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Clearblue conception and pregnancy webchat, 12-1pm on Wed 27th April

Babyexpert is pleased to welcome Dr Dawn Harper, Clearblue Fertility expert, to answer your questions about conception and pregnancy in a LIVE webchat on Wednesday 27th April, from 12-1pm.



Don't worry if you can't make chat on the day, leave your question below now and Dawn will endeavor to answer as many questions on the day as possible.
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Replies

  • Hi Dawn

    I'm 39 this year and already have a 2 year old, i'd love to have a second child but feel time is running out! I was lucky enough to get pregnant straight away with my first child, do you think if i leave having a second child any later it will be difficult to conceive?



    Thanks
  • I am trying to get pregnant and was wondering if there was anything in particluar that I should be doing to ensure that my body is in prime shape to concieve?



    Thanks,
  • Hello mummy_fromealing,

    I have had lots of patients who have conceived naturally in their 40s but it is true that our fertility declines in our forties so if you are certain that you would like to try for a second child I would start trying sooner rather than later

    Dawn
  • Hello EJagger

    Yes - there are lots of things you can do to prepare yourself for pregnancy. If you smoke stop now, try to eat a healthy well balanced and maintain a healthy weight. Being underweight or overweight can both affect your fertility so aim for a body mass index between 18.5 and 25 (BMI = weight in kilos divided by square of your height in metres). YOu should also ideally start taking folic acid supplements for 3 months before you conceive and for the first three months of pregnancy to reduce the risk of spina bifida. And ask you GP to check that you are up to date with smears and to check your rubella status - if you are not immune they will be able to offer you the vaccine before you get pregnant and good luck!
  • Hi Dawn,



    I'm 31 and may have pcos. What are the chances of me conceiving and going on to have a healthy pregnancy?
  • Hello Splashpot22

    PCOS can be associated with reduced fertility. It depends on how often you ovulate - some women with PCOS ovulate frequently and others not at all. YOu would probably be an ideal candidate to use a fertility monitor so that you can tell if you are ovulating and if you find that you are not then you could see your GP for help. There are lots of ladies out there with PCOS who have conceived naturally - I hope you will be one of them

    Dawn
  • Hi Dawn, I had my son 4 months ago and have just found out I'm pregnant again. I'm still a bit shocked by it all and am worried about whether is it more risky to have pregnancies this close together? And will my baby be healthy?
  • I'm on my 3rd month of using the clearblue fertility monitor (6th month ttc) and was wondering on average how many cycles with it does it take to get pregnant?
  • Hello splashpot22 - for some reason my reply doesn't seem to have posted so I will try again. PCOS can be associated with reduced fertility - it depends on how often you ovulate. Some PCOS sufferers ovulate frequently, others don't. You would probably be an ideal candidate to use a fertility monitor so that you can find out early on if you are ivulating and if you are not your GP will be able to help. There are lots of ladies out there with PCOS who have conceived naturally so I hope you will be one of them

    Best wishes

    Dawn
  • Hello Maddie Amelia

    Don't worry - I'm sure it was a bit of a surprise but there is no reason to suspect there will be any problems. My sister in law had her first two children within one year and they are very healthy children and I have had lots of patients over the years who relied on breast feeding as form of contraception only to find they were pregnant sooner than they had planned to be!
  • Hi Dawn,

    Is it safe to continue running and doing excercise whilst pregnant? Please could you advise how much running is safe and if there is anything else I can do to keep fit and healthy whilst pregnant?
  • Hello Lady-is_broody

    Statistics show that 9 out of ten couples trying to conceive will be successful within twelve months. The clearblue fertility monitor helps you conceive naturally by identifying your fertile days so that you can plan your intercourse and maximise your chances of pregnancy. If you have not conceived within a year, have a chat with your GP or sooner if you are concerned
  • Hello summeruk5

    How much exercise you should do while pregnant depends a little on how active you were before conception. Pregnancy certainly isn't the time to start training for your first marathon but if you have always run then continuing your normal exercise programme is probably fine as long as you listen to your body and make sure that you also get adequate rest and eat and drink well. If you develop abdominal pain while exercising then you should stop

    Dawn
  • Hi again!



    I have a Clearblue fertility monitor which I used for several months and never got a "Peak" Day. I bleed for longer than usual and roughly have a 21 - 23 day cycle. Problem being, I am usually bleeding on the day I should be ovulating (which I dont think is happening). Is there anything I can do to help get my cycle back on track. I am currently seeing my doctor who has referred me for an ultrasound, but i am just fed up with all this bleeding and only having 5 -7 days off between periods.
  • Hi splashpot22

    Poor you - I'm not surprised you are fed up with your bleeding! Make sure that you are testing using your first urine of the day and in fact your monitor learns your cycle and stores that information over several cycles to give you the most accurate picture, so do keep trying.

    I suspect your GP has referred you for an ultrasound to check for polycystic ovaries which can cause problems with ovulation, so do go for your tests and I hope you get some good results soon

    Dawn
  • Hi Gibbo7

    Only you can really decide whether it is right for you to have another child. Your age and weight may mean your fertility is slightly reduced and from a health point of view, it would certainly be better if you could lose some weight before conceiving but I know it is more difficult over the age of 40. We all used to talk about middle aged spread but it's not a term we hear very often these days. Our metabolic rates often slow over 40 though so losing weight can be more difficult. You shoud aim for a gradual weight loss of 1-2 pounds a week and do it through healthy eating and regular exercise - that doesn't have to be a gym. A good brisk walk for half an hour every day will boost your metabolism and help you lose the weight - good luck

    Dawn
  • I will persevere with the monitor and see what the ultrasound detects. Many Thanks!!! Splash
  • Thanks for your advice Dawn
  • YOu are welcome. The clearblue digital ovulation test is over 99% accurate so should help take the guess work out of getting pregnant. Good luck. I will be back on www.babyexpert.com on 23rd May so do let me know how you get on

    Dawn
  • How long should I expect to wait for an ultrasound?
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