The Pre-Pregnancy Conception Guide

Alright time for the real fun! Time to talk about conception! I know that it is tempting to skip over this part, after all you’ve been having sex for some time now, but for most of that time you’ve been concerned with preventing a pregnancy, now you may have to think a little differently.



For many couples this is the easy part, for some a little too easy. You may be the type of guy who looks at a woman and gets her pregnant – I have a friend whose wife is pregnant for the 7th time (she has had 3 miscarriages) and he tells me that they stay on the edge of “knocked up”.

This can be both good and bad depending on your situation, but suffice it to say that it isn’t that easy for all of us. It took my wife and I four months to get it right. It was a good four months, but about three months longer than we expected.

So why does it take longer for some people than it does for others? Great question – let’s talk about some of the factors.

By now you have read through the section on the Ovulation Calendar and know when your wife is the most fertile. This is an important first step in conceiving a child. These three days offer you the best chance of a successful joining of the egg and sperm.

One of the things that can influence the success of conception is birth control. Obviously your wife should stop taking it, but it can take a month or two from the time she stops taking it before she can get pregnant.

The other big thing is you! Believe it or not having more and more sex can actually deplete your sperm count. Let’s say that you are 5 days away from your wife’s most fertile day and she just can’t get enough of you. By the time you reach that 5th and most fertile day you actually have little sperm left and have taken the odds of conception much lower than they would be otherwise.

This is something I learned about the third month of my wife and I trying to get pregnant. Remember how I said it took us four months? If you find that you’re having trouble, figure out that most fertile day, aim for that day, and try every other day before it (instead of every day) to ensure that you have as many sperm as possible on the “big” day.

Additionally you should take care of yourself during this time. Alcohol, tobacco, certain prescription drugs, an unhealthy diet, illegal drugs, and saunas and hot tubs over 102 degrees can impact your sperm count too.

So what if you’ve been trying for several months, have been following all the “rules” and still no baby? If you think that you may be the problem there are over-the-counter infertility tests available to help answer that question. If this doesn’t give you a clear answer it may be time to seek medical advice.

Hopefully your wife already has a relationship with an OBGYN and can go in and get tested to see if she is the one who is having trouble getting pregnant. If it is determined that it isn’t her then you may want to get tested. At this point there are several options and your doctor will help you decide which is the best for you.

So a few final thoughts as we wrap up our conception discussion.

Remember that while this is fun for you, the real goal is to create a baby. While it may not seem like a big deal at the time I promise you it is to your wife. On that big day the first month you are trying take some time for romance. Soft music, candles, something from one of those chick flicks your wife tries to make you watch.

Most people don’t tell the story of how Junior was created, but it will be special to the two of you when you reflect back on your life in years to come.

Take these last few months as childless people and enjoy them. Your life is about to change – more than you know! Make it memorable!

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