Is there a perfect time for getting pregnant? This post will go over the best time to get pregnant in your reproductive cycle so that you can time things to give you the best chance.
Obviously the best time is going to be when you ovulate (when your body releases an egg). So you need to have a good knowledge of when that might occur in your cycle.
For most people, ovulation occurs around 14 days before the start of your next period. So if you have a typical 28 day cycle, then you would likely ovulate on day fourteen. If you have a 30 day cycle then you would probably ovulate on day 16, and so on.
However not everyone has perfect cycles. While I do have a 28 day cycle, I typically ovulate on day 16 or 17. Therefore it’s wise to track your basal body temperature (BBT) over a few cycles so you get to know when this will occur for you. You will notice that your temperature is always slightly higher in the second half of your cycle than in the first half. Getting a special BBT will be able to detect even the smallest changes in temperature.
You can also monitor your cervical mucus as the closer you get to ovulation, you will notice that it changes from dry to wet and slippery. The most fertile cervical mucus is called egg white cervical mucus (ewcm) and usually indicates the best time to get pregnant.
It’s also helpful to get a fertility book such as Toni Weschler’s Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is considered one of the best fertility books on the market.
If you don’t want to spend time looking at your cervical mucus everyday or taking your temperature, you can always get some ovulation predictor kit’s which detect changes in the hormones in your body. Very similar to a pregnancy test, you pee on a stick on the days prior to when you think you’ll ovulate. When the test turns positive it usually means that you will ovulate in the next 24-48 hours after that.
The better knowledge you have about your body and your menstrual cycle then you’ll know what is the best time to get pregnant for you.
Don’t know how to chart your BBT temperature or need a refresher course in what exactly Basal Body Temperature means? Then this article will go over some of the basics you need to know when charting your cycle and understanding the temperature changes that your body goes through.
Why measure your BBT?
If you have spent any time at all trying to conceive then you know that you need to know your exact ovulation day to increase your chances of getting pregnant each month, Continue reading “Basal Body Temperature (BBT) 101” »
Knowing when you are most fertile is the best way to know when to get pregnant within your cycle. Every women is different and it’s simply not always a case that you ovulate on Day 14 (remember this is just an average), so by charting your daily basal body temperature you will start to get a good indication of your usual ovulation day.
Continue reading “When to Get Pregnant In Your Cycle – Fertility Charting 101” »
Whether you are attempting pregnancy for the first time or have been trying to get pregnant for a while you should know that conceiving is not quite as simple as your biology teacher would make you believe. In fact each month, even a perfectly healthy couple only has around a 25% chance of conceiving a baby.
Of course you can increase your chances if you know when you are fertile and what positions are best for getting pregnant, so this post will go over some of the best ways to get pregnant.
For starters you need to know when in your cycle you ovulate (release an egg). A woman is actually only fertile for about 3 or 4 days per month and has the highest chance of conceiving on the day of ovulation. So determining your ovulation day is the first step in getting pregnant. Many women assume that they ovulate on Day 14, however this day is actually just an average and it could be that you ovulate earlier or later than this (I actually ovulate on Day 17). You’ll need to know this day in order to increase your chances to get pregnant each month.
There are many different ways to find your ovulation day, you can try charting your temperature, using ovulation predictor kits (OPK’s), using a saliva monitor like Maybe Baby, taking note of your cervical position or becoming aware of your changes in fertile egg white cervical mucus.
Let’s look at each method for how to fall pregnant fast in more detail:
Charting Your Temperature: This method relies on taking your temperature (either orally or vaginally) each morning before you get up using a basal body thermometer (BBT Method). When your body releases an egg your hormone level change and your temperature will usually go up a small amount. Once you see the thermal shift and your temperature has gone over the coverline for at least three days you’ll know that your ovulation day was the first day your temperature rose.
Of course using the BBT Method you can only know you’ve ovulated after the fact, but charting for at least three months you’ll get to know your body quite well and you can see which day you usually ovulate each time in your cycle.
Ovulation Predictor Kits (OPKs): These tests work very similar to pregnancy tests in that you need to pee on them to detect changes in hormones. As your body is getting ready to release an egg your hormone levels change and the OPK’s will pick up on that. You may see two lines on your test strip but for an OPK to be positive the second line must be as dark or darker then the control line. You will then probably ovulate in the next 24 hours, but you might want to keep charting your temperature to confirm that.
Saliva Monitors: Like OPK’s these will tell you if you are about to ovulate. When your body is close to releasing an egg your saliva changes to a ferning pattern which can be detected under a microscope. You could use a regular microscope or one of the saliva monitors such as Maybe Baby to look for the pattern.
Cervical Position: If you are not squeamish then keeping note of the position of your cervix can also indicate when you are ovulating. When you are in your fertile phase and your body is capable of getting pregnant your cervix rises high in the body (and opens slightly). It also gets softer. When you are not fertile, it gets harder and lower.
Cervical Fluid: Cervical Fluid or Cervical Mucus is another great way to determine when you are fertile. As you are approaching your ovulation day, your body starts producing more mucus. It changes from dry, to sticky, to creamy, to wet and finally to the most fertile cervical mucus – one that is very slippery and has the appearance of egg whites – which is why it’s often called egg white cervical fluid (ewcf). This helps the sperm travel through the body to the egg and is a great indication of when you are about to ovulate. You are most fertile on the days where you have ewcf.
So now that you know your ovulation day you are one step closer to getting pregnant.
Here are some more tips for increasing your cervical fluid to make yourself even more fertile:
- Drink lots of water – your body needs to make the ewcf out of something
- Baby carrots – the beta carotene has been known to increase the amount of cf you produce
- Plain Robitussin – the active ingredients help thin out your cf making it easier for the sperm to swim through
Which positions are best to get pregnant and conceive a baby?
Actually there is no one best position to get pregnant, however using gravity to your advantage can help (so try and avoid standing positions).
However most couples who conceive say that the two most favorable positions are the missionary position and doggy style. Personally I favor the doggy position or any other deep penetration position when you want to fall pregnant because it deposits the sperm as close to the cervix as possible and you want as much sperm to be able to reach the egg to increase your changes of conceiving.
Knowing your ovulation day is the best way to know the ways to get pregnant fast but you can give your body a helping hand by increasing your cervical fluid and using positions that help you conceive as well.
pH Levels to Get Pregnant
While diet itself will help you improve your fertility, pH itself does not determine whether you can or cannot get pregnant (although it can sometimes influence gender selection). Healthy eating will help you have healthy eggs though.
Leave A Comment