How to Know When the Best Time to Get Pregnant Is

Optimum time each month to get pregnant

There is only a limited amount of time when a woman can get pregnant every month. While the fertility window does vary from woman to woman, most women are fertile for about five to seven days each month. Even so, it can often take up to a year to become pregnant once you begin trying. You need to figure out when you are ovulating in order to determine the best time to get pregnant.

Things You'll Need

• Notebook
• Pencil
• Basal thermometer
• Ovulation predictor kit
• Gynecologist or fertility specialist

Instructions

1. Track your menstrual cycles. Write down the date that you start your period each month. This will help to establish a pattern upon which you can then base your average menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and ends the day before your next period.

2. Use an online ovulation calculator, such as the ones featured on American Pregnancy or Baby Hopes sites, to determine your ovulation window. The calculator tools will require that you enter the first day of your last period as well as the average length of your menstrual cycles. The tool will then give you a date range in which you will most likely ovulate. Keep in mind that these tools give you their best estimation of your ovulation window, but are not surefire ways to determine ovulation dates.

3. Know that most women ovulate about 14 days before their menstrual cycle ends. If your menstrual cycle is 28 days long, you will likely ovulate around day 14. Conversely, if your menstrual cycle is 34 days long, you will likely ovulate around day 20. While the egg must be fertilized within 24 hours of ovulation, your fertility window is actual wider than that because sperm can remain alive in the body for up to five days. Most women are fertile between five and seven days each month.

4. Observe your vaginal discharge. Ovulation causes changes in cervical mucus, which is discharged through the vagina. When you ovulate, the discharge will resemble the whites of raw eggs. Prior to ovulation, the discharge takes on a more watery consistency.

5. Take your temperature every morning, before you get out of bed, and record it. Your body temperature will rise one-half degree after you have ovulated. It's important to use a basal thermometer that is able to track this small increase in temperature accurately.

6. Purchase a home ovulation predictor kit. These predictor tests detect LH, also known as the luteinizing hormone. LH levels rise directly after ovulation. The kits will detect this rise, informing you that you are currently fertile.

7. See your gynecologist or a fertility doctor to further determine your ovulation dates. A doctor may have suggestions for you specifically regarding the best time for you to get pregnant each month.

Tips & Warnings

• Other signs of ovulation include light spotting, increased libido, breast soreness and abdominal bloating.

• It can be difficult to precisely predict ovulation as it does vary greatly from woman to woman.

• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and caffeine when you are trying to get pregnant. These can decrease fertility.

References

• American Pregnancy Association: How To Track Ovulation
• Baby Hopes: Ovulation Calendar