If getting pregnant was quick and easy the first time around (and sometimes it’s way too quick and way too easy) you probably don’t expect to have to work at it the second time. The truth is, though, that every pregnancy is different. What might have happened easily the first time might actually take a bit of work the next.

If you’ve already been pregnant and you’re thinking about trying to conceive again, there’s a process you need to go through:

• Make sure you’re really ready. Just because you’ve gone through pregnancy once doesn’t mean you’re ready to do it again. You and your partner need to both be on the same page here.
• Examine your fertility. It’s possible you won’t be able to conceive as easily the next time around. Look for irregularities in your menstrual cycles, for example. If they’ve increased, you might take longer to conceive this time.
• Don’t forget his fertility. You can choose to have his sperm count analyzed on an elective basis, even if you’re not yet struggling. That alone has the potential to identify conception problems in about a third of couples.
• Consider previous complications with pregnancy. If your first pregnancy had complications, you’re more prone to them during a second or subsequent pregnancy. This is especially true if you have several previous miscarriages. You’ll want to talk with your doctor about the particular complications you’ve experienced, and what it might mean for you trying to conceive again.
• Know that it may take longer. You’ve probably figured it out by now, but every pregnancy is different. You might get lucky and get it right on the first try this time, or it could take you several months. Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer this time; instead, devote that energy into studying what you can do to help increase your odds of conception.
• Get your body ready for pregnancy. You need to consider a number of health factors before getting ready again. If you’re overweight, underweight or obese it can dramatically impact your chances of conception. The same goes for nutrition; it wouldn’t hurt now to get on a regimented meal plan not only to be healthy enough to conceive, but also to be ready to be as healthy as possible when you do become pregnant. Getting into an exercise routine now is also a good idea, and it won’t hurt to start taking a prenatal or preconception supplement.
• Get a handle on your stress. Stress is believed to impact your ability to conceive. The stress of not being able to conceive can, in some couples, wind up causing a double problem. Add in the stress that comes from the child you already have, and you’re looking at a real potential problem. In addition to diet and exercise, learn stress management techniques that can help get your stress levels under control.

Getting ready to get pregnant again lets you increase the odds that you’ll succeed and helps you be more prepared for when it does happen.

Related articles

• Lifestyle and Fertility – What to do and avoid doing when trying to conceive (babble.com)

Sperm removed from testicles and frozen, then given to men who have no sperm in their semen works as well as fresh sperm in assisting couples conceive using in vitro fertilization (IVF), according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Scientists also found that the facility where sperm is removed and how far from the IVF lab doesn’t affect pregnancy outcomes.

The conclusions, presented online in PLOS ONE, may be advantageous to males without sperm in their semen for various reasons. These men don’t have enough sperm to conceive their own kids via IVF without biopsies.

In these males, testicle biopsies often result in enough usable sperm for a procedure named intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) as part of the IVF procedure for men suffering from severe infertility.

The biopsy, normally an outpatient process, involves taking tissue from testicles and analyzed for sperm. If sperm are detected, they’re withdrawn and immediately used in ICSI or frozen for later use.

When using fresh sperm, the biopsy for taking the sperm needs to be undertaken within a day of retrieving eggs from the woman. This may not be particularly accommodating for the couple. Should frozen sperm be used, the guy can first undergo his biopsy. If sperm is located, it can then be stored. Later, when the couple is ready, his partner’s eggs are removed and ICSI can be finished.

Prior to ICSI, the woman gets daily injections of fertility medicine for up to 10 days to prompt her ovaries to release eggs. Using ultrasounds to find eggs, the doctor then takes them from the ovaries with a tiny needle.

In this research, scientists studied information from 1995 through 2009 from Washington University Infertility and Reproductive Medicine Center.

Testicular biopsies were done on 136 men and used in the ICSI. Of those procedures, 84 percent included frozen sperm while the remaining 16 percent utilized fresh sperm. There was a statistically significant variation in fertilization rate between fresh sperm (47 percent) and frozen sperm (62 percent), respectively. There wasn’t a noticeable variation in the delivery rates.

Two urologists carried out 150 testicular sperm biopsies inside an operating room next to the IVF lab, inside an operating room located in a different building roughly one mile away from the IVF lab, then in a mobile surgical center approximately 15 miles away from the IVF lab. The third site was no more than 30 minutes from the IVF lab.

No statistically significant differences were recorded from the different locations and pregnancy developments.

“Men without sperm in their semen now have multiple options to bear their own children,” said Randall Odem, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and co-author of this research, who advises that infertile men seek medical care from a urologist experienced with male infertility and a reproductive endocrinologist.

“This research shows that utilizing frozen sperm removed by biopsy works just fine for many patients in the most important thing, pregnancy rates,” he stated.

Related articles

• Frozen sperm works as well as fresh (futurity.org)
• Frozen sperm as good as fresh for IVF treatment (medicalnewstoday.com)

Words of parenting advice should often be taken with a grain of salt, especially when those tips come from others who don’t have children of their own. Even child raising experts sometimes fall into this category. All things being equal, the best advice comes from others who’ve already experienced similar situations. Here’s what we’ve found:

1. You’ve likely entertained thoughts that you’ll be able to hold on to your treasured ideals. Some of these probably include believing that your child will never eat in front of the television; you’ll never bribe the children so they’ll be quiet; your children take first priority with your time constraints and you’ll never wave them off; other children are no basis for comparison; you’ll never ponder how things would’ve turned out if you’d remained childless; you just want them to be happy; you’ll never wish for a minimalist, neat, tidy house; you’ll never hate always getting up early because you can’t sleep with all the noise your child is making.

After you’ve done this, you’ll love your children for who they really are, enjoying them and realizing that they truly are one of the greatest things that happened to you. Later, when you’re retired and take you out for dinner, you’ll reminisce on how you raised them, you won’t regret a second of it.

1. When you’re pregnant, you’ll probably say to yourself, “our baby will fit in to our lives perfectly. We’ll live as we’ve always lived”. You can forget it; your lifestyles are forever changed.
2. Your lives over the next couple years will feel almost like an ongoing hangover. There’s nothing to worry about. Just roll it, and even try to enjoy it – it’ll be worth it later. Avoid listening to parenting experts that recommend you raise your children like puppies… the ones that say you need to open the bedroom curtains at 7:30am every day. Respond to your newborn’s needs as necessary. Try to ignore the hangover feeling and show them all the love you can.
3. 4.    Don’t sweat the small stuff. As long as both you and your little ones are in relatively clean clothes (for home use, clothes permanently marked by baby food, juice and spit-up stains are perfectly fine and in almost all cases, the usual), they are fed, happy and healthy you are doing great as a parent.
4. Finally, the two pieces of advice that any new parent really needs to know: It’s fine to make mistakes. Most of those errors are minor and will have no bearing on their long term well-being. Secondly, the idea that you’ll only use washable cloth diapers is hogwash. In the event your washer breaks down, your child messes herself in a public place, or you’re not good at keeping up with laundry, you’ll be relying on disposable diapers anyhow.

Keep in mind each child is different and will always bring forth separate experiences, even within your own family. Raise them however you think is right.

Related articles

• Myths of Raising a Bilingual Child (rasmussen.edu)
• Dealing With The “Parent Police” (mompluskids.com)

When a couple decides they’re ready to have a baby, it’s easy to just jump right in and get started. (After all, making the baby is usually the easy – and fun – part!)  Biological clocks (for both men and women) start to tick and it’s off to the races.

Yet, if you really want to have a child and want to raise your child in the best way possible, there are a few things to think about ahead of time. You need to assess your readiness. That doesn’t mean that won’t decide to go ahead anyway, but it does mean you do so with your eyes wide open.

Here are some areas of readiness you should consider before trying to conceive:

• Financial stability. It’s a fact: babies are expensive. They cost money. If you’re already struggling to make ends meet, you might think twice about having a baby. You don’t have to have millions in the bank, but you should at least be at a place where you’re paying your bills and can add in the cost of formula, diapers, clothes and health insurance for your baby. If you can’t afford it, find out ways to improve your life and make more money in order to reach your goal.
• Relationship readiness. Now, we’re not suggesting that single parents can’t be good parents. What we’re saying here is that couples who are together and are considering a child should be in it for the long haul. Studies show that stable families (even single parent ones) are simply better for children. If your relationship is rocky, think twice about adding a baby to the mix. The last thing you want is for that little one to become a pawn in a struggle between you and your ex.
• Health concerns. You also need to take a look at your physical condition. Get a complete physical, if possible, before you start trying to conceive. That goes for both men and women. Not only will it help you plan for a healthier pregnancy, it can make the process of trying to conceive a much easier and quicker one, too.
• Willingness to sacrifice. A baby changes your daily routine. You’re going to have many fewer opportunities to go out dancing with the girls, sleep in late on the weekends or even enjoy a long hot bath. Your lifestyle is going to change, and you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. That also means quitting smoking, giving up alcohol during pregnancy, and making other changes to insure that pregnancy is a healthy and happy time for both you and for your baby.

Parenthood isn’t for the faint of heart. Neither is pregnancy, for that matter. If you’re thinking about having kids, take some time to look at these things and see whether you’re truly ready. If you’re not, though, you don’t have to give up. You can identify areas in which you need to get ready and then work on them until the time is right for you.

Related articles

• Before You Conceive: 17 Tips for a Healthier Pregnancy (babyzone.com)

Trying to have a baby is a pretty popular activity. If you don’t believe us, take a look at the world population charts for the past century or so. Humanity keeps on keeping on, and it’s all due to that magical moment of conception.

Yet, for all of the success out there, there’s still a lot of misinformation when it comes to understanding exactly how to get pregnant. Sure, we all learned the basics back in health class, but there’s really more to it. Some of these myths can actually work against you when you’re trying to get pregnant.

Let’s take a look at some of those common conception misconceptions:

1. Just stopping the pill and having sex can get you pregnant. You might be surprised to find that it usually takes two or three cycles for couples that are trying to get pregnant to have any success. In fact, it’s not considered a fertility problem until you’ve been trying consistently for at least a year.
2. It’s the woman’s fault if you can’t get pregnant. Research actually tells us that it’s as often the man’s fault as it is the woman’s – each are responsible for about 40% of fertility troubles. The other 20% is usually unexplained or a combination of the two.
3. Sperm can only live for a few hours. This one isn’t true at all. The egg will only live for about 24 hours after it’s been released, but sperm can live inside a woman’s body for as long as five to seven days.
4. You need to have sex on day 14 of your cycle to conceive. Ovulation occurs 14 days before your next period. For a woman with a 28-day cycle, that means day 14. Because those sperm can live for several days, that means you can have sex for several days prior to ovulation and still get pregnant. It also means that if your cycle is typically shorter or longer, you’ll ovulate on a different day.
5. You can get pregnant after ovulation. Once the egg is released, it’s got a mere 24 hours to either become fertilized or die. You absolutely can’t get pregnant once the egg dies.
6. You’ll have pregnancy symptoms before you miss a period. It is extremely rare for any pregnancy symptoms to occur before you miss your period. When they do, it’s most often in women who are trying to get pregnant and carefully watching the calendar, which suggests that some cases may even be psychosomatic. The first sign is almost always that positive pregnancy test.
7. With one ovary, you’ll only ovulate every other month. Each ovary has the potential to release an egg each month. Only one will. That means with both ovaries, the same ovary could release for several months in a row. With one ovary, it may release every month for several months, then skip a month or two, then release again. There is no predictable pattern to how this will occur.

So, what other kinds of conception-related misconceptions have you come across?