You and your partner have made the decision. It’s time to start “trying” to get pregnant. For best results, narrow down the day you ovulate–that is, the time you release an egg. An egg only spends a day seeking sperm with which to unite, and the day you ovulate is your most fertile. Three to five days before the egg’s release is also a good time to try, as sperm can survive that long. Instead of avoiding those magical days in the middle of your cycle, embrace them, and each other.
Feeling Regular?
The average length of a woman’s cycle is 28 days. This four-week plan makes life pretty easy when you are trying to get pregnant–or when you aren’t, for that matter. If your menstrual cycle regularly starts exactly 28 days, or four weeks after the last time it started, you are in luck. Instead of spending time calculating your cycle, get busy making a baby. Your ovulation should take place on the 14th day of your cycle, exactly in the middle of your cycle. This will be two weeks to the day after your cycle started and two weeks before your next will start. The day before and the day of your ovulation are most ideal time to get pregnant when you have a crisp, clean 28-day cycle.
More or Less
Not every woman is blessed with a perfectly scheduled 28-day cycle. Some are mavericks and have shorter or longer cycles. For a few months, note when your cycle starts. Count how many days come between each time it starts. If you see a pattern in the number of days, you can breathe easily and get moving. Simply subtract 14 from the number of days. If your cycle is 26 days long each time, subtract 14 from 26, getting 12. If your cycle is 32 days long, subtract 14 from 22, getting 18. Your ovulation should happen on the day of number you receive, so day 12 or day 18, respectively. Again, spend time in the bedroom on the day or two before your ovulation and on that day for your best success.
Rebel without a Cause
After months of analyzing the days of your period and the days between, you may be coming up with a whole calculator full of different numbers. If you are like many women with stubborn cycles that refuse to be pinned down, you can still determine your ovulation day. Take your basal temperature each morning with an ovulation or basal thermometer and note the temperatures. Look for a pattern over a few months. You should see a day when the temperature rises 1 to 1.5 degrees. This will happen just after you ovulate. Note the day this happens. If you see the same number coming up, plan some alone time with your partner on the days just before this day. If you are comfortable with it, analyze the cervical fluid you express each day. When it starts to look like egg whites, you are ready to go. You may not be able to eat omelettes for a while, but once you are pregnant, the morning sickness will take over anyway.
