We want to have a baby: how to get pregnant? 2026

• When you decide to have a baby, it is advisable to abandon harmful habits, such as smoking or drugs and staying up late often.

• Diet is also important. Being overweight or extremely thin can affect fertility, especially since both factors usually cause menstrual period disorders.

• To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you should exercise regularly, reduce your consumption of fried foods and fats, and not abuse salt, sugar, coffee, tea, and cola drinks. Caffeine also reduces your chances of getting pregnant.

What factors can alter male fertility?

• Although many men think that the disinhibiting effect of alcohol awakens libido, in reality drinking excessively has a doubly negative effect: it weakens semen and causes more erection problems.

• For men, diet is also important. In fact, obesity is one of the causes of infertility. Some studies suggest that just by modifying the diet, introducing natural products, the quality and mobility of sperm could be improved by up to 50%.

• Men are not recommended to wear tight clothing that compresses the genital region, nor sit for long periods of time, since the increase in temperature affects the quantity and quality of sperm.

How does stress affect you?

Stress is one of the factors that make pregnancy the most difficult. Women with a lot of stress tend to have irregular menstrual cycles and men usually have a decrease in their sperm levels.

Furthermore, many stressed people tend to get little rest, eat unbalanced food, take a lot of stimulants (coffee, alcohol, tobacco...) and not play sports.

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Often, when the couple does not achieve pregnancy, extra stress is generated. Thus we enter an endless wheel, since stress produces infertility and infertility generates stress.

It is important that the couple learns to relax to improve their relationships. Massages help a lot.

When and how should sexual relations be?

The chances of pregnancy increase if, during the fertile period, love is made on alternate days. With this frequency, the quality of the sperm is optimal, since it is not good for the man to ejaculate one or more times each day. Nor is the opposite good. Prolonged abstinence reduces the quality of the sperm.

When you have sex two or three times a week, the probability of getting pregnant within half a year is very high. Experts advise against starting sexual relations planned in advance. If after about six months pregnancy has not been achieved, then it is preferable to write down on a calendar the plan for sexual activity according to the woman's menstrual cycle.

What positions are the most advisable?

When the semen is strong and abundant, the position in which sex is practiced does not matter, but if it is weak, it is recommended to choose positions in which the sperm reach the body better.

The traditional missionary position, in which the woman is below and the man on top, is the most flattering. The worst are those in which the woman is sitting or standing; The sperm, if necessary, may be unable to cope with the force of gravity and move upwards.

After having sexual relations, it is advisable for the woman to remain lying down for 30 minutes; You can put pillows under your buttocks to prevent semen from coming out of the vagina. You should not immediately go to the toilet to urinate or wash.

How long can it take to get pregnant?

A young and supposedly fertile couple has a 25% chance of getting pregnant in a month in which they have had sexual relations during the ovulatory period. 30% achieve it in three months, 70% in half a year and approximately 80% in one year.

Fertility problems are related to many factors. One of the most important is the age of the woman (the egg reserve is 10%, while at 40 years old it is only 5%. This does not mean that a woman over 35 years old cannot have more children, but rather that she will need more time to achieve it.

Specialists advise seeking advice if pregnancy is not achieved within a year (six months if the woman is over 35 years old).

Is an extra supply of vitamins needed?

If the woman eats healthily, she will not need an additional intake of vitamins, with one exception: folic acid. This vitamin is essential in the development of the baby's organs and reduces the risk of the baby suffering damage to the neural tube, such as spina bifida.

It is advisable to take one tablet daily from one month before trying to become pregnant.

In what cases do you have to wait

There are circumstances in which it is advisable to wait a little before looking for a baby:

The best days

Although it is not advisable for the couple to keep an eye on the calendar, it is practical to know the woman's cycle and fertile days (the three before ovulation and the day on which it occurs), to know when the probability of getting pregnant is highest. The cycle goes from the first day of menstruation to the beginning of the next.

Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before your period. In a 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle. If the cycle is longer, the time of ovulation is delayed. And if it is shorter, it moves forward. When cycles are not regular, it is advisable to use an ovulation test (sold in pharmacies). After ovulation, some women experience a slight increase in temperature.

Advisor:Dr. Pedro N. Barri, director of the Department of Gynecology at the Dexeus University Institute.