Attempting Pregnancy

How soon after I become pregnant will my urine pregnancy test become positive?

Most commercial, over the counter urine pregnancy tests, will become positive 10 days after conception.

I'm thinking about attempting pregnancy. What do I need to do to prepare for pregnancy?

You should see your doctor in order to review your medical history, family history, medication list, and do a physical examination.

You should check to see if you are immune to German measles and chicken pox. You will need to decide if you want to get tested for cystic fibrosis or other genetic testing/counseling.

You should start taking prenatal vitamins at least one month prior to conception. If you cannot take prenatal vitamins, take folic acid (at least 400 micrograms daily).

When am I most fertile?

In a typical 28 day cycle you will usually ovulate around day 14. The first day of full flow of your period is the first day of your cycle (not when your period ends). Sperm lives for a few days in the female body. The egg lives for about 6 hours after ovulation so it is best to have fresh sperm available when you ovulate. Intercourse is recommended once a day or every other day from cycle day 10 to cycle day 22 in order to make sure there are live sperm to fertilize the egg. There are also several methods you can use to determine ovulation including basal body temperature monitoring, cervical mucous monitoring, and ovulation predictor kits.

If I'm not using contraception and I haven't gotten pregnant, how long should I wait before being seen for this?

Most couples will become pregnant during the course of a year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Infertility is defined as one year of unprotected intercourse without conception. That is traditionally the amount of time most people would wait for an infertility evaluation. Some exceptions exist in which evaluation might be started sooner. They have to do with certain risk factors for infertility such as a history of pelvic infections, advanced age, and certain endocrine disorders among others. If you have special circumstances, see your Carteret Ob/Gyn provider to discuss it further.

Plan B and emergency contraception

Plan B and other medical regimens are available for emergency contraception. They provide a large dose of progestins to suppress ovulation. This is NOT the same as RU486, the abortion pill which causes abortion. Instead it is a contraceptive that prevents pregnancy in the first place. It is only for use in emergencies when it is feared that there was a failure of your chosen method of birth control (ex: the condom broke). It is available over the counter and without a prescription for women above the age of 18.