A brand new Canadian survey confirms what many moms who've done their time in the baby-making trenches will tell you: the prospect of trying to conceive—of having endless baby-making sex—isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The Harris Decima study, which was conducted on behalf of pregnancy and ovulation test manufacturer First Response, found that the majority of Canadian women find the process of trying to conceive both frustrating and confusing.
As many as 50 per cent of Canadian women are unclear about how to predict their most fertile days and 79 per cent of Canadian women report having irregular cycles, something that makes it even more difficult to pinpoint the timing of their most fertile days.
If the first half of the cycle is all about anticipation (ensuring that there are ample sperm on hand during the 12 to 24 hour window of opportunity when an egg is capable of being fertilized), the second half is all about waiting (waiting for a sufficient number of days to pass to test for pregnancy). Approximately 50 per cent of women who are waiting to find out if they are pregnant experience anxiety during this time, according to the Harris Decima study.
Of course, Mother Nature doesn't make it easy on you while you're playing the waiting game: some of the symptoms of early pregnancy mimic the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. And even the most sensitive pregnancy test can't be used until five days before the day of your next menstrual period (about nine days post-ovulation for most women). It's no wonder the process of trying to conceive is frequently described as an emotional roller coaster. Your emotions end up dipping and diving along with your hormones and the result on that much-anticipated pregnancy test. Oh baby, indeed.
Now over to you: If you've had experience trying to conceive, how did you manage to keep your stress level in check—or did you? (Maybe you became completely stressed out despite your best efforts.) Were you able to keep the fun in your relationship with your partner? What advice would you offer to other couples who are taking the first tentative steps down this path?
The Harris Decima study, which was conducted on behalf of pregnancy and ovulation test manufacturer First Response, found that the majority of Canadian women find the process of trying to conceive both frustrating and confusing.
As many as 50 per cent of Canadian women are unclear about how to predict their most fertile days and 79 per cent of Canadian women report having irregular cycles, something that makes it even more difficult to pinpoint the timing of their most fertile days.
If the first half of the cycle is all about anticipation (ensuring that there are ample sperm on hand during the 12 to 24 hour window of opportunity when an egg is capable of being fertilized), the second half is all about waiting (waiting for a sufficient number of days to pass to test for pregnancy). Approximately 50 per cent of women who are waiting to find out if they are pregnant experience anxiety during this time, according to the Harris Decima study.
Of course, Mother Nature doesn't make it easy on you while you're playing the waiting game: some of the symptoms of early pregnancy mimic the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. And even the most sensitive pregnancy test can't be used until five days before the day of your next menstrual period (about nine days post-ovulation for most women). It's no wonder the process of trying to conceive is frequently described as an emotional roller coaster. Your emotions end up dipping and diving along with your hormones and the result on that much-anticipated pregnancy test. Oh baby, indeed.
Now over to you: If you've had experience trying to conceive, how did you manage to keep your stress level in check—or did you? (Maybe you became completely stressed out despite your best efforts.) Were you able to keep the fun in your relationship with your partner? What advice would you offer to other couples who are taking the first tentative steps down this path?
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