Trying To Get Pregnant – Cycle Awareness

If you’re are trying to get pregnant, cycle awareness is one of the most important factors.

So When Is The Best Time To Get Pregnant?

The best time to get pregnant is when you are at your most fertile, and that is during the period of ovulation in your menstrual cycle. This is when a mature ovum is released from your ovaries into the uterus. For about 12 hours the egg or ovum is ready to be fertilized, after which time is begins to degenerate. The best way to determine when you are ovulating is to pay attention to your body and learn to recognize the signs of ovulation. At the time of ovulation is when sexual intercourse for procreation is going to be most important.

Counting The Days To Getting Pregnant

A common method of finding out when you are ovulating is by counting days. First off, you need to figure out when your next period is due, from this date, count back 12 to 16 days. This will give you the range of days that you are probably ovulating. In a ‘normal’ case, for women with a 28-day cycle, the 14th day is often the best day to try to conceive. To use this method, you must know how long your cycle usually lasts and have relatively regular cycles.

Cervical Mucus

As you progress through your cycle, your cervical mucus increases in volume and changes texture, this reflects your body’s rising levels of estrogen. The best time to try to conceive is when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy. At this stage the mucus can be compared to raw egg whites. The role of this mucus is to nourish, protect, and speed the sperm on its way up through the uterus and into the fallopian tubes for the fertilization with your egg.

Basal Temperature

A rise in your body temperature can also be an indication that you are ovulating, though it cannot really pin point the best time to get pregnant. Following ovulation, basal body temperature can increase by 0.5 to 1.6 degrees. You won’t feel the change in temperature, but you can detect it by using a basal thermometer.  This temperature increase is caused by the increased production of the hormone progesterone stimulated by ovulation. So the best time to get pregnant is in the two or three days before your temperature hits its high point.

Tummy Pain

Many women will recognise they are ovulating due to lower abdominal discomfort.  Approximately one-fifth of women actually feel ovulatory activity, which can range from mild aches to twinges of pain in the lower abdomen area. The condition, called mittelschmerz, may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

When trying to get pregnant, cycle awareness is important. But if you know how to recognize where in your cycle you are, you can determine the best times for you and your partner to try and conceive. See my previous post on How To Get Pregnant Fast!