When Are My Most Fertile Days To Get Pregnant

What This Study Adds

The timing of the fertile window is highly variable, even among women who regard their menstrual cycles as regular

More than 70% of women are in their fertile window before day 10 or after day 17 of their menstrual cycle

There are few days of the menstrual cycle during which some women are not potentially fertile

Regarding the second assumption, the evidence for fertile days after ovulation comes from studies using crude measures of ovulation . With more precise measures, the fertile window does not seem to extend beyond the day of ovulation.1,2 It follows that women reach their fertile days earlier in the cycle than suggested by current guidelines. For example, women with regular 28 day cycles are most likely to be potentially fertile on days 8-15 of their menstrual cycle .

How To Predict Ovulation

To figure out your most fertile days each month, you need to know when youll ovulate. To pinpoint that time, youll need to rely on body awareness and look for ovulation signs each month.

Most people with ovaries will ovulate two weeks before the start of their next period.

Natural family planning techniques can help you learn when you ovulate. You can also look at the day that you expect your next period to start and count back 14 days from it. This calculation will give you an idea of when you will ovulate.

If you have a very regular 28-day cycle, ovulation usually happens on day 14. However, if the length of your cycle varies, counting back 14 days wont be a good way to predict when you will ovulate.

That said, you do not need a 28-day cycle to use this methodyou just need a regular cycle.

You can still figure out when you are most fertile if your cycle is longer or shorter than 28 days. The key is knowing that your cycles are reliable.

In other words, if you have a 35-day cycle, then you have a 35-day cycle every month.

How Do Ovulation Kits Work

Ovulation predictor kits, or OPKs as theyre often referred to on trying-to-conceive forums and websites, are an easy way for women to track their potential ovulation dates. Standard kits work by detecting the luteinizing hormone surge in urine that comes with ovulation. Ovulation is expected to occur within 24 to 36 hours of the detected LH surge, so you should start testing in the days leading up to when you expect to be fertile to avoid missing the window. Advanced OPKs will also measure estrogen levels to help you determine peak times to have intercourse.

Urine ovulation kits can be as accurate as blood work for detecting LH, says Garbedian. However, women with irregular cycles, such as women with polycystic ovary syndrome or poor ovarian reserve, or a high baseline level of LH may experience difficulty using themthey can potentially get false positive results. For these women, LH level tracking, coupled with follicle monitoring by ultrasound, is more accurate at detecting ovulation.

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Can You Get Pregnant Outside A Fertile Window

Your fertile window refers to the time its possible to get pregnant. In a typical menstrual cycle of 28 days, there are around six days when youre most fertile .

But its important to keep in mind that cycle length can vary greatly from person to person. Even in people with regular cycles each month, the timing of the fertile window can be highly unpredictable as ovulation can take place on different days.

So, can you get pregnant when youre not ovulating? The short answer is yes. Its possible to get pregnant outside of your predicted fertile window because timing of ovulation may differ each month and sperm lives in the body for several days. Therefore, though more unlikely at some points, pregnancy can result from unprotected sex at any time during your menstrual cycle. If you want to avoid pregnancy, theres actually no safe time of the month to have unprotected sex so its important to always use contraception.

You can calculate your fertile window by tracking your cycles with Flo, observing your cervical fluid, and taking your bodys basal temperature. Using ovulation test kits will also make your predictions even more accurate.

Lets take a closer look at the possibility of conception at the different phases of your cycle.

When Is The Best Time To Conceive

To increase your chances of getting pregnant, you need to get your fertile eggs and sperm together as often as possible. Youre the most fertile on the few days each cycle around ovulation, which is when an egg is released.

During an average menstrual cycle, there are 6 days when sex can result in pregnancy. This is often called the fertile window and includes the 5 days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself.

Some people get pregnant very quickly but for some people it can take a little longer. We have more information about how long it takes to get pregnant.

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What Does This Tool Help You Learn

This interactive tool estimates your peak fertility period, also known as your fertile window. This is when you are most likely to get pregnant. Do not use this tool to prevent pregnancy.

In the tool, you will enter the typical length of your menstrual cycle, and you will click on the first day of your last menstrual period.

• To know how long your cycles are, track the number of days on a calendar for 2 or 3 months or cycles. Your menstrual cycle begins with the day your period starts and ends the day before your next period starts.
• If you do not know the number of days in your menstrual cycle, you can use 28 days. This is the average length of a menstrual cycle. But if your cycle is longer or shorter than that, or if it is not always the same length, this tool will not predict your fertile window very well.

Fritz MA, Speroff L . Clinical Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility, 8th ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

How Does Birth Control Impact The Time It Takes To Conceive

If youve recently stopped using a non-barrier-based method of birth control , these numbers may look a bit different depending on what you were using.

A team of researchers recently did a systematic review of the existing work on how different methods of birth control impacted the likelihood of getting pregnant within 12 months of TTC. Heres what they found:

• 74.7% for ex-implant users
• 87.04% for ex-oral contraception users
• 84.75% for ex-IUD users

Among women using different formulations of oral contraception, times to conception are similar meaning how soon youre likely to get pregnant after stopping the pill isnt affected by whether the pill was a combined oral contraceptive or the progestin-only pill, or by the pill dose. Time to pregnancy is also likely not affected by the duration of oral contraceptive use.

The main takeaway here? Theres no delay in the resumption of fertility for women coming off of the most popular methods of birth control, but women coming off of the implant and injection-based methods may see a slight delay. This no-delay-in-resumption-of-fertility also doesnt seem to be affected by how long contraception methods were used for. For more info, you can check out this post that covers birth controls impact on fertility.

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Examples Of Most Fertile Days

Here are some examples to help you calculate your most fertile days.

• You have a shorter cycle with 21 days between periods. You will most likely ovulate on day seven. Your most fertile days are day two, day three, day four, day five, day six, day seven, and day eight.
• You have a regular cycle with 27 days between periods. You will most likely ovulate on day 13. Your most fertile days are day eight, day nine, day 10, day 11, day 12, day 13, and day 14.
• You have a longer cycle with 33 days between periods. You will most likely ovulate on day 19. Your most fertile days are day 14, day 15, day 16, day 17, day 18, day 19, and day 20.

Remember, these results will be most accurate if you can predict when you ovulate. Use your body signs to help confirm you got the day right.

Is Morning Or Evening Sex Better When Youre Trying To Conceive

Morning may be the best time to have sex for conception, at least as far as sperm are concerned. Some studies have suggested that sperm count and quality are slightly higher early in the morning, which may mean better odds of conception if theyre deposited right after a good nights sleep.

However, there isnt a clear medical consensus, so if you and your partner are in the mood, you shouldnt let the time of day stop you.

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What Are The Main Signs Of Ovulation

Ovulation is the process of when the egg is released from the ovary. After it is released, it moves to the fallopian tube, where it stays for around 24 hours and waits for the sperm.

The most common signs of ovulation are:

Some women dont experience ovulation symptoms, but it depends on your cycle.

Can I Get Pregnant On Fertile Days Or Only On My Ovulation Day

Asked

pregnancy, sex, ovulation

I have been with my boyfriend for 6 years. We have a 5yr old daughter. Found out he was cheating on me this whole time. So out of desperation I ended up having sex with my ex whom I was with for 9 years. Now Im pregnant. My concern is Im not really to sure who the father is. During my fertile week my boyfriend and had sex and he ejaculated inside me on the 9th. Then me and my ex had sex literally for a half of minute on the 12 my ovulation day. Didnt ejaculated. Here I am trying to figure out things out. My ex has a low sperm count. Was with him for 9 years and nothing. My boyfriend and I are very careful because its easy for me to get pregnant from him. My question is can I get pregnant on my fertile day or only on my ovulation day

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Ovulation Tracking With Flo

The journey to becoming pregnant, as well as pregnancy, birth, and being a parent, requires accepting that things are often outside of our control. But there are some things you can do to put some of the power back in your hands. Tracking ovulation and your periods is one of them, and you can do that easily with the Flo app.

The more information you log in your own private, personal account, the smarter Flo gets when it comes to predicting your fertile window. You can use this to give you a better idea of when you can get pregnant. Its basically like having this ovulation calculator permanently in your pocket, always accessible without having to input your data every time. Enjoy getting to know your menstrual cycle better!

References

Agarwal, Ashok, et al. Effect of Vaginal Lubricants on Sperm Motility and Chromatin Integrity: A Prospective Comparative Study. Fertility and Sterility, 89 , 2008, pp. 37579.

Chavarro, Jorge E., et al. Diet and Lifestyle in the Prevention of Ovulatory Disorder Infertility. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 110 , 2007, pp. 105058.

Faust, Louis, et al. Findings from a Mobile Application-Based Cohort Are Consistent with Established Knowledge of the Menstrual Cycle, Fertile Window, and Conception. Fertility and Sterility, 112 , 2019, pp. 45057.e3.

Ovulation Signs: When Is Conception Most Likely? Mayo Clinic, 7 Dec. 2021. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/expert-answers/ovulation-signs/faq-20058000.

Your Fertility Calendar: The Best Days To Get Pregnant Ranked In Order

When youre trying to get pregnant, what you really need is a fertility calendar: something that tells you the days when having sex is most likely to result in pregnancy.

Of course, you could just have sex and hope it results in a baby, but unless youre having sex daily or every other day the entire month, thats a bit like throwing darts with a blindfold on. The bullseye when it comes to getting pregnant fast is your six-day fertile window: the five days before ovulation, and the day of ovulation itself. This is the time in your cycle when the possibility of getting pregnant is highest.

Six days may seem like a lot, but not all six of those days carry the same chances for conception. Depending on which of those six days youre having sex, the odds may be as high as 25 30 percent, or just barely higher than zero percent.

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Best Time To Have Sex To Get Pregnant

To boost your chances of conceiving, aim to have regular sex throughout your cycle so you know that there should hopefully be good-quality sperm waiting when the egg is released. An active sex life is all most people need to conceive.

If you know when you ovulate each month you can give yourself the best chance of getting pregnant by having sex in the days leading up to ovulation. Continue having sex during ovulation. After this your fertile time will be over for that cycle.

What Are My Chances Of Getting Pregnant Each Month

Conception statistics by month depend on the age at which a woman is trying to get pregnant. Conventionally, the younger you are, the higher your likelihood of conceiving each month. Even still, a woman who is 25 or younger only has about a 20 to 25 percent chance of conceiving with each ovulation cycle, and the statistics drop from there. By age 30, youre looking at a 15 percent chance of conceiving monthly by age 35, the stats are less than 10 percent.

Traditionally, women have been told that they should see a fertility doctor after 12 months of accurately timed, unprotected intercourse if they havent seen the second line appear yet. But Kim Garbedian, a fertility specialist at Hannam Fertility Centre in Toronto, says many fertility doctors believe that women should have a workup after trying for just six months. Women over 35 years old or with risk factors for infertilitysuch as a history of endometriosis or sexually transmitted infections or a family history of early menopauseshould definitely seek help after six months of trying, she says. I also believe that women with irregular cycles should see a fertility doctor for preconception counselling before even attempting to get pregnant.

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How We Calculate Your Fertile Window

This ovulation calendar estimates when you will ovulate based on the date of your last menstrual cycle and the average number of days between your periods. First, we count back 14 days from the start date of your next expected period to calculate the date you’re most likely to ovulate. Then, we calculate your fertile window, which can extend a few days before ovulation and possibly up to one day after. Just note that this is not an exact science menstrual cycles can vary from woman to woman and month to month . And, if you have irregular periods, that might make it tougher to pinpoint your fertile window.

When Does Ovulation Happen

Ovulation usually happens about 10 to 16 days before the start of your next period, so it helps to know your cycle length before you start trying to get pregnant.

You may have not known when you ovulate within your cycle, and if you have been using a hormone contraceptive such as the Pill, you wont have had a natural menstrual cycle for a while, because the Pill prevents ovulation from happening.

As a first step, mark on your diary the dates that you bleed during a period. You can then count how many days from the first day of your period to your next period to work out the length of your cycle.

The following signs can also help you know when you ovulate:

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Can You Feel When An Egg Gets Fertilized

Can you feel when an egg gets fertilized? You wonât feel when an egg gets fertilized. You also wonât feel pregnant after two or three days. But some women can feel implantation, the process in which the fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube and buries itself deep within the wall of the uterus.

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How To Use Our Ovulation Calculator

Simply select your usual cycle length from the dropdown box and then choose the date on the calendar when your last period started. With this information, our ovulation calculator estimates your next fertility window .

Based on your results from our ovulation calculator, you can also sign up for handy email reminders, so youll always know your Fertile Window’ each month.

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When Does Ovulation Occur

In an average 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs about 14 days before the beginning of your next menstrual period. The exact timing varies your cycle length may be longer or shorter. You may find it helpful to track your menstrual cycle using an app on your phone or a calendar. This can help you determine when ovulation is most likely to occur. Most people will have a period 14 to 16 days after ovulation, regardless of the length of their overall cycle.