Dr. Madhuri Mankar

Healthy navratri fasting
With the onset of chaitra navratras, it’s again the time to fast. 

Instead of fasting, most of us end up feasting on high-calorie food. 

Follow this tips to fast in a healthy manner:-
- Eat small meals at regular intervals like fruits, nuts, dry fruits, coconut, makhanna.

- Use spices like cumin, black jeera, turmeric, choti elachi, saboot kali mirchi, khuskhus and water melon seeds. Fresh coriander, mint, green chillies and ginger wil help in keeping stomach well.

- Milk products like milk, yoghurt and paneer will give necessary proteins.

- Flours used are — singhare ka atta, kottu ka atta, rajgiri ka atta, saboodana, arrowroot and samak will provide energy.

- Vegetables like – potatoes, raw papaya, sweet potato, bhopla, arbi, raw banana will benefit.

- Hydrate well with lots of water, coconut water, lemon water, herbal tea.

Most important thing to follow during navratri is the purity of heart and thoughts. Think good! do good! speak good! be calm and peaceful!

As a start, women should learn more about their fertile and ovulation periods. It is important to exactly know the first day their menstrual bleeding starts. One can even keep a menstrual diary or note the dates on their mobile about when the bleeding started and when is the next one due. If we divide a month into four weeks roughly then the middle one week is the one where ovulation is more likely to happen and the woman would be most fertile. This is the perfect timing for you and your partner to try having a baby.

If you or your partner find it too stressful to count days and have physical relations on those days then it is best to have regular sexual intercourse once every 2-3 days throughout the month.

Another good indicator that a woman is fertile or is ovulating is when the mucus discharge of her cervix is either moist or sticky. The secretion may be white to cream in color, a little cloudy but mostly stretchy and thread like. This is the best period to have sex with your partner because the chance of pregnancy is much higher when compared to those days where you feel rather dry with no discharge at all. During this stage, the recommended frequency of sex is 3 to 4 times, until the discharge disappears.

When it comes to positions, always keep in mind that the semen has to be deposited closest to the cervix in order to conceive fast. Once the semen is there, the chances of them surviving are higher for they'll be sustained by the cervical mucus. There are certain sex positions that can penetrate the woman better than the others. Use them in order to conceive better. It may also help to stay in bed for 5-10 minutes after ejaculation to help sperm climb up into the uterus and a pillow under the hips would probably be a good aid.

There are other ways and methods that are known to initiate conception among women. Some believe that certain yoga practices can help a woman improve her chances of getting pregnant. In other cases, the use of natural herbs, spices, and certain health supplements are recommended. However, the best way to do it is still to consult with your doctor for a more professional conception and pregnancy guidance.