5 Parents Share Their Tips for Getting Pregnant Faster

Do you ever wonder, what can help me get pregnant? This can be a lonely thought, but it's more common than you might think. You'd never know it from the giggly babies in their arms, but plenty of parents have struggled to conceive at some point. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that about 15% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide deal with infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive after one year of regular unprotected sex.

Infertility can have many causes, such as hormonal and genetic disorders, disrupted ovarian function, fallopian tube obstruction, and more. Lifestyle factors can also have an impact on your ability to get pregnant.

Whether they turn to fertility treatments or stay the course on their own, many parents ultimately get the baby they dreamed of—and they learn plenty of tips for trying to conceive along the way. Here, real parents share hard-earned wisdom you can use to help accelerate your journey to pregnancy.

Know Your Ovulation Symptoms

Carrie E. Carroll, 36, an art director in Arlington, Virginia, had a smart strategy for getting pregnant. At age 32, she went off birth control, focused on eating well, lowered her caffeine intake, took up yoga and running, and tracked her ovulation. But after a few months of trying to conceive, she had nothing to show for it.

Then she asked her friends, "What can help me get pregnant?" That’s when a pal with four kids suggested that she start listening more closely to her body. She took her friend’s advice, and a few weeks later felt a little "pop" in her abdomen that was likely mittelschmerz or ovulation pain—the feeling of her egg being released during ovulation. Carrie and her husband had sex that day and found out they were pregnant with twins five weeks later.

Ovulation and the days leading up to it are the peak fertile window in the menstrual cycle, which is why it’s so critical to recognize the signs of its arrival. This is the moment when a mature egg is released from the ovary and then moves down the fallopian tube, ready to be fertilized. While some people do notice ovulation pain like Carrie, it's also very common not to feel it at all. But there are other ways to pinpoint this fertile period, such as tracking your periods and checking cervical mucus. You can also use an online ovulation calculator.

Because sperm can live inside the female reproductive tract up to five days after intercourse, having baby-making sex five days before and on the day of ovulation can improve your odds of conceiving. Even better, have sex every other day (or daily) during the days surrounding your fertile window to ensure you don't miss ovulation.

Besides tuning into your body, there are many other ways to pinpoint ovulation. There are lots of complex (and expensive) ovulation trackers flooding the market today, but basic over-the-counter ovulation predictor kits are a very accurate way to predict ovulation. Additionally, look for ovulation symptoms, including changes in cervical mucus and an increased basal body temperature.

Eat a Balanced, Nutrient Dense Diet

Having trouble conceiving can be especially puzzling if it's your second time around. Mandi Welbaum, 26, a blogger and editor in Troy, Ohio, struggled with secondary infertility two years after her son's birth. She started tracking her basal body temperature and monitoring her cervical mucus to time sex with her most fertile days, but months passed with no pregnancy.

That’s when she decided to get serious about her nutrition. Five months after adopting a healthier diet, Mandi lost 20 pounds. Within weeks she became pregnant with her second child. 

As Mandi discovered firsthand, diet can have a huge impact on fertility. For example, studies have linked healthy preconception diets in both men and women with improved fertility, citing the importance of eating whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and fish.

Conversely, red meat, saturated fats, soy, alcohol, and caffeine have been linked to decreased fertility. A thoughtfully planned fertility diet and maintaining a healthy weight for your body will not only increase your chances of conception but can set you up for a healthy pregnancy as well.

Develop a Regular Exercise Routine

Eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly are wise moves for everyone, but especially for people trying to conceive. This strategy is what helped Christy Grimste, 34, of Washington, D.C., get pregnant after being diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in her late twenties. PCOS causes an imbalance of reproductive hormones, resulting in irregular cycles and ovarian cysts—and often, as in Christy’s case, difficulty conceiving.

Christy tried Clomid (clomiphene) and metformin to spur ovulation with no success and was gearing up for her first round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) when she moved to Turkey for her husband's job. Without a car, she found herself walking everywhere—and she enhanced her fitness level while losing 15 pounds in two months. A month later, she was pregnant.

Of course, a regular exercise routine is recommended for anyone who’s trying to attain optimal health—not only people who are trying to conceive or those with PCOS. However, studies have repeatedly linked a moderate exercise routine with regular ovulation and fertility. Exercise can help reduce stress, balance hormones, increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, and maintain a healthy weight—all very important things for someone who is trying to conceive.

Find Your Ideal Body Weight

Maintaining a healthy weight is vital to healthy fertility. Melissa Pheterson, 34, a freelance journalist in Rochester, New York, found her weight dipping after going on a restrictive diet. A nutritionist warned her that being underweight could impact her fertility, so she shifted her focus to fueling her body to maintain a healthy weight. Three months after making this change, Melissa was pregnant.

Research shows that when couples are trying to conceive, both partners’ body mass index (BMI) can have an effect on how long the process will take. For example, obesity increases the rate of infertility threefold compared with people who do not have obesity. Being underweight can also affect fertility for both people with ovaries and people with testes.

Talk to a health care provider about the ideal weight for both you and your partner in order to improve your pregnancy outlook.

Try a Post-Sex Pregnancy Position

For people who have been told that pregnancy isn't likely a possibility, even left-field advice can seem worth trying. Daniela Spector, 47, a dentist in Great Neck, New York, was told as early as age 12 that biological kids just weren't in her cards because of PCOS. Nevertheless, she started trying to conceive when she was 24 and didn't give up until she finally succeeded at 29.

Her trick: Keeping her pelvis still and elevated for half an hour after sex. Doctors told her this move may help increase the chance that her husband’s sperm would meet her egg. This method may just have worked, as she became pregnant with their first daughter shortly thereafter. 

Now, there’s no scientific evidence that immobilizing or elevating the pelvis after sex actually does anything to spur conception. However, anecdotally, many people swear that this technique worked for them. So you might want to give it a try. That said, the limited research that does exist shows no significant difference in the rate of conception when people hold still or elevate their legs after copulation.

If nothing else, choose a sex position you enjoy so that you're likely to have fun, relax, and reduce stress, all of which are important when trying to conceive. After all, if you’re not comfortable—and feeling good—during and after sex, you may not be as motivated to get busy during your fertile window.