Dads-to-be Preconception and Dads-to-be Pregnancy Articles

Dads-to-be -- Preconception

Common causes of fertility problems in men -- Between 10 and 15 percent of all couples in the United States have fertility problems. (About 35 to 40 percent of cases can be attributed to problems in the man, 50 percent to problems in the woman, and the rest to unexplained causes and multiple factors involving both partners.) If you've had unprotected sex for more than a year (or six months if you're over 35) without conceiving, see your doctor. Nearly 90 percent of fertility problems can be pinpointed and the vast majority treated. Read on to learn about the common culprits, typical treatments, and percentages of couples who go on to become pregnant. (Keep in mind that the...read more

Dads-to-be: Diet changes to boost your fertility -- Nutrition has a direct impact on the potency of your sperm. Research shows that poor eating habits and regular consumption of alcohol, for instance, can lower the quality and quantity of sperm, making conception more difficult. And since infertility is nearly as much a man's issue as a woman's — up to 40 percent of fertility problems can be traced to men — eating healthfully now will boost your...read more

Fertility drugs for men -- Just as women need the right balance of hormones to ovulate regularly, men need certain hormones to produce healthy sperm. Surprisingly, the same substances control these reproductive functions in both men and women — so the same fertility drugs that stimulate ovulation stimulate sperm production.

The catch is that the drugs don't perform nearly as well for men (success rates are about a third of those for women), and the FDA hasn't yet approved them for use in men, though a specialist can prescribe them. Very few studies have been done on the effects of fertility drugs on men, and those few agree on just one thing: The drugs can help only men...read more

Fertility treatment: Getting started -- You have a number of choices, so you and your doctor will devise a treatment plan, starting with the least invasive options first. Your impulse may be to head straight for the most advanced and expensive treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), thinking you'll get pregnant faster. But cheaper therapies, such as fertility drugs or surgery, are often very effective. In fact, 85 to 90 percent of couples with fertility problems who go on to have children...read more

Male fertility worksheet -- Since fertility problems are a shared concern, you and your partner should go to the first appointment together. Bring copies of your health records to your visit and have copies sent to your doctor ahead of time to avoid the hassle and expense of duplicating medical tests. Expect to be asked about your sexual history, whether you've ever had any sexually transmitted infections, how often you make...read more

Sexual positions for baby-making -- Many experts suspect that the missionary position (man on top) affords the best opportunity for baby-making, though no definitive studies have been done on this question. This position allows for the deepest penetration and, as a result, places sperm closer to the cervix. For additional effectiveness, the woman can try elevating her hips with a pillow so her cervix is exposed to the maximum amount of semen...read more

Ten things HE should do before you try to get pregnant -- You don't usually find men scouring pre-pregnancy books, stocking up on all the right vitamins and minerals, and avoiding hidden dangers that could harm their baby-to-be. But this kind of male nesting behavior should be more commonplace, says F. Sessions Cole, a neonatal specialist and director of the newborn medicine division at St. Louis Children's Hospital. When a couple is trying to get pregnant, "most of the attention is focused on the woman," he says, "But men make up half of the equation." If you're thinking about becoming a dad, here's a list of what you can do before heading down the conception road...read more

Dads-to-be -- Pregnancy

A dad's introduction to childbirth class -- One of the best ways to prepare for childbirth — an eye-opening experience for most of us — is to accompany your wife or partner to a childbirth education class. Almost all hospitals and birth centers hold sessions, and parents are usually given the option of attending two or three short evening sessions or one long daytime session. For me, the class was a great introduction to the big event, still several weeks off for us...read more

A dad's role in delivery -- The father's role in childbirth has changed dramatically since the days when spouses paced the hospital waiting room, anxiously awaiting a doctor's announcement: "It's a girl." Today, many men are involved from the moment the pregnancy test comes back positive, attending prenatal appointments, childbirth classes, and, after the birth, father-baby groups...read more

Fathering classes: Could you use one? -- If you consider how much time we spend learning about our jobs, sports, and hobbies, it's hard to believe how little we prepare for becoming a parent. In prenatal classes my wife and I attended for our first child, now a teenager, the teacher earmarked 20 minutes to talk about the father's role. I knew I wanted to know more about my feelings and the changes I was undergoing, but I had little opportunity to find out how the other expectant dads in the group were feeling...read more

Five myths of fatherhood -- If you're like most new or expectant dads, you probably have a few assumptions about what it means to be a father. Those ideas are rooted in your experiences with your own father and in what you believe society expects of fathers. Unfortunately, few resources exist to help men address these issues or put common myths to the test. Yet the more you examine and understand your unspoken expectations of fatherhood, the better chance you have of becoming the parent you want to be...read more