When Is The Best Time To Get Pregnant?

There are many misconceptions on when the best time to get pregnant is. Many people will tell you to just keep on having sex all the time and you will be pregnant in no time. The truth is that there are timing factors to getting pregnant. You can have all the sex in the world and if it is not near the right time of the month, it will not result in pregnancy. In order to get pregnant at all you must time intercourse during a woman’s fertile time each cycle. This may sound simple, but it can be harder than you think.

The best time in a woman’s cycle to get pregnant is 2-3 days before she is due to ovulate. Ovulation is the time in a woman’s menstrual cycle that she releases a mature egg. This is a one day event. After the egg is released it only has a 12-24 hour life span. If the egg is not fertilized during this time period, she will not get pregnant that cycle. Since it takes sperm up to 24-36 hours to get from the vagina to the fallopian tube, where conception takes place, it is best to have sex prior to the onset of ovulation and have sperm waiting to receive the egg as it is released.

Calculating when ovulation will occur in any given cycle can be easy for some women and hard for others. It is a myth to assume that all women ovulate on the 14^th day of their cycle or exactly in the middle. The only way ovulation would be due to take place during the 14^th day is if she has a 28 day cycle. A normal cycle can last anywhere from 23 – 38 days with ovulation occurring approximately 14-16 days prior to the next menses. So, calculating the best days to get pregnant would be to count 16 days from when your next period is due and then start having intercourse up to 5 days prior to that.

If you have found that you have irregular cycles or ovulation is too hard for you to figure out, you can try many of the products available over the counter to help you determine when you are most fertile. Ovulation predictor kits are fairly inexpensive and are used to help you know when you will be releasing an egg. When the test stick is positive, you would begin to have intercourse as the egg will be released within 48 hours. There are also monitors that a woman can use all cycle to tell her when her fertility is low, high, or peaking. When the monitor reads high it is time to start having sex till it reaches low again. Once the monitor has surpassed peak and reaches a low reading again, you can assume ovulation has already occurred. 

References:

American Pregnancy Association - http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/ovulationkits.html

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/understandingovulation.html

BabyHopes - http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/best-time.html

 Disclaimer:  The information provided within this site is not meant to be a substitute for a medical doctor's opinion.  This site is for informational purposes ONLY.  Please check with your medical practitioner before any type of treatment or prevention method is started.