When Are You Most Fertile?

It is fairly easy enough to think of how pregnancy can happen, but in fact it takes more than just intercourse in order to do so. Timing is a crucial factor that needs to be looked into most especially for couples that plan to have a baby of their own.

There are more non-fertile days than there are fertile days in any given menstrual cycle so the importance of knowing when your most fertile period is imperative. Fertility awareness methods rely on detecting when a woman is capable of impregnation. These are natural ways in order to detect ovulation, which is when the woman is most fertile.

Determining Your Most Fertile Periods

What is Ovulation?

Ovulation is defined as the most fertile day in any woman's cycle. The first day of menstruation is regarded as the first day of a cycle because it is the only outward sign that something is happening inside the female reproductive system. All four reproductive hormones – progesterone, estrogen, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone – are the basis for the determination of ovulation.

The levels of these hormones, which can be found in blood serum or urine, give us clues as to which cycle the woman's body is currently at. During the first week of a cycle, an egg is randomly selected from the ovaries in order to be released. Here, estrogen works by supplying a thick, rich uterine lining inside the uterus, ready for implantation. Shortly after this estrogen peak, luteinizing hormones are released and peaks around midcycle. Luteinizing hormone is responsible for telling the ovaries to release an egg for conception, hence most predictor kits are designed to check for this LH peak which occurs a day before ovulation.

After the egg's release, the hormone progesterone takes over and is constantly secreted by the follicle from the egg was released which is now called the corpus luteum. Progesterone increases the body's core temperature, which is the basis for the basal body temperature method.

Ovulation Calendar & Rhythm Method

This is possibly the most common method in predicting with an ovulation calendar because it is very easy to use. Women with regular menstrual cycles benefit most from this method because of the general idea that ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before the first day of the next menstrual cycle. The first day of a cycle is usually regarded as the first day of menstruation because this is the time when an unfertilized egg is expelled and preparations for another cycle begin.

A normal menstrual cycle lasts for 28 days, so counting 14 days backwards will give you the 14th day of the cycle as the day of your ovulation. Many women tend to think that ovulation occurs on the 14th day of their cycle. This is a misconception. Ovulation happens 14 days before the first day of the next cycle. It is important to stress this fact because of the failure of some couples to conceive due to a mere misconception. For those whose cycles last regularly for 30 days, ovulation would then fall on the 16th day. If the cycle lasts only for 20 days, then ovulation would happen on the 6th day of the cycle. For those with irregular periods, another technique is used.

To plan for this, the woman keeps a diary of six menstrual cycles. Use an ovulation calculator to work out the days of ovulation, she subtracts 18 from the shortest cycle documented. This number represents her first fertile day. She then subtracts 11 from her longest cycle. This represents her last fertile day. The days in between the first fertile day up to the last are the basis as to when ovulation is most likely to occur. It is  these days that are the most fertile days to get pregnant so that intercourse can be planned in order to maximize chances of conception. For optimum chances of conception, intercourse can be done within three days prior and four days after ovulation because sperm is able to survive for up 72 hours, whereas an egg only has a lifespan of 24-32 hours.

Basal Body Temperature Method

Just before the day of ovulation, a woman's basal body temperature or BBT rises a full degree because of the influence of the hormone progesterone. This higher level is then maintained for the rest of her menstrual cycle. This pattern is the basis of the BBT method.

To use this method, the woman takes her temperature each morning immediately after waking, before she undertakes any activity. This is her BBT. As soon as she notices a slight dip in temperature followed by an increase, she knows that she has ovulated.

The problem with this method is that many factors can affect BBT. A temperature rise caused by illness could be mistaken as the signal of ovulation. Changes in the woman's daily schedule, such as starting an aerobic program can also influence the BBT. A woman who takes night shifts should take her temperature after awakening from her longer sleep period, no matter what the time of day.

Cervical Mucus Method

Another method to predict ovulation is to use the changes in cervical mucus that occur naturally within ovulation. Before ovulation each month, the cervical mucus is thick and does not stretch when pulled between the thumb and finger. Just before ovulation, mucus secretion increases. With ovulation, cervical mucus becomes copious, thin, watery and transparent. It feels slippery and stretches at least one inch before the strand breaks, a property known as spinnbarkeit.

A woman using this method must be conscientious about assessing her vaginal secretions daily, or she will miss the change in cervical secretions. The feel of vaginal secretions after sexual relations is often unreliable, because the seminal fluid from the male partner has a watery, post-ovulatory consistency and can be confused with ovulatory mucus.

Ovulation Kits - Help With How To Get Pregnant

Yet another approach to fertility awareness is through the use of ovulation predictor kits that are readily available and sold at over the counter stores. These kits detect the midcycle surge of luteinizing hormone that can be detected in urine 12-24 hours before ovulation. Such kits have a high rate of accuracy in predicting ovulation and their convenience allows it to be a popular choice among women. Although they are fairly expensive, use of such a kit in place of other methods is currently being preferred to find out how to get pregnant easily.

However, the use of these kits are not without flaws. For example, if the LH has just been released from the woman's body at the time she takes the test, it will produce a positive result. However, the egg could still be 40 hours away from being released. This same positive result could also mean that LH was released 24 hours ago and the egg will be released at any moment.

When timing intercourse for conception, always maintain a relaxed, focused attitude dont just ask yourself when am I most fertile?. Sex on demand doesn't have to be the case – this can ruin the spontaneity and fun of what was once an intimate act. You and your partner should note that just because you're trying to conceive, intercourse doesn't have to be scheduled and feel like an obligation all the time. By making the activity fun and doing it at the best periods, then you're most likely on your way to becoming a parent.