumps, rubella vaccine and advised not to conceive for three months. O Sexually transmitted infections: go to your doctor for tests to rule out infections such as chlamydia, genital warts, and herpes. You may also want to consider having an HIV test at your as well. Women with HIV can still bear children, but may be prescribed a medicine to reduce the chances of passing the infection to their child.

A cesarean may be recommended. One way is to cut down your alcohol intake. Heavy drinking can reduce the chances of conceiving and, if you do get pregnant, it can also harm your unborn babys development. There is plenty of evidence that drinking beyond the recommended amounts is harmful. Whats lacking is evidence of the effects on conception and pregnancy of the occasional alcoholic drink.

There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women. However, many women decide to err on the side of caution and stop drinking alcohol entirely while trying to conceive and in early pregnancy.

Some find that morning sickness see p. Alcohol also affects male fertility. It has adverse effects on the quantity and quality of sperm produced, and drinking large amounts can cause impotence. You may find a drink helps you and your partner relax and puts you in the mood for sex, thereby increasing your chances of conception, but you may want to rethink having the occasional glass of your favorite tipple. The US Surgeon General recommends that women trying to get pregnant abstain from alcohol to eliminate potential problems.

In this artwork of the uterus, the green central structure is the pear-shaped uterus itself; the red part is the cavity of the uterus. The blue structures to either side are the fallopian tubes, which each have an ovary, seen in pink here, at the end. Eating well is an essential part of conception and pregnancy so you and your partner should get into good habits now. Your diet should include foods containing B vitamins see p.

Take a pregnancy multivitamin if needed. O B1 deficiency has been linked to failed ovulation and implantation. O B2 deficiency has been linked to infertility and miscarriage. O B5 is important for conception and fetal development. O B6 is essential for the formation and functioning of sex hormones. O B12, with folate see p. Take the time in this first two weeks of your cycle, before you ovulate, to look at what you eat on a daily basisif you and your partner see p.

Use this opportunity to check your weight ie. If youre overweight, excess fat tissue may affect your metabolism and hormones and you may not ovulate as regularly, or at all.

If you need fertility treatment, the chances of success are also lower if youre overweight, because you may respond less well to the drugs. Regular exercise can increase your chances of conceiving by allowing your body to work at optimum levels. If youre fit and have a healthy lifestyle, you will reduce the level of toxins in your body and be less stressed, which makes it easier to conceive.

Exercise will also regulate your energy and your blood-sugar levels, which assists the body in regulating the hormonal cyclea key player in the reproductive process. Conversely, overexercising can adversely affect the ovulation process and make conception more difficult. The guidelines for exercising at this crucial time of conception are to continue weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, or aerobics, for 30 minutes five times a week at a moderate intensity.

It is important to listen to your body moderate means exercising within a comfortable range, where the exercise isnt too hard but is pushing your body enough to feel the benefits.

Once youre pregnant, being overweight can also cause an increased risk of complications, decreasing the chance of carrying the pregnancy to full term.

Weighing too little when youre trying to conceive isnt healthy either. Pregnancy takes its toll on a womans reserves, so a little stored fat is a good thing for mother and baby. Being seriously underweight can affect ovulation and make periods irregular or absent, and conception unlikely. Your BMI when you conceive is also a good indication of how much weight you should gain once youre pregnant see p. Here an egg can be seen, in orange, developing in the ovary.

The cells of the follicle, in which it is contained, can be seen surrounding the egg. At birth, baby girls have millions of follicles present in their ovaries.

When youre trying to get pregnant, you need to take your age into account because your fertility will change as you get older. In about a weeks time you are likely to ovulate. At the start. The follicle lies below the surface of the ovarian wall and protrudes just prior to ovulation. The follicle is most likely to rupture and release an egg mid-cycle, around days 13 and 14 of a day cycle. If youre concerned about your fertility, it is possible to have a blood test that can give an indication of your remaining ovary function so that you know how much reproductive time you have left.

While some tests are based on levels of FSH see p. But making a baby depends on more than releasing an egg; it must travel down the fallopian tube, be fertilized, implant, and the pregnancy be maintained.

Theres also the fathers contribution to consider see box, right. A man can continue to make sperm more or less throughout his life, so you might not expect male fertility to fall significantly. There are plenty of older fathers around that seemingly prove this.

Recent research from France, however, found that men over 35 took a lot longer to get their partner pregnant. For those who conceived, there was a slightly higher risk of miscarrying. This is because sperm from older men is more likely to contain damaged DNA. So although older couples do conceive, its a fact that men, like women, pass their peak fertility.

Your lifetime of eggs were there when you were born. Given these facts, its hardly a surprise that your fertility falls as you age. Women are generally at their most fertile and although, for most women, periods continue until their early fifties, the rate of fertility gradually lowers in the 30s, 40s, and 50s and the rate of chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage increases.

Nonetheless, every year thousands of babies are born to women in their late thirties and forties. Women can conceive beyond that age, which is why doctors advise menopausal women to use contraception for two years after their last period. If, however, youre hoping to start a family, its safe to assume that fertility begins to fall off sharply after age Your age also affects the quality of your eggs. In women in their early 20s, around 17 percent of eggs have a chromosomal abnormality, but the figure rises to over 75 percent in women in their 40s.

Chromosomal problems increase the chances of having a child with a disorder such as Down syndrome see p. This is why nature is bountiful when it comes to sperm, producing many millions with each ejaculation. On average each ejaculation produces 28 ml of semen, with over 40 million sperm in each milliliter.

Toward the end of this week, one of the eggs in your ovaries is likely to have reached full maturity. Ovulation occurs as the egg, under the influence of hormones, bursts out of its follicle. If it meets a sperm, you may become pregnant. Now is the time to enjoy lots of sex with your partner, so go for itas often as you like. If you have any anxieties about fertility, try to put them aside and relax. Cilia small hairs lining the fimbriae produce currents that help move the egg into the fallopian tube.

The wall of the fallopian tube contracts and relaxes to draw the egg into the tube for its. The mature egg is released from its follicle and breaks through the surface of the ovary. To meet a sperm, and be fertilized, it must enter the fallopian tube. Fimbriae, the fingerlike projections at the end of the fallopian tube, reach for the egg and sweep it gently into the tube. Inside the ovary, the empty egg follicle produces the hormone progesterone, which stimulates the lining of the uterus to thicken.

Here, three developing ovarian follicles can be seen in white. The inner circle of each is the egg. Of the follicles shown, it is likely that only one will fully mature at ovulation see p. By the end of this week youre likely to have ovulated. Its a good idea to know the signs that indicate youre at your most fertile. This is week two of your cycle. They work by testing the urine to detect a surge in LH, the hormone that triggers egg release. Always follow the instructions given. Testing between 10 am and 8 pm should be fine, but try to aim for roughly the same time every day.

After a positive test, you should ovulate hours later. Results are about 99 percent accurate but occasionally the result is a false positive. Results can occasionally give a false negative, especially if youve drunk a lot of water. If your test was negative, do another one the next day.

Once you have a positive result, you can stop testing for that month. You will probably ovulateby the end of this week and will therefore be fertile. However, the fertile window can be from 5 days before ovulation to hours after as sperm can survive for 5 days inside you. If your periods are regular, ovulation can be easier to track, but you may want to use other methods, such as looking out for natural signs see box, right or using an ovulation kit.

Remember, however, the best way to conceive is to have sex regularly. While they are useful, testing kits are expensive and can be counterproductive because they make sex more clinical. This week, look out for: O Lower abdominal pain at ovulation, called mittelschmerz the German for pain in the middle.

O Basal body temperature your temperature when you first wake in the morning rising slightly. O Cervical mucusthe cervix produces secretions, which become wetter, clearer in color, and stretchy, resembling raw egg white, just before ovulation. This indicates the start of your fertile phase. If you feel some of the cervical mucus with your fingers, you will find you can stretch it out.

This is a sign that you are about to ovulate. Body temperature can be seen at the top of the chart, rising sharply right after ovulation. The bottom section shows cervical secretions. These begin in the days leading up to ovulation, starting off moist and sticky, then becoming wetter and stretchy at your most fertile time. In your partners body, sperm is constantly being produced. Here the sperm cells can be seen: they consist of a head green , which contains the genetic material, and fertilizes the egg, and a tail blue , which propels the sperm along.

While you wait to ovulate, fascinating changes are occurring in your ovaries as your follicles mature to release an egg. In the time leading up to ovulation, which will happen later this week, the most advanced follicle moves to the surface of the ovary, ready to release its precious cargo.

While you were having your period, around follicles were developing in your ovaries. Both of your ovaries contribute to follicle growth, but usually only one ovary brings a follicle to ovulation. Which ovary it is seems to depend on chance since ovaries are not on a strict rotation.

As the follicles grow, they enlarge greatly, filling with fluid secreted. Some women release more than one egg some months see p. By the time of ovulation, the follicle will be about 1 in 2 cm in diameter, while the egg is just about visible without a microscope. To mature, follicles need FSH folliclestimulating hormone produced by the brains pituitary gland see p. It may, however, depend on other hormones and chemicals. Dads: your diet counts too Its never too late to start eating well if you want to become a dad.

But because sperm take some weeks to mature, ideally start eating a healthy diet at least three months before conception. There are supplements, but most vitamins and minerals work better in the form of real food. O Selenium may also help sperm penetrate the outer layer of the egg. Eat tuna, wheatgerm, whole grains, and sesame seeds.

O Zinc is present in large amounts in semen. Eat fish, lean meat, shellfish, turkey, chicken, eggs, whole grains, rye, and oats. O Manganese is another element that could help male fertility. Eat leafy vegetables including broccoli carrots, eggs, whole grains, and ginger. O Essential fatty acids may improve. Eat oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, and sardines, flaxseed and linseed, and kiwi fruit.

If you have any ongoing medical problems, go to see your doctor before you start trying to conceive. Conditions such as diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, heart trouble, a previous bout of deep vein thrombosis DVT see p.

The effect will depend on the individual condition and a specialists advice and care will be needed. If youre in any doubt about how your own medical history may affect a pregnancy, check with your doctor before you start trying to conceive. As ovulation approaches, more cervical mucus is produced. Here it has crystallized to form a fern leaf pattern. Around the time of ovulation the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy, which makes it easier for sperm to swim through.

You may not care whether you have a boy or a girl, but according to some theories you can influence gender. Conceiving is all about having sex at the right time this week, but if youre hoping to have a child of a specific gender, the timing could be even more important.

Some experts claim there is a link between when you have sex and the babys gender see below. Recent research suggests that women who have a high calorie intake especially if they eat that most phallic of fruit, the banana are marginally more likely to bear a boy.

Those who skip breakfast or have a low calorie intake are more likely to have a girl. One reason for this is thought to be that the extra calories consumed affect vaginal secretions and help to give the Y sperm that makes baby boys a vital boost.

If you already have two samesex children, youre 75 percent more likely to conceive a child of that sex again. Research has found that women with high glucose levels, achieved by eating normally and not skipping breakfast, were more likely to conceive a boy.

Although the sex of the baby conceived is random, conceiving children of the same sex could be due to the fact that some men produce better quality X sperm, which makes baby girls, or Y sperm, which makes baby boys. Statistically, couples who have two children of different sexes are less likely to try for a third child.

The Shettles method, devised by Dr. Landrum Shettles, is based on the fact that Y sperm for boys are smaller, faster, and less resilient than X sperm for girls , and are less able to withstand an acidic environment in the vagina. To conceive a boy, the Shettles method advises: O Timing sex as close to ovulation as possible and adopting positions such as rear-entry that promote deep penetration.

O The woman should orgasm, ideally at the same time as the man to make the vagina less acidic and favor Y sperm. O Drinking a cup or two or strong coffee just before sex to give Y-sperm an added kick. The Whelan method, devised by Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, suggests that having sex earlier on in the cycle, some four to six days before ovulation, is more likely to result in a boy. Sex nearer the time of ovulation is more likely to result in a girl. Curiously, the Whelan way is more or less the opposite of the advice given by Shettles.

But what works? The mainstream medical view, supported by reports in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, is that the timing of sex has little or no bearing on gender. The possible exception is that having sex two days before ovulation may be slightly more likely to favor a girl.

The lining of the fallopian tube, seen here, has a moist mucous membrane. This contains cells brown that protect the tubes surface. The hairlike cilia blue move the eggs along the tubes following ovulation. If this isnt the first month youve been trying to conceive, dont be too disappointed. Its normal for it to take some time. Have you been trying for a baby for some time?

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