When a woman is already 38 weeks pregnant, one of the things she can do to ensure that her pregnancy will not cause her or her baby health problems is to induce labor. Inducing labor should be taken seriously, but it doesn’t have to be done through the use of medicines and the likes. In fact, inducing labor is best done the natural way. Here’s how:
Relax

Relax and do not allow yourself to get stressed out. Labor will not take place if the pregnant woman who is supposed to give birth is too tense. You can try the following to make it easy for you to relax if you are expecting a baby:
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do the inhale and exhale method
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massage yourself
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think of happy thoughts
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picture out what your baby will be
The power of sex

Sex is considered as one of the most effective ways of inducing labor. It is a good technique because it’s an intimate experience you can share with the father of your child, which would bring out a happier sense of well-being for you. This techniques works when the semen dilates the cervix.
Walk it

Walk your way in the park or at the mall. This is a form of exercise that will not be too tiring on your part. Make sure you drink lots of fluid and do not overdo the exercise.
Drink red tea

Raspberry red tea is a good alternative for toning the cervix. It can provide pregnant women with health benefits regardless of the stage of pregnancy that they are in.
Ride a swing

Go to the park and ride the swing. The movement of your body through riding the swing will help the baby be put in a position that is best for childbirth.

These natural ways to induce labor are safe and effective, but because pregnant women should always be cautious, they should also consult their physicians so as not to have health complications.

Infertility is defined as a person’s inability to contribute to conception. There are several factors which can make a person susceptible to infertility. Anxiety and depression are the more common psychological factors that contribute to infertility. Meanwhile, reproductive track infections, diabetes, hypertension and blocked reproductive structures rank highest among the health conditions that may trigger infertility. While these conditions may be aided by counseling, antibiotics, insulin shots, a healthy diet, and surgery to counteract infertility, other treatments that can directly treat infertility are also an option. One of these treatment options is called the Intrauterine Insemination (IUI).

What is IUI?
IUI is a treatment for infertility which yields better results in cases when infertility is caused by male sexual dysfunction, female cervical factors, or both. The IUI process is performed in a medical facility. It involves introducing concentrated sperm, either from the male partner or a sperm donor, into a woman’s uterus through a tube that is to be inserted through a woman’s vagina.
The IUI process is relatively painless and is said to be one of the most stress-free methods to be used by infertile couples. Consequently, IUI is among the more common options advised by doctors to couples who find it difficult to have a baby.

Sperm preparation before IUI
Like all medical processes, certain preparation needs to be done to ensure better results. In the case of an IUI process, sperm washing should be undertaken before it can be put inside a woman’s uterus. Sperm washing is the process in which individual sperms are separated from the seminal fluid. This process can take about 30 minutes to 2 hours. Doctors who perform this medical process reiterate that the higher the number of sperms used, the better chances of a successful IUI.

Success rate of IUI

IUI is seemingly a tedious process. Is it worth it?

According to medical experts, the process of IUI has a success rate of 20%. They also noted that the use of fertility drugs to produce multiple eggs have an increased rate of up to 30%.
They added that the insemination process should be done during a woman’s ovulation cycle; otherwise, the outcome of the procedure may not be successful.

Length and weight
By week 9, your baby measures .9-1.2 inches from crown to rump. By week 10, your baby is now officially a ‘fetus’. He/she now measures 1.25-1.68 inches and weigh a little less that 2/10 of an ounce. By the 11th week, your baby is about the size of a large lime - measuring about 1.75 to 2.4 inches from crown to rump, and weighing about 3/10 of an ounce. At the end of the 3rd month (week 12), your baby now measures 2.5-4 inches from crown to rump and weigh about 3/10 to an ounce.

Arms and legs
Your baby’s arms and legs are longer now. During week 9, the fingers might appear swollen where the pads are forming. After two weeks the fingernails are already showing identifying characteristics. By week 12, he/she will be fully formed, finger and toe nails included.

Movement
At the third month, your baby can now move his/her body and limbs. By his/her 10th week, he/she is already able to kick and swallow, though you won’t be able to feel it yet, but his/her movements can be visible during your ultrasound. By the end of this month, your baby can already open and close his/her fists and mouth.

Development of other body parts
Your baby’s head is now more erect and his neck is stronger and more developed. His/her bones start to harden. By your 10th week, the most critical part of you baby’s development has already passed. The eyes are still covered by skin, but this will eventually split to form eyelids. His/her external ears are also formed. The ’swooshing’ sound of your baby’s heartbeat is stronger and can already be heard using a Doppler stethoscope. His/her external genitalia is already starts to differentiate and have distinguishing characteristics. But it’s still hard to tell his/her gender without genetic testing.

At the end of the third month, your baby is fully formed. All he/she has to do is continue to grow and develop. He/she already has arms, hands, fingers, feet and toes, and the beginnings of teeth start to form. Your baby’s circulatory and urinary systems should be working fine and his/her liver is already producing bile.

Embryo
In the second month of your baby’s life, he/she will will develop from a blastocyst into an embryo. By the 5th week of pregnancy, your baby will be around .05 inches long. The primitive circulatory system - Heart, brain, spinal cord, muscle and bones are still continuing to develop.

Faster heart beat
In his/her second month of life - around the 7th week, your baby’s heart will start to beat - slowly at first then it will beat very rapidly. The heart, along with the lungs continue to develop. Later on, at a more advance stage of pregnancy, your baby’s heart rate will slow down. By the end of this month heart activity is always present on ultrasound.

Which way is up
At this point in your pregnancy, it is quite hard to tell which way is up. As this month goes on, it will be easier to tell which end is the head and which end is the bottom.

Upper and lower limb buds
Around the 6th week of pregnancy, the upper and lower limb buds of your baby start to develop. Your baby has grown a bit during this stage. He/she now measures anywhere between .08-.16 inches. By the 7th week, the upper and lower limb buds start to look like short fins. The hands and feet now have a digital plate where the fingers and toes will develop. Your baby also goes through a bit of a growth spurt during this week - he/she will measure anywhere between .44 - .52 inches. By the 8th week, your baby’s arms have grown longer and bend at the elbows. The places where the fingers and toes will grow are becoming notched. Your baby now measures anywhere between .56 - .08 inches.

Lungs, liver, pancreas, stomach and other body parts.
The beginnings of a primitive liver, lungs, pancreas and stomach will also begin to develop. So do your baby’s eyes and nostrils. By the 8th week of pregnancy, your baby’s eyelids fold and the ears start to form. The tip of the nose is also visible now.

Baby’s gender
Though your baby already has a sex, it is not yet apparent without genetic screening.

Ovulation
Ovulation is the perfect time for you to get pregnant. The egg now only needs to be fertilized.

Conception
This is when the egg is fertilized by the sperm, and voila! You’re pregnant.

Your baby’s gender
Your baby’s gender is automatically set the moment the egg was fertilized. The egg either carries either an “X” or a “Y” chromosome. Though your baby already has a gender, you won’t be able to tell yet if it’s a girl or a boy. You’re going to have to wait until somewhere around the 7th month.

Implantation
At this point, you, the mom to be may experience spotting or implantation bleeding. This can happened around 10-14 days after conception. You may mistake the spotting as the start of your period. However, you will notice the bleeding id extremely light and lasts only a day or so.

Neural tubes start to form
The neural tubes will later develop into the nervous system - the brain, the spinal cord, hair and skin. At this point, the foundation for your baby’s thought, senses, feeling, etc.

Heart and primitive circulatory system begin to form
With the first month of your baby’s life, a primitive circulatory system starts form rapidly. This primitive circulatory system is the life support that will carry your baby for his/her entire life.

Effects of vaccines on pregnant women

At present, the risk to a developing fetus from vaccinating a mother during pregnancy is still primarily theoretical. Live vaccines pose a theoretical threat to the unborn child. But there is still no evidence of risk of vaccinating pregant women, whether be it with inactivated virus, bacterial vaccines or toxoids. The benefits of getting vaccinated usually outweigh the potential risks, when there’s a high possibility of developing a disease, when infection poses a risk to both the mother and the fetus, and when the vaccine is unlikely to cause harm. Live-virus vaccines are generally contraindicated because pf the theoretical risk of transmitting the vaccine virus to the fetus.

Theoretical risk effects

When a pregnant woman is vaccinated or if a woman is vaccinated and became pregnant even a month prior to pregnancy, the theoretical risk is that the vaccines may cause birth defects like those that occur from chickenpox. These birth defects include: limb abnormalities including absence or underdevelopment; abnormal brain development; mental retardation; scarring of the skin; eye abnormalities.

In cases where a pregnant women is administered vaccines or if a woman later becomes after having been vaccinated recently, she should seek counseling to know the potential effects of the virus on the fetus.

However, vaccination is not an indication to terminate pregnancy. Regardless of the type of vaccine used, vaccination of pregnant women should be considered on the basis of risks versus benefits

(source:http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/preg-guide.htm)

It important to know and understand the various signs and symptoms of pregnancy because there may be an underlying condition to each symptom other than pregnancy.

Some women do not develop symptoms within the first weeks of pregnancy. Some my not even develop symptoms at all. While for other women, symptoms develop as early as week after conception.

Below are some of the most common pregnancy symptoms, and their alternative explanations (other than pregnancy). If you have any of the following symptoms, take a pregnancy test.

Implantation Bleeding
It is one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. Six to twelve days after conceiving, the embryo implants itself into the uterine wall. During this time, some women experience spotting and even some cramping.
Alternative explanations: actual or altered menstruation, changes in birth control pill, infection or abrasion gotten from intercourse.

Delay or Difference in Menstruation
The most common symptom leading women to test pregnancy. Your period should stop when you get pregnant. Some women experience bleeding while they are pregnant, but it should be shorter or lighter than a regular period.

Alternative explanations: excessive weight gain or loss, fatigue, hormonal imbalance ot problems, stress, stopping taking birth control pills, breast feeding.

Swollen/Tender Breasts
This common pregnancy symptom occurs one to two weeks after conception. Some women report that their breasts feel tender to touch, are sore or swollen.
Alternative explanations: hormonal imbalance, birth control pills, PMS.

Fatigue/Tiredness
Common pregnancy symptoms which can start as early as the the first week after conception.
Alternative explanations:stress, exhaustion, depression, illnesses such as the common cold, flu, etc.

Nausea or Morning Sickness
A popular pregnancy symptom that occurs 2-8 weeks after pregnancy after conception. Most women experience morning sickness throughout their pregnancy, while some women don’t experience morning sickness at all.

Alternative explanations: stress, stomach disorders or food poisoning.

Backaches
Lower backaches are common pregnancy symptom which occurs within the first few months of pregnancy, but may also be experienced throughout the entire pregnancy.
Alternative explanations: impending menstruation, stress, back problems, physical and/or mental strain
Backaches:
Lower backaches may be a symptom that occurs early in pregnancy; however, it is common to experience a dull backache throughout an entire pregnancy.

Other Explanations: Impending menstruation, stress, other back problems, and physical or mental strains.

Headaches
Another common pregnancy symptom caused by the sudden surge of hormones in the body. This surge causes headaches early in the pregnancy.

Alternative explanations: ailments that can be the source of frequent headaches, eye strain, impending menstruation, dehydration, caffeine withdrawal.

Frequent Urination
A common pregnancy symptom which occurs about 6-8 weeks after conception.
Alternative explanations:urinary tract infection, increased liquid intake, excessive diuretics, diabetes.

Darkening of Areolas
It is common in pregnant women for the skin around the nipples to get darker.

Alternative explanation: hormonal imbalance, left over from a previous pregnancy. If the change in color is a bit strange, for instance purplish, it may be a sign of more a serious condition such as cancer. However, in the absence of lumps or rashes, it may simply be just hormones and is nothing to be worried about.

However, mentioning it to your physician is a good idea.

Food Cravings
Food cravings are common in pregnant women and may be experienced throughout the entire pregnancy.
Alternative explanation: poor diet or lack of a certain nutrient, stress, depression or impending menstruation.

(source:http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/earlypregnancysymptoms.html)

According to doctors, there has been no medical findings suggesting that medications such as those mentioned previously have no effect on a woman’s BBT reading. In fact, you can see no rise in daily temperatures.

However, hormones such as projesterone, have an effect on your BBT reading. Having a projesterone test could cause your BBT reading to rise, particularly if you take hormones during your luteal phase.

What is Clomid?

Clomid (Clomiphene, Serophene) is an oral medication that induces ovulation. It works by making your pituitary gland think you ovaries are not doing their job. The pituitary gland will try to stimulate the ovarian response by increasing the output of stimulating the Luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). According to report by women who take Clomid, the resulting high hormone levels begin to drop again by the fifth day of taking the medication. This is when the ovary begins to respond.

Clomid can be used by women who are not ovulating, those who are ovulating regularly, and those who require assistance in the correction of their luteal phase defect.

How does clomid affect basal body temperature?

According to some users of Clomid, this medication causes their basal body temperature to be quite high while taking it, then drop after, finally rising again with ovulation. Clomid has also been reported to have an effect on fertile cervical mucus. Clomid causes a decrease in the volume of cervical mucus or produce hostile cervical mucus, according to scientific studies.

Some women report that when charting your BBT and taking clomid at the same time, your temperatures will rise usually on the third day of Clomid use up to a few days after you stop using the medication. Ovulation usually happens 5-14 days after your last day of taking Clomid. Thus you can identify if the increase in your temperatures is due to Clomid or ovulation. If you start using your ovulation prediction kits while taking clomid or even up to 2 days after the last pill, you wil reportedly see a false positive test, which is quite normal. But for more accurate results, use your ovulation prediction kits 3-4 days after your last Clomid pill.