Days to Get Pregnant:
the BEST Conception Tips

Trying to get pregnant can cause a lot of stress and it would raise your chances if you were able to keep yourself calm and anxiety-free while you are trying to conceive. One way to do this is to take a holistic approach to understanding that trying to have a baby is not just about your body, but also about how balanced you are emotionally and physically. However, many women do have physiological problems that make it hard for them to get pregnant. Where the menstrual cycle is concerned, it would be hard to pin-point an exact day on which a woman can get pregnant. However, there is a time-frame within which you can try. During ovulation there is a sharp rise in LH, or the luteinizing hormone, in the body and the egg moves into the uterus and readies itself to be fertilized. Physically, the best way to find out what days are the best days to get pregnant is to understand the signs your body sends you. Here are some of the things you could do:

Keep an eye on your menstrual cycle

·         It is easier for women who have a regular 28-day cycle to get pregnant but even then it is tricky as every woman really only has a 24-hour opportunity during which the egg can be fertilized and it actually starts disintegrating after about 12 hours.  For women with a 28-day cycle, the best time is between Day 7 and 21. For women with longer or shorter cycles, it is best to keep an eye on their cycles for about six months. One way is to minus 18 days from your smallest cycle and 11 from the largest one and you will get an approximate time-frame within which you can get pregnant. Another way is to calculate the date on which your next period is due, count backwards up to between 12 and 16 days and you will get idea of the span during which you are most likely to be fertile.  

Check your cervical mucus

·         During your menstrual cycle you will notice that on some days you will have a heavier discharge of cervical mucus. You will also find that there is a difference in its consistency. These changes are because of a rise in estrogen. When the mucus consistency is stretchy and slippery and looks clear, much like an egg white, this is the time you are most likely to get pregnant. The mucus is there to shield, nurture and help the sperm to reach the uterus as fast as possible so that the egg can be fertilized.

Check your cervical changes

·         As you get closer to the point when ovulation will occur, your cervix will change position. The cervix will seem to open up a bit, is soft and wetter than usual and it also moves up higher into the uterus. These changes are usually very distinct and act as a sign that you are ovulating. Of course, you will have to learn to examine yourself and recognize these signs.

Monitor your Basal Body Temperature

·         A woman’s temperature when at rest is known as the Basal Body Temperature (BBT). There are two well-defined phases that show up in the BBT during the menstrual cycle. This ‘biasphic pattern’, as it is known, shows a lower reading prior to ovulation and a marginally higher one after. This low, yet constant, rise in BBT shows that a woman is ovulating. To get precise readings, you must take your temperature as soon as you wake up, before even getting out of bed and, as much as possible, around the same time every day. Taking your temperature vaginally will give you the most accurate reading.