Take Note Of Crampy Aches
Another clue that you’re at your most fertile point is mid-cycle abdominal pain. Called mittelschmerz , this cramping may be mild or painful it often happens on one side, by the ovary that’s releasing an egg. But it also can be an allover ache. Don’t worry if you never feel a thing, though only about one in five women have mittelschmerz.
Understanding Your Menstrual Cycle
Your menstrual cycle begins on the first day of your period and continues up to the first day of your next period.
You’re most fertile at the time of ovulation , which usually occurs 12 to 14 days before your next period starts. This is the time of the month when you’re most likely to get pregnant.
It’s unlikely that you’ll get pregnant just after your period, although it can happen. It’s important to remember that sperm can sometimes survive in the body for up to 7 days after you have sex.
This means it may be possible to get pregnant soon after your period finishes if you ovulate early, especially if you have a naturally short menstrual cycle.
You should always use contraception when you have sex if you don’t want to become pregnant.
Fertility And Your Menstrual Cycle
The most fertile time of your menstrual cycle occurs around ovulation, when your ovaries release a mature egg for fertilization. This window varies from woman to woman, depending on the length and regularity of her menstrual cycles. For those with a 28-day menstrual cycles, ovulation usually occurs between days 13 to 15.
Once an egg is released, it has 12 to 24 hours to be fertilized before it dissolves. Sperm, on the other hand, can stay alive in the body for 3 to 5 days, making a woman fertile for about 5 to 7 days.
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How Should You Deal With Fertility Problems
After two or three months of trying, it’s easy to get frustrated. That doesn’t mean an immediate appointment with a fertility specialist is in order. “Even under ideal conditions, perfectly fertile couples can take several months to become pregnant,” Dr. Wood assures. If you’re under 35, with regular menstrual cycles and no underlying health issues that might affect fertility, Dr. Wood advises waiting it out for one year.
There are a few ways to boost your fertility without visiting a specialist. Things like focusing on a healthy diet, watching your weight, keeping stress levels down, and staying away from toxins like pesticides are smart places to start.
Understand Your Monthly Cycle
When you know your menstrual cycle, you improve your chances of getting pregnant. The first phase starts with the first day of bleeding during your period. Your body releases hormones, like follicle-stimulating hormone , that make the eggs inside your ovaries grow. Between days 2 and 14, those hormones also help thicken the lining of your uterus to get ready for a fertilized egg. This is called the follicular stage.
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Your Chances Vs Your Reality
For those trying to conceive, it’s important to understand that it can take time to get pregnanteven if you get the timing just right. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , menstruating individuals in their 20s and early 30s have a 20-30% chance of getting pregnant while trying during the average cycle. If you’re in your 40s, that number changes to one in 10.
Research indicates that most people aiming to get pregnant will successfully conceive within the first year of trying. However, many different factors are involved in getting pregnant, from age to medical conditions to fertility issues with either partner. If you have concerns, consult a health care provider or fertility specialist, who can talk to you about your individual situation and work on optimizing your chances of getting pregnant.
How To Know Youre Ovulating
Ovulation happens when your ovary releases an egg for fertilization. It could take place anywhere between 12-14 days before your next period. Even when you have irregular cycles, although your exact day of ovulation may shift, you still ovulate 12-14 days before your next period.
The Inito Fertility Monitor is a handy tool that identifies your fertile days for you. Research has shown it can increase chances of conception by 89%. Its clear and accurate results can help you plan your conception better.
You can also watch out for the consistency of your cervical mucus. At the time of ovulation, this cervical discharge may be more slippery and liquidy, with the consistency of egg whites.
Here is a detailed guide on what changes in cervical mucus indicate. Your body temperature might also be slightly increased after you ovulate.
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Get An Ovulation Predictor Kit
If you’re looking for a higher-tech method for knowing when you should have sex to get pregnant, pick up an ovulation tester online or at a drugstore. There are a few types to consider. Ovulation predictor kits test your level of luteinizing hormone to suss out your O day. All you do is pee on a stick and wait for it to reveal if your level of luteinizing hormone is high, suggesting ovulation. You’ll see a line that is the same or darker than the control line.
A next-level option is a fertility monitor. This device lets you check LH and estrogen levels in your urine. You turn on the monitor when you get your period and it alerts you when it’s time to start using the urine strips. Then you pee on a strip and insert it into the monitor to find out whether you’re having a low, high or peak fertility day.
There are also saliva tests that check electrolytes in your spit to predict when your estrogen is high. First thing in the morning, you put saliva on a lens. Then, five minutes later, you play scientist and look at it under an eyepiece. Most of the month you’ll just see random dots, but a day to three days before you ovulate, you should notice a pattern like a fern or frost on a window. The downside to saliva tests: Some women have trouble distinguishing the patterns.
The Best Time To Conceive: When To Have Sex To Get Pregnant
Lets unpack what you need to know to maximize your chance of getting pregnant. Well explore when youre most fertile, how frequently to have sex, and which factors may impact conception.
Do you want to know the best time to try for a baby? You have come to the right place. Did you know you could get pregnant even during your period?
Getting pregnant happens when a male sperm fertilizes a female’s egg. For some people, this can happen quickly for others, it may take longer.
Out of every hundred couples actively trying to become pregnant, about 80 percent will do so within the year. The remaining 20 percent will take longer or may need medical help to conceive.
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Positions Orgasms And Lube
There are a lot of myths about sex, fertility, and how to make pregnancy more likely. Some of these recommend different positions or keeping the hips elevated after sex for a period of time.
Others claim that if the woman orgasms , conception is more likely. Unfortunately, there are no studies that support these claims.
The one thing you should think about is your lubricant. Certain products can decrease sperm motility and viability. These are important when trying to get pregnant.
Youll want to avoid:
If you need to use a lubricant, try:
These products wont interfere with your partners sperm.
Truth: Having Sex Every Day Doesn’t Get You Pregnant Faster
You certainty could have sex every day if you wanted to. But theres no evidence that it will help you get pregnant faster. Its much more likely to lead to burnout and frustration, especially if you dont get pregnant in the first month.
Sex every other day, or sex during your most fertile days, is all you need to conceive. In fact, if you had sex three times a week, youd still be likely to hit your most fertile time.
The reason why more sex doesnt necessarily mean youll get pregnant faster is that conception is about much more than timing. There are a variety of physiological factors that impact whether you get pregnant in any given month. If timing were all it took, more people would conceive the first month they tried.
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After Having Sex How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant
Depending on the time of ovulation, the egg and sperm join and create a fertilized egg within five days of sex. Then, the fertilized egg can take 610 days to implant in your uterus. Pregnancy can be detected after implantation.
The best way to determine whether youre pregnant is by taking a pregnancy test after your period is delayed. Home pregnancy tests are available at drugstores and pharmacies, or you can visit a health center and take a pregnancy test there.
How Does Fertility Differ With The Pill
Birth control pills aim to prevent unintended pregnancy. The pill prevents pregnancy by releasing synthetic hormones that stop ovulation from occurring and the uterus lining from thickening.
So, even if the ovaries do release an egg, a fertilized egg would be unable to implant in the wall of the uterus. The pill also thickens cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to reach an egg.
According to the CDC , the birth control pill is more than 99% effective with perfect use but only 91% effective with typical use. This means that around 9 out of 100 women would become pregnant in a year of taking the pill with typical use.
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How Long Should I Try For Before Seeking Specialist Advice
Conception is a complicated sequence of events because all of the following need to be in place for it to occur:
- Regular egg production by the ovaries
- Healthy sperm, with the ability to move and the correct shape
- Unblocked and healthy fallopian tubes and uterus
The number one factor affecting a couples chances of conceiving is the womans age. The number of healthy eggs a womans ovaries contain will dramatically decline with age and especially for women over 35. Most people start to consider seeking professional advice after six months of trying to conceive naturally without success. This is even more important if youre over 35.
Have Frequent Sex During Your Fertile Window
One of the most common questions among people trying to conceive is: How often should I have sex if Im trying to get pregnant?
The short answer is that it depends on your preferences as a couple, and whether there are any known fertility issues.
Overall, studies have shown that couples who have sex every day or every other day during the fertile window have the highest rates of pregnancy. Also, doctors often recommend sticking to just once a day during the fertile window.
If having sex every day or every other day isnt possible or enjoyable, set a goal to have sex throughout your cycle. This can get you and your partner into a regular sex routine, which can carry you into the fertile window.
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Is Morning Dew Enough For Fertilizer
Fog and dew that form in the evening and early morning provide enough moisture to combine with the salt in the fertilizer, allowing your grass to absorb it through its blades. Leaf burn can also happen in warm weather after your fertilizer is applied and watered into the soil if your lawn is heat stressed.
Should I Have Sex Before During Or After Ovulation
For the best chances of pregnancy, you should have sex every day or every other day during the:
- Five days leading up to ovulation
- Day of ovulation
- Day after ovulation
Theres a lot of information about methods for having sex that could increase your chances of getting pregnant. Theres no specific sex position that increases your odds of conceiving. Some lubricants may negatively affect sperm and prevent them from reaching the egg. Talk to your health care provider about which lubricants to avoid.
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Start Tracking Your Menstrual Cycle
Each new menstrual cycle is marked by the first day of your period. And tracking your cycle along with any daily symptoms youre experiencing can be incredibly helpful. Why?
Tracking your cycle helps you get to know your body better, including how long your cycle is. The length of your cycle is what determines your fertile window, which well get to in the next section.
Tracking the symptoms you experience such as changes in sex drive, mood or cervical mucus can help you identify patterns throughout your cycle, including what you typically experience leading up to your most fertile days.
How do you get started? When your next period arrives, start tracking since that is Day 1 of your cycle. You can keep a journal and write things down, or you can use mobile apps such as Fertility Friend and Clue.
How Long Should You Keep Sperm Inside To Get Pregnant
“When a man ejaculates, sperm swims out, goes directly into the cervical mucus and into the fallopian tubes,” says Serena Chen, M.D., director of the division of reproductive endocrine and infertility at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Pennsylvania. “This happens in a matter of seconds, regardless of the position during intercourse.”
Some people think that lying on your back with your hips elevated for 20 minutes after sex will help ensure that every last sperm gets a fighting chance at the prize, but the belief has no scientific foundation. Definitely take the excuse to relax after TTC sex, but if you’re short on time, you don’t need to “wait” for sperm to make its way inside.
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Track Your Basal Body Temperature
This is your temperature when you first wake up in the morning. When you ovulate, it goes up slightly and stays up until your next period.
To track it, you’ll need a basal body thermometer, which measures small changes. You can get one at most drugstores and supermarkets.
Take your temperature before you get out of bed every morning. Note the first day it goes up.
“Once you identify the day you ovulated, you can predict that ovulation will happen on or close to that day in future cycles,” Manglani says.
When To Have Sex
“Timing sex as close to ovulation as possible is important,” Manglani says. Your best bet is to have sex often. Try doing it every day starting 5 days before ovulation. Keep going one day after ovulation.
Another option: Try the “sperm meets egg plan.” Have sex every other day starting on day eight of your cycle. Start an OPK on day 10. “Once you have a positive result on your OPK, have sex every day for three days,” Manglani says.
If you don’t get pregnant in 6 months, see a doctor. “Most regular OB/GYN offices can start a fertility workup,” Manglani says. Or reach out to a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist.
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How Else Can I Prepare For Pregnancy
In addition to tracking your ovulation to determine your fertile window, its important to schedule preconception counseling with your doctor. There are a variety of screenings and lifestyle modifications that can help increase your chances of a successful planned pregnancy.
If youre under 35 and have been trying to conceive for more than a year, or if youre over 35 and have been trying for six months, it may be time to talk to your doctor about why you cant get pregnant.
What If Timing Intercourse Doesnt Work
If youre in your 20s or early 30s and have been trying to conceive for a year with no success, you’re over 35 and have been trying for six months, or you have a medical condition such as endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome that can impact fertility, it’s a good time to seek out help from your OB-GYN or fertility specialist. They can test your fertility to look into why conception hasnt happened yet or help you figure out a treatment plan to make conception more likely.
To better understand your ovulation patterns and reproductive health before you start timing intercourse, Modern Fertilitys at-home tests and digital tools can help:
From tracking down your fertile window for timed intercourse to figuring out how your egg count is changing over the years, Modern Fertility is here to help you make every moment on your road to parenthood easier to understand.
This article was reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Conti, MD, MS, MSc.
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Truth: Birth Control Does Not Cause Infertility
Hormonal birth control does prevent pregnancy when youre using it properly, but once you stop taking it, your fertility returns. Research has found that birth control does not increase your risk of infertility.
Sometimes, a woman will have regular periods while taking birth control, and then, after she stops, they become irregular. She may think that this means the birth control caused her cycles to be irregular, especially if she had regular cycles before taking contraception. This isnt accurate, however.
Most hormonal birth control drugs cause an artificial regular cycle. Once you stop taking it, the body takes over. Its not that the birth control caused your cycles to become irregular, its that the birth control was creating an artificial regular cycle.
Sometimes, it happens that a woman easily conceives her first or second child, goes on birth control for a while, and then when she tries to have another, she experiences infertility. Its easy to blame birth control for this, but secondary infertility isnt caused by birth control use.
There is one form of birth control that may impact your fertility longer than a month or so after discontinuation: the birth control shot, or Depo-Provera. Depo-Provera doesnt cause infertilityyour fertility will return.
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