AL-HAYAT MEDICAL CENTER

Delayed pregnancy is defined as the inability to conceive after 12 months of a regular marital relationship without using any contraceptives.

At the pregnancy planning stage, we need to pay attention to some sort of thing. As we know, pregnancy delays could be caused by many things and some organic diseases, but simple nonorganic causes, usually ignored by many people, could negatively affect the chances of pregnancy. On the other hand, simpler things may make pregnancy easier and make many investigations for delayed pregnancy unnecessary.

Mistakes that delay pregnancy

1. Miscalculate the days of ovulation, which are usually different from a woman to another and in the same woman from a month to another.
2. Not lying on the back and not putting a pillow under the buttocks of the women during sexual intercourse to prevent the sperms from spilling out of the vagina.
3. Doing a quick bath after intercourse, which does not give enough time for the sperms to reach the cervix and then to the uterus.
4. Using vaginal lubricants or moisturizers that could affect the vitality of the sperm.
5. One common mistake is focusing on the time of ovulation only for doing sex, hoping for gathering the sperm, which reduces the possibilities of fertilization because many women miscalculate their ovulation days.
6. Having sex excessively for pregnancy could make the partners feel bored and not be able to have sex on the day of real ovulation.
7. Delay in consulting your doctor in some important situations such as sexually transmitted diseases and previous miscarriages or ectopic pregnancy. A 35-year-old woman is advised to consult a doctor only six months after trying to get pregnant.
8. Over concern about delayed pregnancy before one year of marriage, especially if the period is regular and the age of women is less than 35 years.
9. Neglecting the general health of couples: especially which are related to weight, diet and unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcohol.
10. The psychological situation significantly affects the reproductive health of couples. All pregnancy-related functions are controlled by the brain. For example, depression greatly reduces the chance of pregnancy.
11. Oral sex leads to killing the sperm by the saliva before it reaches to the ovum.
12. Wearing tight underwear negatively affects male fertility. It leads to an elevated temperature of the testicles, which decreases sperm count and weakened it. This is exactly what happens when working in hot weather or exposure to extreme heat as in the sauna and steam bath.

Habits that increase the chances of fertility and pregnancy:

1. Recording period’s dates in a booklet, mobile, or in one of the applications designed for this purpose, which helps to know the regularity of the period and the ovulation time.
2. Having sex in the six days of fertility which consist of the five days before ovulation plus the day of ovulation itself. As we know, the ovum lives for only 12-24 hours after ovulation while sperms can live within a woman's body for up to six days.
3. Lying-back position during sexual intercourse with a pillow under the buttocks, and staying in this position after the intercourse for at least 45 minutes.
4. Keeping body weight because obesity, as well as extreme weight loss, can affect reproductive health.
5. A healthy balanced diet contains essential nutrients, especially folic acid, proteins, calcium, and iron.
6. Avoid violent and extreme exercises that could negatively affect the process of ovulation.
7. Give up on smoking and alcohol, which could negatively affect fertility.
8. Avoid exposure to extreme heat, such as steam bath and sauna.