How To Know Your Fertile Days When Trying To Conceive

There are only a limited number of days during a woman’s menstrual cycle when sexual intercourse might result in pregnancy. Here are some important facts on how to know your fertile days when trying to conceive.

Finding Your Fertile Window

Finding your “fertile window” will increase your odds of a successful conception. Your fertile window includes the day of ovulation and the 5 days leading up to it. The duration of this fertile period depends on the life span of both the sperm and the egg. Typically the egg is only viable for about 24 hours after ovulation. Therefore your chances of getting pregnant are highest within 24 hours of ovulation and one day beforehand.

The life span of the sperm is variable and depends on many factors including sperm quality and the type and quality of cervical mucus present at the time of intercourse. In the presence of mid-cycle cervical mucus sperm may survive up to 5 days. Therefore It is also possible to conceive if you have intercourse in the five days leading up to ovulation because the sperm can still fertilize a newly released egg.

How to know your fertile days when trying to conceive can be stressful but it is important to remember women generally conceive only around 5-6 days of their cycle and are most likely to become pregnant on the 2 days of peak fertility which is the day preceding and the day of ovulation.

When To Have Sex When Trying to Conceive (TTC)

Couples should have sexual intercourse around the time of ovulation to maximize their chances of conception. A tool a number of patients use when just starting is an ovulation calendar or ovulation calculator. Since cycles vary from woman to woman and often month to month it is important to keep track. Using an ovulation calculator can be a good place to start to helping you find your most fertile days.

The most effective method of predicting ovulation aside from blood tests and pelvic ultrasound is home monitoring using ovulation predictor kits (OPKs). They work by detecting the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) in voided urine samples. LH testing is a good indicator for predicting the 2 most fertile days in a woman’s cycle and can aid successful conception.

When To Schedule An Infertility Consultation

Should detection be difficult or if pregnancy has not occurred after one year of trying in a woman under age 35 or after 6 months of trying for women over age 35, then help should be sought from a Board Certified Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist

If you have questions about your fertility, please contact us.