Photo: Raw Pixel

Trying to conceive can be a very exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming! If you’ve started doing your research, you’ve likely encountered a ton of information and products out there—from pee strips to wearables to apps to supplements. While it’s great that there are a lot of resources out there, it can also make it difficult and frustrating to figure out where to start. 

That’s why I pulled together a list of things you can do to increase your chances of successfully conceiving as quickly as possible. And even better news—all of these are relatively inexpensive and can be done from home! This information can help you better understand your body, your partner’s body, and uncover up to 80 percent of what makes it hard to conceive.

For conception to occur, you need three things: sperm, an egg, and fertilization (when the sperm meets the egg). While this seems pretty simple, fertility is complex and sometimes things don’t always go as planned. However, by checking these boxes you can give yourself the best chances of successfully conceiving as early as possible and for as little money—and hopefully heartache—as possible. 

Tip 1: Figure out your fertile window. Fertilization is when sperm meets egg, also known as the moment of conception. To give the sperm and egg a chance to meet, it’s important to understand when your body is in its fertile window so that you can time intercourse correctly. 

There are several options to track suspected ovulation, including LH tests (ovulation predictor kits), cervical mucus monitoring, and BBT, among others. With these methods, you will know which days are your most fertile so you can time intercourse correctly and have the best chance at conception. 

Tip 2: Optimize your chances by confirming successful ovulation. No ovulation means no egg is present to fertilize, so without ovulation, you have no chance of conception. Checking to see if you are ovulating early on can save you from spending time and money on other hormone tests you may not need. 

Ovulation confirmation can happen in a couple of different ways. First, some women use BBT (Basal Body Temperature) to track the slight temperature rise associated with the presence of progesterone, which is the hormone released by the empty follicle after ovulation occurs. Progesterone blood tests can also provide a yes/no answer based on the numeric value result.

But ovulation is considered healthy when an egg is released and the empty follicle produces enough progesterone over time to support an embryo, should an egg become fertilized. So it is possible to ovulate and do so in a “weak” or “suboptimal” way. To confirm ovulation and make sure it was healthy as well, PdG testing can do the trick. PdG is the urine metabolite of progesterone. Because PdG tests track urine, they are non-invasive, can be done at home and multiple days in a row. This is important because progesterone and therefore PdG need to go up and stay up to indicate that ovulation was truly “successful” meaning that it gave the best chance at conceiving that cycle.  

What if I’m not ovulating or have weak ovulation? Not to worry. There is a lot you can do to improve it. If you suspect that ovulation isn’t occurring at all, it’s important to talk to your doctor right away as in these cases, ovulation-inducing medicine is often needed. 

If you suspect that you are ovulating but perhaps have suboptimal ovulation, you can chat with your doc as well or check out some natural ways to increase progesterone/PdG to improve ovulation quality:

Diet: While foods don’t directly contain progesterone or PdG, there are some foods that can help improve progesterone production like beans, broccoli, pumpkin, or spinach. 

Seed Cycling: Seed cycling involves eating different types of seeds during different phases of your cycle to help promote hormone balance. You can learn more about seed cycling here!

Herbs: Herbals like vitex, red raspberry leaf, and maca can all help support progesterone production and promote a hormone balance. 

Supplementation: Bio-identical progesterone supplements are widely available and are to be prescribed by a doctor. If you’re interested in a supplement, we recommend consulting your doctor. 

Tip 3: Check out his swimmers. Once you’ve got the fertile window and healthy ovulation covered, it’s important to understand what’s going on with your partner’s sperm. There are two main aspects of sperm that matter most: sperm count—meaning there is enough sperm—and sperm motility—meaning the sperm can get to where they need to be (the egg). There are many at-home sperm tests on the market that test sperm count but only a few that test count and motility, so look for a kit that measures both. 

If your partner’s sperm test results show he’s all good, then great! You can check this box and move on. If the sperm test shows low sperm count or motility, there are a few things you can do to try to improve results: 

Diet or lifestyle changes: Supplements like maca have both been shown to improve sperm count in men and nutrients like vitamin C, D, and zinc are all important when it comes to healthy swimmers. Exercising regularly can also help increase testosterone and sperm quality.

Sperm friendly lubricant: Make sure to check that your lubricant is “sperm-friendly.” Many lubricants contain ingredients or have a pH that can be harmful to sperm. Sperm friendly lubricants also mimic the viscosity and consistency of cervical mucus, making it an ideal environment for the sperm to travel. 

Try boxers: Does your partner wear tight underwear? Studies have shown that tight underwear may impair sperm production. Boxers fit more loosely and are preferred if you’re concerned about sperm. 

If sperm and ovulation are healthy and you are having intercourse during your fertile window, but still not getting pregnant, it’s important to talk to your doctor. They can test you for less common causes of infertility like blocked fallopian tubes, genetic factors, or structural abnormalities within the uterus.

 

 

I'm Amy Beckley. After my experiences with pregnancy loss and IVF I used my PhD in Pharmacology to create MFB Fertility, Inc. and invented the Proov test in my basement, which now allows women to confirm successful ovulation by tracking PdG in 5 minutes, at home. I want to empower women.

What happened before the Skywalker saga? Now we have the answer. Disney Publishing Worldwide has announced the launch of an all new Star Wars storytelling initiative, Star Wars: The High Republic, previously called “Project Luminous.”

This new initiative will feature a series of interconnected stories told across multiple publishers. 

Star Wars Luminous

The stories will take place 200 years prior to the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in an all new time period. Star Wars: The High Republic is set in an era when the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their height, serving and protecting the galaxy. This is a hopeful, optimistic time, when the Republic and the Jedi are noble and respected. This multi-year publishing program will be rolled out in phases, with Phase I being called “Light of the Jedi.” This period on the Star Wars timeline will not overlap any of the films or series currently planned for production, giving creators and partners space to tell Star Wars stories in a never-before-explored timeline.

Star Wars Luminous

“We are so excited to be opening up such a rich, fertile era for our authors to explore,” says Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy. “We’ll get to see the Jedi in their prime.”

Star Wars Luminous

The first books and comics are set to debut at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in August 2020, and select titles are available now for pre-order.

“Star Wars: The High Republic will allow creators to imagine entirely original stories in a new corner of the galaxy. Our incredible team of authors worked together alongside the Lucasfilm Story Group and Publishing teams to help craft a completely new era for the franchise that begins with Publishing,” says Lucasfilm Press Creative Director Michael Siglain.

The following titles have been announced:

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Disney Publishing Worldwide

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Photo: pixabay 

Believe it or not, when it comes to trying to conceive there is a “sufficient” way to ovulate. You probably already know that ovulation is needed for pregnancy. After all, without an egg, it is impossible to get pregnant. But there’s a “right way” to ovulate? It may sound strange but making sure you are ovulating sufficiently is critical to increasing your chances of successfully conceiving.

 

What Is Sufficient Ovulation?

Sufficient ovulation is a phrase used to indicate the fact that a woman is not only ovulating, but she also has enough progesterone to support conception. Progesterone is the hormone released by the corpus luteum or empty follicle after the egg is released. Its presence confirms ovulation, as, without an empty follicle, the body won’t produce progesterone. Progesterone is critical to preparing the uterine lining, so it is ready to receive a pregnancy. Without enough progesterone, the embryo either cannot implant at all or implantation is insufficient to support it. So low progesterone can lead to lack of conception or miscarriage.

But when a woman both ovulates AND has sufficient progesterone to support conception, she is ovulating sufficiently—meaning that she not only has an egg present for fertilization, but she also has enough progesterone to support implantation should the egg be fertilized. To successfully conceive, it is critical that a woman has both an egg AND enough progesterone to support implantation of a fertilized egg.

 

Can I Tell If I’m Ovulating Sufficiently?

It’s not that difficult to figure out if you are ovulating sufficiently, which is great news! But since there are so many ovulation testing options—which can get confusing—it’s important to take a moment to explain the differences.

Predicting Ovulation: Predicting ovulation is very important because it helps couples trying to conceive find the fertile window and therefore better time intercourse. There are actually only 5-6 days each cycle when a woman is fertile so it’s really important to time intercourse correctly when trying to conceive. Methods include: Ovulation predictor kits (luteinizing hormone or LH tests), cervical mucus monitoring, or saliva ferning patterns

Confirming Ovulation: Although it may seem like you’re good to go if you’ve predicted ovulation, prediction does not always mean something will happen. For example, a weather forecaster may predict that a storm is coming (using sophisticated scientific tools, I might add), but we don’t know if the storm actually happened until we observe it. And we can probably all agree weather forecasts aren’t always accurate. As such, much like the weather, confirming ovulation is an important next step. Methods include:  Basal body temperature tracking, single progesterone test

Confirming Sufficient Ovulation: As we mentioned earlier, sufficient ovulation—meaning that a woman is ovulating AND has enough progesterone to support implantation—is critical when trying to conceive. While basal body temperature is great for confirming ovulation, it falls short of being able to confirm “sufficient ovulation.” That’s because basal body temperature looks for a slight spike in temperature – 0.5 – 1 degree Fahrenheit but the temperature spike does not correlate with the amount of progesterone present. So, getting a spike of 0.5-degrees does not necessarily mean you have low progesterone and getting a spike of 1-degree also does not mean you are good to go.

To confirm sufficient ovulation, it’s critical to ensure that progesterone levels are elevated to 10ng/ml in the blood—the level widely accepted as the minimum threshold to support conception—throughout the 3-4 day implantation window. This means it’s important to test progesterone multiple times during the luteal phase, or second half, of the cycle to make sure progesterone rises and stays elevated at a sufficient level such that conception can occur. Methods include: Multiple days of progesterone testing

When trying to conceive, making sure you are ovulating is good, but it may not be enough. Confirming sufficient ovulation can get you one step closer to ruling out what may be causing issues and to successfully conceiving. Testing progesterone can help you make sure you are ovulating properly and that you have enough progesterone to support conception!

Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of Proov, the first at-home rapid response urine progesterone test, a hormone critical to fertility and general wellness. Proov was developed from Beckley’s personal infertility experience. Using her PhD in Pharmacology and passion for helping others, Proov empowers women with the knowledge to better understand their bodies.

Editor’s note: Any medical advice presented here is expressly the views of the writer and Red Tricycle cannot verify any claims made. Please consult with your healthcare provider about what works best for you.

There are lots of ways to predict ovulation—from temperature trackers to cervical mucus monitoring to ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) that measure luteinizing hormone. These methods are great for answering the question “If I’m trying to conceive, when should I have intercourse?” Timing intercourse correctly is critical for conceiving and these tools are very important when trying to get pregnant. The good news is, there’s a lot of information already out there on predicting ovulation!

But what about confirming ovulation? A key point of distinction of “ovulation kits” or “ovulation predictors” is that they are only predictive of ovulation. Similar to predicting the weather, we only know if the prediction is right when we see what happens. The weatherman can predict that it’s going to rain tomorrow, but until tomorrow comes, we won’t know if the prediction is correct. It’s similar in that way to ovulation prediction methods, many of which fall short of actually allowing us to see that ovulation has happened.

So how do we make this critical observation? After all, problems with ovulation are the number one cause of infertility. Making sure the body is ovulating properly and the right level of hormones are present to support conception is another critical piece of the puzzle. There are a couple of ways to confirm that ovulation has happened and, as you might suspect, they all lead back to the super hormone, progesterone.

Ovulation Confirmation Method 1: Basal Body Temperature or BBT tracking

During the first part of your cycle, your basal body temperature (BBT), or your body’s lowest resting temperature, usually ranges between 97.0 and 97.7 °F. Before your ovary releases an egg, your BBT will dip a little. The day after ovulation, your BBT will generally increase at least 0.2 °F over the previous 6 days’ temperatures, and then stay high for a few days or more. The second half of the cycle, the luteal phase, typically sees temperatures in the range of 97.7 and 98.3 °F. Note that these numbers are just examples and every woman’s body is different.

This spike in temperature is driven by the underlying rise in progesterone that happens after ovulation. See, the empty follicle, or corpus luteum, produces progesterone and progesterone causes the temperature spike. If no egg is released, there won’t be an empty follicle to produce progesterone.  As such, a spike in temperature, caused by progesterone, indicates that ovulation has occurred.

Ovulation Confirmation Method 2: Progesterone Monitoring

As explained above, the spike in temperature that confirms ovulation using the BBT tracking method is a direct result of progesterone rising in the body after ovulation occurs. Monitoring progesterone itself is therefore another way to confirm ovulation. Without that empty follicle or corpus luteum, there won’t be a rise in progesterone. So, no rise in progesterone = no ovulation.

But do you need both methods?

The simple answer is YES—especially when it comes to trying to conceive. Based on how your temperature and hormone levels change throughout your cycle, it might seem like you only need to measure one thing. But, the most complete picture comes from using both tracking methods.

BBT tracking is most powerful when used to track the cycle over time. By confirming ovulation using temperature tracking, BBT can be used to accurately calculate the timing of the next fertile window.

While basal body temperature tracking can be used to measure the slight increase in body temperature caused when progesterone rises and can, therefore, be used to confirm ovulation, it falls short of telling you if you have sufficient progesterone to conceive. As mentioned before, basal body temperature typically rises 0.5 to 1-degree Fahrenheit after ovulation from the presence of progesterone. But the temperature spike does not correlate with the amount of progesterone present. So, getting a spike of 0.5-degrees does not necessarily mean you have low progesterone and getting a spike of 1-degree also does not mean you are good to go.

To determine if you have enough progesterone to confirm sufficient ovulation, meaning you are not only ovulating, but also have enough progesterone to support implantation and early pregnancy, you need to test base progesterone levels.

To truly maximize your chances of getting pregnant during the fertile window, you should not only know IF you’ve ovulated but also know if your progesterone levels are where they need to be.

Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of Proov, the first at-home rapid response urine progesterone test, a hormone critical to fertility and general wellness. Proov was developed from Beckley’s personal infertility experience. Using her PhD in Pharmacology and passion for helping others, Proov empowers women with the knowledge to better understand their bodies.

Long before Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch became tributes, rebellion tore Panem apart. And according to recent reports, the now-iconic author of The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins, is bringing us back to her post-apocalyptic world for a glimpse into the past.

Collins recently revealed that she will release a new prequel to The Hunger Games series on May 19, 2020. While the novel is yet unnamed, the novel is set 64 years before the first book in the original trilogy.

So what can you expect from Collins’ new prequel? According to the Associated Press, the author said, “With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival.” Collins went on to add, “The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days—as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet—provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”

If you’re wondering if the yet-to-be-titled prequel will join Collins’ other books in movie form, the answer is possibly yes. Even though Lionsgate, the production company that released the first four films, hasn’t officially confirmed the rumors, Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, told the Associated Press, “As the proud home of the ‘Hunger Games’ movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: The Hunger Games via Instagram 

 

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Editor’s note: Any medical advice presented here is expressly the views of the writer and Red Tricycle cannot verify any claims made. Please consult with your healthcare provider about what works best for you.

 

As the name suggests, progesterone—as in “pro-gestation”—is critical to conception and pregnancy. But we don’t hear much about this super hormone that not only indicates ovulation is occurring properly, but also prepares the uterus to receive a fertilized embryo for implantation.

So why is progesterone so important when trying to conceive? Let’s find out!

Progesterone confirms ovulation.

At the beginning of each menstrual cycle, progesterone levels are relatively low. First, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) stimulates an ovarian follicle to develop, which causes an egg to mature and increases estrogen production. Then, as estrogen levels rise, FSH production declines and Luteinizing Hormone, or LH, production increases. A spike in LH levels indicates that ovulation or an egg being released from the ovary, is about to occur.

Many ovulation predictor kits measure LH, as the presence of this hormone is “predictive” of ovulation. After ovulation comes the luteal phase, where the corpus luteum produces progesterone. The corpus luteum is the empty follicle from which the egg was released. The presence of progesterone indicates that ovulation has, in fact, occurred, because if no egg is released, there is no empty follicle or corpus luteum, to produce it!

Progesterone stabilizes the uterine lining.

Each month, estrogen is released before ovulation and stimulates the uterine lining to build up. After ovulation, progesterone acts to stabilize the uterine lining so it is at the optimal thickness to support implantation. Progesterone’s role is to prepare the uterine lining for a pregnancy, allowing it to become receptive to the fertilized egg so that it can attach, implant and thrive for the duration of the pregnancy. Ideally, after ovulation, progesterone levels remain high, enabling a fertilized egg to successfully implant.

Progesterone enables a fertilized embryo to implant.

Since progesterone is involved in stabilizing the uterine lining, high levels of progesterone are needed for the embryo to attach in the womb and to maintain the pregnancy. Implantation typically occurs seven to 10 days after ovulation. Up until about the 8th week of pregnancy, the corpus luteum produces progesterone to support the pregnancy. After about the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy, progesterone production is taken over by the placenta and continues to nourish the fetus for the duration of the pregnancy.

Progesterone is needed to maintain pregnancy.

Whether generated from the corpus luteum or the placenta, progesterone levels consistently rise and remain elevated throughout the duration of pregnancy to support a healthy uterine environment for the growing fetus. It has some side benefits too. That pregnancy glow? That’s mighty progesterone at work making the skin appear firmer and brighter!

Tracking progesterone shows the full picture.

While traditional ovulation predictor kits are great for determining the best time for intercourse when trying to conceive, they fail to show the full picture. The menstrual cycle has two distinct phases. The first is the follicular phase, which is comprised of menstruation and the fertile window. This is the time leading up to ovulation. The second is the luteal phase, which is the time after ovulation and is critical for enabling conception and implantation.

Progesterone is the dominant hormone present during the luteal phase. By using ovulation predictor kits to track hormones during the follicular phase and tracking progesterone during the luteal phase, women can understand both halves of their cycle and therefore, the full menstrual picture!

Progesterone plays a critical, direct role in conception and pregnancy, but it plays a peripheral role in other aspects of women’s health related to conception and pregnancy as well. For example, progesterone plays an important role in libido. During ovulation, many women experience their peak in libido, which perfectly matches the fertile window of when you’re most likely to get pregnant.

In the luteal phase, progesterone levels significantly rise and libido typically drops as well. It’s as if high progesterone levels are a stop sign for your body to let you know you’re no longer in the fertile window. It is common for libido to fluctuate throughout the cycle, but what happens if you don’t have any sexual desire at any time during your monthly cycle? Well, this could be a sign of low progesterone. See, for a healthy libido, it is really the balance of estrogen and progesterone that matter the most and if these are out of balance due to low progesterone, it could tank your sex drive.

From confirming ovulation to supporting implantation to helping maintain pregnancy, progesterone is a hard-working hormone that is necessary for so much related to conception, pregnancy and general women’s health. If women are tracking hormones in the first half of the cycle using ovulation predictor kits, adding progesterone to their tracking regimen can help them understand the full menstrual cycle. Knowing about this critical hormone empowers women to ensure their body is ovulating properly and is prepared to receive and support an early pregnancy.

Amy Beckley is the founder and CEO of Proov, the first at-home rapid response urine progesterone test, a hormone critical to fertility and general wellness. Proov was developed from Beckley’s personal infertility experience. Using her PhD in Pharmacology and passion for helping others, Proov empowers women with the knowledge to better understand their bodies.

photo: Pixabay

Deciding if and when you’re ready to become a parent can be challenging. It can feel like no time is the exact right time until it happens. While the answer is ultimately different for everyone, there is apparently an age that research has found to be the best.

According to The Wall Street Journal, there is an ideal time in your life to get pregnant and that is up until age 32. A recent piece on the perfect age for everything, from marriage and pregnancy to getting a cell phone and making financial decisions, explained that the most fertile time in a woman’s life was before the age of 32. Getting pregnant before this age makes it the most successful time for conception. Research collected by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists concluded that 32 is the age when fertility begins to decline.

That number doesn’t necessarily ring true with what is actually happening in the US, with the average age of women giving birth to their first baby steadily on the rise. In 2016, for the first time in history, the CDC reported more American women were becoming pregnant in their 30s than in the their 20s.

What do you think is the ideal age to start a family? Share your thoughts in the comments.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

 

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Photo:Audra McDonald via Facebook 

Congrats Audra! Actress Audra McDonald and husband Will Swenson are expecting their second child together. Audra, age 45, thanks her fancy footwork for keeping her fertile in a recent tweet.

The Tony Award winning actress will take a break from her Broadway career for maternity leave, but in a statement says she’s looking forward to creating a 1920s- themed nursery in her dressing room once she returns to the stage.

Photo: Yahoo

Love Audra as much as we do? Tell us in the comments below!