Trying to Conceive

If you're ready to try to conceive, there are some important things to do to get ready. Here are 8 steps to take before trying to conceive. For more details, check out the full article. ...

Having trouble getting pregnant? What you're eating might just have an effect on your family planning. Try adding in few a these fertility-boosting foods to see if they do the trick! Switch to Plant-Based Proteins   According findings from...

*/ Genes come in pairs, and each gene in a pair may differ slightly. One gene may be dominant, and override the other gene, which is recessive. A recessive gene only has an effect if both genes in a pair are recessive. An example is eye color. A...

TTC? First off, you may be thinking, what does ttc mean? I remember googling those three little letters when my husband and I were talking about starting a family. I was the woman who would see a baby and get a twinge in my belly telling me to j...

Most women know that a healthy body and lifestyle are vital during pregnancy, but did you know that preconception health can be just as important? Before you actively start trying to conceive, follow these steps to help prepare your body for a he...

Are you considering having another child, but are worried about the financial aspect of adding to your family? Raising a child is no doubt expensive, and while ultimately your decision might not be based on dollars and cents, it's still impo...

*/ The two-week wait to find out if you have conceived can feel like years if you are trying to have a baby. Some pregnancy symptoms can begin a just few days after conception, even before a positive pregnancy test would register. So how can you...

Through the generationsThrough each generation, genes are shuffled and re-shuffled. Half of a baby's genes come from its father and half from its mother. The baby's parents in turn inherited half each of their genes from each of their own parents...

Each woman is born with her full quota of follicles that contain immature eggs, some of which will mature and be released in her lifetime. Every month, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), released from the pituitary gland, encourages a number of ...

Some couples find that conception takes longer than anticipated. If you haven't become pregnant after two years of trying, your doctor may suggest fertility testing to identify if your fertility or that of your partner is suboptimal. If this is t...

What's happening insideThe ovary can be seen here at the end of the fallopian tube. At around this time of the menstrual cycle, a follicle at the surface of the ovary releases an egg, which is swept down the tube by clearly visible fingerlike pro...

  Today in the US, one in every 31 births is a twin birth. Twins are conceived in two ways that result in either identical or nonidentical twins. Identical twins occur when one fertilized egg splits into two separate cells. This type of twin ...

Genes are located on rodlike structures called chromosomes that are found in the nucleus of every cell in the body. Each gene occupies a specific position on a chromosome. Because genes provide instructions for making proteins, and proteins deter...

Toward the end of this week, one of the eggs in your ovaries is likely to have reached full maturity. Ovulation occurs as the egg, under the influence of hormones, bursts out of its follicle. If it meets a sperm, you may become pregnant. Now is t...

What's happening insideHere, three developing ovarian follicles can be seen in white. The inner circle of each is the egg. Of the follicles shown, it is likely that only one will fully mature at ovulation and release an egg. ...

It's business as usual for your body this week. You're having a period, so you know you're not pregnant. But if you conceive during this menstrual cycle, the first day of your period will count as the first day of pregnancy. It's a good idea to r...

Your baby todayExternal appearances are deceptive: although your baby seems very well developed, it's still early in the pregnancy-the state of the cervix and progesterone produced by the placenta both play a part in ensuring that labor does not ...

What's happening insideWhen the two nuclei have pooled their genetic material to create a cell containing its full complement of 46 chromosomes-23 each from the mother and father-the cell can start dividing, shown here at the first division creat...