HI Rach...I read your question and I wanted to respond to you.

How to get pregnant...well... that is something your mom probably had a chat to you about at a very young age when she reminded you to keep your skirt down and your knees together...ok, just kidding.  Really, on the how to do you know when you are pregnant question...

    You know your pregnant when you experience early symptoms such as tiredness. My partner and I tried to get pregnant for 10 months. We finally gave up trying. It was all too stressful. It was my birthday in July 2005 and we had a boozy dinner at a posh Sydney restaurant. The following weekend we have a really big night  for which I saw a dawn sunrise - yes, that big of a night...

    A few weeks later, I recall feeling really sleepy in the afternoons. I am not typically a napper and in fact have trouble sleeping at night, so this was highly irregular for me. I would curl up on the lounge about 3pm and have the most beautiful siesta for about half an hour. I didn't take much notice but in hind site it was really out of character. I didn't have an ounce of nausea or morning sickness (thank the big man) but one Saturday in early August or September I was shopping after a spin class at the gym. I noticed that I had a very funny sensation of sore nipples. Now, I am not talking minor sensations, I am talking someone had both of them in vice grips and twisting like Chubby Checker. I nearly doubled over in pain. I thought to myself, wow, that is really painful. Hmm, maybe i should get a test because this sure ain't normal!

    I went to the chemist and bought a urine test and took it - I was still at the shopping center. It tested positive. I totally freaked out and called every close friend I have. (Ok, all three of them but it still felt special for me!)

    I later spoke to the chemist who sold me the test, as she was actually pregnant when I was and we are within three months of each other with our first child. The tricky thing with over the counter tests is that they test for a trace of the pregnancy hormone, which has a better concentration in your first morning void than any other time of the day.  Even so, they are never 100% accurate and there can be mitigating factors with their effectiveness. If you really want to know if you are pregnant, even at 5 or 6 weeks, your GP or Obstetrician can to do a blood test, which is 100% effective.

    Early detection can be great for managing your pregnancy and your baby's health. Many GPs believe that nature provides a grace period called ignorance (meaning that if you didn't know you were pregnant and your baby is okay then you can alleviate any guilt you feel about whatever you did before you knew you were pregnant as nature exists in a survival of the fittest  mode. If you are meant to be pregnant than your body will sustain it, even before you are aware that you are.)

    First pregnancies are very complex and tough as I personally believe that it lasts nine months so that you have plenty of time to get your head around what is happening and how much your life will change. Seek out medical advice and talk to other new families. Ask lots of questions and be patient with yourself and your partner. If it isn't your time then relax and enjoy the life you are having as a new couple. Most women will agree, pregnancy happens in many instances when you relinquish the possibility back to the universe rather than try to manage nature.

    As a previous egg-donor and now a mother, I wish you every success in your fertility quest. - Stephenie