When is the best time to get pregnant?

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Trying to conceive or even planning when to get pregnant can be a difficult topic. But, why should it be? The Fertility Partnership (TFP), one of the UK’s largest IVF providers and fertility specialists, shares some insight into the best time to get pregnant and factors to consider when planning for a new addition to your family.

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The best time to have sex in order to get pregnant is during a woman’s fertile window. This can last up to six days of every month, when the body is leading up to ovulation, and the day of, when the body releases an egg.

The egg survives for around one day once it has been released. However, sperm can survive inside a woman for up to a week, resulting in a six-day window for the sperm to meet an egg.

Women are most likely to conceive if they have sex within a day or two of ovulation. However, it can be difficult to know when ovulation is going to occur and therefore the days before it. Many women like to be precise and use calendars to help them work out when they will ovulate, but it’s healthiest to enjoy sex every two to three days for best results.

When a woman ovulates in any given cycle, it depends on a couple of factors:

  • The length of the woman’s menstrual cycle
  • How regular the woman’s periods are

A menstrual cycle can last between 21 and 40 days, though the average cycle is around 28 days. Regardless of how short or long a woman’s cycle normally is, ovulation will often occur around two weeks before her next period begins. If a woman has a 28-day menstrual cycle, she is likely to start ovulating around the middle of her cycle. Those with a short cycle can ovulate within days of her period coming to an end.

If a woman’s menstrual cycle is different from one month to the next, her fertile window is likely to vary by about a week between each period. This explains why it’s best to have sex every two to three days throughout a cycle. It has proven to be more effective than focusing only on the days of ovulation. Regular sex also improves the quality of sperm compared to daily sex.

How will you know when you are going to ovulate?

Many women are very aware of when they are going to ovulate, however others experience little to no changes at all. For women who are thinking about getting pregnant, it’s important to get in touch with your body and start looking out for and recognising signs of an approaching ovulation. These signs may appear around three weeks before a woman can expect her next period. Some common signs to look out for are:

  • Increased vaginal discharge (fertile mucus) that’s wetter and more stretchy than usual
  • Slight discomfort on one side of the stomach
  • Increased libido

Checking cervical mucus is one of the easiest ways to work out what days you will be most fertile. Changes to mucus are one of the easiest signs for women to spot.

 

What if you have irregular periods – will it be harder for you to get pregnant?

No, not necessarily. Irregular periods do not mean that a woman is less fertile than women with regular periods. However, if you are experiencing periods that are continuously irregular or more than 36 days apart, it is advised to see your doctor. Irregular periods can be caused by conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid disorders. Unfortunately, these conditions can affect a woman’s chances of conceiving, so it’s ideal to visit a doctor to obtain help and advice.

If you’re still experiencing issues with conceiving and think you need some extra assistance, The Fertility Partnership can help. Offering many different kinds of treatment including IVF, fertility preservation, fertility assessments and more it has over 200 fertility specialists within its nine clinics across the UK & Ireland.

To find out more about the treatments it offers, what would work best for you or simply to find your nearest clinic visit www.thefertilitypartnership.com.

 

WELSH WRITING WEDNESDAYS: INTRODUCING INDEPENDENT AUTHOR ALIENORA BROWNING

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Writing is, for me, like breathing: I feel oxygen-starved without it, and it has the same natural rhythms, dips and soaring highs. It is also my dominant ‘voice’ since I tend to be a listener, rather than a talker, in many situations.

I do not remember learning to write per se, but I do recall a wonderful ‘Aha!’ moment, when I was five or six, when I suddenly made the connection between the five letters which made up my nickname, its sound and the fact that it was part of me!

I wrote a play when I was eleven – and have it still, neatly written in a little blue exercise book. This was during the summer of 1969, just after my class watched the Moon Landing – and as I waited to start grammar school, having passed the 11+.

I can see that younger self, sitting in the hammock in the back garden, pen in hand, sun shining down on my hunched back, scribbling away – and feel the wave of creative excitement which lifted me up and suspended me, briefly, above the everyday world.

My now-nearly-fifty-year journal-writing habit started by accident (in the sense that I had never thought of such a way of expressing myself until then) in early January 1972.

Two days before my fourteenth birthday, a group of us from my school went to Glasbury, in Wales, for a fortnight of physical activity: climbing, canoeing, camping, gorge-walking and so forth. As part of the course, we were each given a pale green notebook – and asked to keep a diary account of our experiences.

I fell in love with this means of expression immediately – and, while most of the girls loathed having to do it every day, I relished the exercise and very much felt as if I had found my voice, as a girl and as a writer; in fact, so enamoured of it did I become that I ended up filling two green books!

I now have over a hundred volumes of the journal, currently stashed away in a safe space – and use it almost every day (though there are, inevitably, gaps over the years and decades), even writing in it whilst in labour and on the day my son was born!

The novel-writing came upon me towards the end of my time at Aberystwyth University – and early drafts of books won me an honourable mention, a third prize and a first prize in local South West Arts Writers in Progress awards.

Motherhood, marriage and full time teaching very much put the novel-writing side of things on the back burner – and it was only when I took early retirement in 2011 that I was able to complete previous books and write more.

I now have seven books published via Amazon and KDP (all available as both e-books and paperbacks) – and ideas for an eighth are bubbling excitedly away in my creative cauldron.

The truth is very simple: I absolutely love writing – and that intimate, joyous connection between mind, hand, pen and paper never fails to delight and inspire me.

 

 

Around The Table – Great British Chefs In Your Own Kitchen (Well Almost) – Book Review by Award Winning Author Dr Kathleen Thompson

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Wouldn’t you love to have Michelin chef, Shaun Hill peering over your shoulder as you’re putting together a quick Chicken Bourride? ‘No dear, not flour, pop in a big dollop of garlic aioli to thicken the sauce, your guests will love it.’

If that resonates with you, then you need this fabulous new cookbook. Not just Shaun Hill, but sixteen top British chefs from around the UK share their secret tips for luxurious cuisine including: Chef Patron at KOL, Santiago Lastra; Great British Menu finalists Kerth Gumbs and Roberta Hall-McCarron; Executive Chef at Barrafina, Angel Zapata Martin; and Head Chef at acclaimed gastropub The Parkers Arms, Stosie Madi.

I love that this cookbook features the types of dishes so popular with modern entertaining: Small Plates, Sharing Platters, One Pots, Al Fresco, Dinner Party Starters, Dinner Party Mains, and Make-Ahead Desserts.

The recipes have that fine dining feel and yet are easy and fun to make, with plenty of supportive advice in the clear instructions. From Tuscan Fish Stew to Olive Oil Cake with Thyme Jelly and Elderflower Cream, even the titles make your mouth water.

The book’s beautifully illustrated, so you can see what you’re aiming for and it would make a fabulous gift (yes, Christmas is careering towards us rather too quickly).

Just to tempt you further the Wild Garlic Malfatti (an Italian gnocchi-dumpling hybrid) and the Sesame and Pink Grapefruit Treacle Tart are pictured below – how perfect for a late summer soirée?

Published by Great British Chefs, Around The Table is available from 2nd September 2021 priced at £24.99.

And now I need to start lunch – that Chicken Bourride isn’t going to make itself (even with Shaun Hill’s help).

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

CARIADS’ CHOICE: AUGUST BOOK REVIEWS

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Eva Glyn’s The Missing Pieces of Us, reviewed by Jan Baynham

I enjoyed ‘The Missing Pieces of Us’ immensely. Eva Glyn takes us on an emotional journey with the two main characters, Izzie and Robin. I liked the way the themes of love, grief, loss, and memory are explored from each of their POVs. The story slowly reveals how things that happened twenty years before have impacted on the two characters and made them the people they are today. The character of Claire is also developed well so that she plays a pivotal role in the journey. Central to the story is the fairy tree where people can come to make wishes and leave gifts. For me, that added element of folk-lore and magic makes the novel a little bit different.

 

Sandy Barker’s The Dating Game, reviewed by Kitty Wilson

I loved this perfect, feelgood summer read. The Dating Game is a gorgeous slow-burn romance with whip-smart humour threaded through every page.

Abby has been coerced into taking part on a dating show in Sydney to help inform her as she writes snarky reviews of each episode as her hilarious alter-ego, Anastasia. Whilst there, her relationship builds with the handsome producer, Jack, and I was rooting for them to get together all the way through.

This book isn’t a simple romance though, it is also a book that testifies to the strength of female friendship even when these women are pitted against each other.

Sandy Baker writes with such wit and warmth that it’s impossible not to get totally invested in this story and I frequently laughed out loud as we followed Abby and the other Does from one hideous Stag date to another. Wonderful, feelgood romcom escapism and highly recommended.

 

Philip Gwynne Jones’ The Venetian Game, reviewed by Evonne Wareham

If the lure of “Venice” in the title and the sumptuous cover tempt you into this book – you won’t be disappointed. Philip Gwynne Jones is Welsh, but now lives in Venice and it shows. This is the first in a series – now up to five – featuring Honorary British Consul Nathan Sutherland who has a talent for getting involved in unusual crimes that are rooted in the life of the city and which offer a real opportunity for some authentic armchair travel. Other than his consular work Nathan lives a more or less blameless life translating lawn mower manuals, frequenting the local bar and pandering to his ungrateful cat Gramsci. In this first in the series his consular role sees him reluctantly taking charge of a mysterious package which leads him into a tangled trail of forgery, theft and violence – an art scandal embedded in a deadly and longstanding feud between a pair of brothers.

 

Deborah Carr’s An Island at War, reviewed by Jane Cable

The fact Deborah Carr was born and bred in Jersey shines through in this novel, which is impeccably researched, apparently with the aid of family records.

The story is one of the German occupation and starts just a few days before the troops arrived and ends as they leave. I loved the fact that the passage of time and the events in the characters’ lives seemed so natural and it allowed Estelle’s story to unfold at just the right pace. The characters are wonderful too, and I came to really care about what happened to them, particularly enjoying the sensitive portrayal of how war can change everything, even the things we think are written in stone, about ourselves and about other people.

The one thing I was unsure about was the ending, but all the same I applaud the author for it. To say anything more would spoil the book and I wouldn’t want to do that, because it’s one you should read for yourself.

 

 

 

EVA GLYN ON THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE OLIVE GROVE

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Sometimes an idea for a book creeps into your heart and stays there. That was how The Olive Grove started for me, with a story told by our tour guide when we were on holiday in Croatia.

We were on a small-boat cruise that began in Dubrovnik and after visiting the main islands off the Dalmatian coast and some interesting places on the mainland, ended up in Trogir. And when we were on board travelling there were talks we could listen to and to make our experience complete we wanted to lap up every one.

The war in Yugoslavia was perhaps not a particularly enticing topic when the alternative was to sit on deck, watching the glistening sea ripple alongside the boat while soaking up some sun, but I remembered hearing about the war on the news at the time and was keen to know more. And then, somewhere between the dates, whys and wherefores, our guide Darko began to tell an incredible story. His own.

I suppose I had assumed Darko was Croatian, but he is in fact Bosnian and grew up in Mostar, one of the towns that was to be worst hit by the fighting. His father was a soldier in the Yugoslav army, but when everything fractured and splintered he followed his ethnicity and joined the Croatian side, having to leave his Serbian wife (and Serbia was now the enemy) at home with their sons.

I will never forget the silence in the room at the horror of what we were told. No electricity, no water, bombs raining down, queuing for food at the community organisation – life as we would all recognise it wiped out over the course of a few days in a war that would last for years. Darko’s life moved underground to the shelters, because they were the only safe place. And he was one of the lucky ones, because living in the army housing meant the shelters were purpose-built, deep and strong.

There were moments to awful to contemplate. Darko’s mother actually disappeared, as many people did during ethnic cleansing, but he was one of the few lucky ones because she actually came back. But there were moments of light too; finding a food parcel dropped by the UN and hoping it was one with chocolate inside.

These incidents and more form the kernel of The Olive Grove, but viewed through the prism of time by my proud Croatian character Damir. Orphaned during the war he was brought up by his aunt on the beautiful island of Korcula (which we visited during our trip); brought up to forget everything about his life before he came to the island. But when she dies, the past creeps back to find him.

While Darko wears his wartime past with relative ease (which is often the case when everyone around the child is having the same experiences, when the awfulness becomes a sort of normal), fictional Damir no longer can. And help comes from a surprising quarter. A middle aged English woman called Antonia who feels she has messed up her life so badly she takes a job on the island to take stock and to heal.

And that’s what The Olive Grove is really about. It’s about healing and friendship. Like Darko’s childhood memories there is sunshine and shade. And unlike them there is the most incredibly beautiful setting.

With Darko’s help over countless Zoom meetings during lockdown I have been able to create authentic Croatian characters and culture, so as well as the initial inspiration, there are many other reasons why The Olive Grove could not have been written without him. And what’s even better, we have become friends across the miles too.

CARIADS’ CHOICE: BANK HOLIDAY REVIEW SPECIAL

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Kitty Wilson’s Every Day in December, reviewed by Jane Cable

I always feel August is a little early to read a Christmas book, but so evocative were the descriptions of sledging on tin trays and making snow angels I actually felt cold!

Christmas, however, is just the backdrop to this heart-warming story and the characters are just wonderful. If I felt for Belle, and wanted to scream at her awful parents in anguish, I seriously fell in love with Rory; he too has heavy baggage to carry but it doesn’t follow him around like a thundercloud and you know from the start he is still capable of love and lightness.

Being Kitty Wilson, this is a funny book and will make you laugh out loud… Chardonnay and her pilot… Belle’s unusual ally when she has to play Christmas fairy… all beautifully crafted moments. But the love story takes centre stage; believable, real and flawed. I absolutely loved it.

 

Natalie Normann’s Summer Island, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

A gorgeous, joyful novel that made me want to ‘enjoy the silence and the wind – the smell of the {Nordic} island and take a deep breath.’ Perfect.

‘There’s more to life than a broken heart’, declares Ninni. At the end of a relationship with a pilot, she escapes to the family holiday home on a Norwegian island. Of her former lover, she mused, ‘if he were here, she would simply push him into the sea.’ And when you get to know Ninni, you really believe this would be possible.

There are sparks between Jack, the Englishman and Ninni, but you need to read to find out more. It was so much fun to experience Jack’s perspective as he learnt the Norwegian way of life on the island and dealt with the close knit, nosy community.

Gentle humour bubbles throughout the novel and it is a perfect escape.

 

Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became The Sun, reviewed by Kitty Wilson

This story was a reimagining of the rise of a young girl from a famine-stricken village in Fourteenth Century China; described as a cross between Mulan and the Song Of Achilles, it certainly lives up to this high praise. It is a truly epic tale, filled with love, loss, and betrayal and I absolutely loved it. We see Zhu rise from almost certain death as she decides to take on the fate ascribed to her brother and escapes her village to a nearby monastery by hiding the gender assigned to her at birth and training to become a monk. The story follows her life as she moves from monk to warrior, using her keen intelligence to rise to prominence. The world building is intricate and beautifully done, the characters are flawed and real and the story itself is utterly absorbing. It manages to combine tender moments with brutal ones and weaves themes of war, love, duty and identity throughout.

 

Anna and Jacqui Burns’ Love at Cafe Lompar, reviewed by Jill Barry

This debut novel written from individual viewpoints, by mother and daughter team Jacqui and Anna, is a total delight. Coming to terms with the death of a husband and father is difficult in itself. But when Dan Lompar’s widow unlocks Pandora’s Box, the lives of family members are changed for ever. Reading the novel’s sparkling descriptions of both scenery and local food delicacies left me feeling I wanted to hop on the next flight to Dubrovnik. But it’s the characters who held me most of all. And the fallout from what must have been an intensely difficult secret to keep for many years. Whether the action takes place in and around Bath or the Bay of Kotor, the emotional impact is huge, especially as Grace and Kat learn more about beautiful, dignified Croatia. They find their attitudes changing as they follow in Dan’s footsteps and embrace the changing patterns of family life.

 

 

 

 

 

Yoga – it’s not just about the pose by our wonderful Alex Bannard who has already guided us through meditation and mindfulness to find our Bliss.

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Although we have really only touched the tip of the iceburg on all things meditation & mindfulness, we’ve decided to move things on & now I’m going to focus on the second passion of mine – yoga.

Let’s get a few things straight, though first! I am not your typical yoga teacher. I’m partial to a good steak, will enjoy the odd glass at wine-o’clock & love a good party – who doesn’t? I have tight hips so my knees don’t elegantly grace the floor in lotus pose & I’m prone to drop the occasional f-bomb. But that doesn’t mean I don’t absolutely love yoga.

So what is yoga? Is it all sweat and stretch? Well, I do like my clients to feel they’ve had a good physical workout, but, and it’s an important but: yoga is more than the pose (in yoga speak poses are called asanas), it’s also what you learn on the way to attaining these poses.

What do I mean?

Yoga means union – union of body, mind & breath. Yoga is a very intentional practice, practicing yoga you are engaged & present. In the beginning you will concentrate on the asana itself & this has a calming effect as you focus on the bodily movements.

However, once you start uniting the pose with your breath this calms the mind, creating space in both the body and mind. This is when yoga moves onto a whole different level & it starts to become a more powerful, all round holistic practice. An emotional, mental & sometimes spiritual practice.

You see, as we start to release ourselves from our ego & forget about perfecting the pose, but instead bring our attention towards awareness, a voyage of self-discovery begins – this is when yoga becomes a practice for mind, body & soul.

As Amit Ray, one of yoga’s great spiritual masters says, “Yoga is the artwork of awareness on the canvas of the body, mind and soul.”

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the ‘go to manual’ for all things yoga, states “Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of the mind”.

On one level all asanas benefit both the external body building strength & muscle tone whilst balancing flexibility & mobility but they also cleanse the body internally – flushing out toxins out of the internal organs, balancing the hormones & the nervous system & reversing the aging process.

But by being intentional & engaged, bringing the awareness to the breath, over time the waves in our mind calm & we get to the point where we have created a palpable sense of peace & calm. We are truly focused & attentive, thinking only of the pose & the breath, totally in the moment & not distracted. We are in a state of flow or in ‘the zone’ which, many believe, is the secret of happiness. Put simply, as only Buddha can, ‘Rule your mind or it will rule you.’

And that’s why yoga is not just about the pose & it take you to a whole different plane than just the physical expression of the asana.

If you would like to practice yoga with Alex her YouTube channel offers free short classes for everyone & is available here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

Alternatively all of her classes are streamed on live on Zoom, for more information message her at alex@alexbannard.com

Free resources are also available on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AlexBannardYogaMindfulness

And her website is www.alexbannard.com

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.

If you would like to start your yoga journey with Alex she runs an online program: Couch to Yoga Mat – 28 days of different yoga practices to help you to establish a sense of bliss in your life, for more details click here: https://alexbannard.com/my-programs/

How I Got Published Jenny O’Brien

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There are many roads to publication. But as a forty-year-old with three kids of three and under, including twins and a busy job as a nurse, none of them were for me – or so I thought. Then a character popped into my mind. An earworm that wouldn’t go away. A little boy called Dai Monday. It took me a year to find the courage to pick up a pen. With no time to write at home and a busy day job, I took to carrying a notebook around in my scrub top. This notebook got filled during my 15 minute coffee breaks. Within 6 weeks I had a very poor, first draft of my first book.

Jenny O'Brien , author, writer, how I got published ,

Fast forward five years. I was still writing but with no thought of publishing until peer pressure and a bullying incident at school led me to self-publish Boy Brainy. Six more years quickly followed in tandem with a box full of rejection letters. I’m not sure how many rejections—too many to count but not so many as to blunt my determination to succeed.

It took twelve years to find a home for my writing. Twelve years when my writing improved, but also the quality of my query letters. Never underestimate the importance of a well-crafted query letter!

But, in the end, the years didn’t count for much. It was a few quirks of fate that pushed me over the finishing line. A change in genre from children’s books to romance and finally crime fiction. BookBub accepting me for a book promotion the first time I applied. One last push to secure a publisher and, finally, engineering the date of the BookBub promotion to coincide with my query letter arriving at HQ Digital, an imprint of Harper Collins.

I said at the start that there are many roads to publication. While I wouldn’t recommend mine to anyone, there are lessons to be learnt. If you are struggling to find the time to write, change how you view time. Chunk it into 15-minute sessions instead of hours. Those few minutes add up. It might mean writing in transit but that’s easily catered for with a notebook or even a mobile phone. To rephrase a well-known saying. There is always a way, but first you must find the will. My BookBub deal was a fluke, but what followed wasn’t. There’s nothing wrong with nudging luck along with a little gentle manoeuvring.

Good luck!

Jenny O’Brien is an Irish writer of the Detective Gaby Darin series published by HQ Digital.