[ArdentLover]

I am 23 years old. My lover and I are ready to start a family. Any tips on good sex positions or foods for conception would be greatly appreciated!:)

[DoulaLC]

Hi ArdentLover,

You can try as soon as you like. What sort of birth control were you using? If depo provera, it is important to know that for some women it can take many months before fertility returns.

Position is not really that important. While some positions may cause you to feel as though all the semen/sperm is flowing back out, this is not the case. Plenty will be deposited at the cervix. Some women like to remain lying down after sex for a time feeling that it helps increase the odds if more fluid remains inside. It is really up to you and what you are comfortable with.

The main suggestion with food is simply to do what you can to be in the best health prior to becoming pregnant. That would mean making healthy food choices, from a wide variety. A prenatal vitamin, or multivitamin with at least 400 mcg of folic acid (which most have), would also be wise to start on while trying to conceive. The folic acid is thought to help prevent certain birth defects that occur very early on. It is also important to have throughout pregnancy, particularly again in the last trimester.

It can be helpful to try different means for determining when you are most likely to be ovulating. Watching for changes in cervical mucus, perhaps checking cervical position (not everyone is comfortable in doing so), trying ovulation predictor tests, temping and charting to watch for changes in temperature that can indicate when ovulation has occurred, etc. Some of these can take a few months of checking to notice a pattern emerge.

If you can have frequent sex, about every other day, throughout each cycle, then timing should not be an issue. It may happen fairly soon, but it can take several months, if not longer, even with good timing, so try not to get too discouraged if it doesn't happen very quickly.

[ArdentLover]

I am using Tri previfem birth control. Thanks for the advice :)