Trying to conceive tips – strategies to help increase your chances of getting pregnant
Need some trying to conceive tips? Below are some cheap (and almost free!) strategies to help you determine your fertile period, which is the best time to have intercourse.
When it comes to getting pregnant, it all boils down to just one thing – TIMING. Whether you are trying to conceive naturally or with the help of advance medical treatments, pinpointing the few days in every month that you are fertile will greatly increase your chances of getting pregnant.
Trying to conceive tips: #1 Time the intercourse
A sperm is capable of fertilizing an egg for up to 3 days. Your chances of conception are highest if intercourse takes place 1 to 2 days prior to ovulation. Once ovulation is detected by any of the methods mentioned below, it’s a good idea to have intercourse that evening or the following morning. In addition, the amount of sperm is the greatest after 3-5 days of abstinence.
Learn how to check your signs of fertility and avoid common mistakes that will reduce your chances of getting pregnant – all in Personal Path to Pregnancy
Trying to conceive tips: #2 Signs of ovulation
Paying attention to signs of ovulation is a good way to ensure you have intercourse on the right days. Some women are able to tell that ovulation is about to take place by observing their monthly bodily changes, such as breast swelling and tenderness, increased sex drive, or a sharp pain on either side of the lower abdomen. However, not all women experience ovulation symptoms.
Trying to conceive tips: #3 Your cycle calendar
Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before your period begins. If you have a 28-day cycle, you can expect ovulation at day 14 like the average women. If your typical menstrual cycles are 32 days apart, then your anticipated ovulation will be on day 18. This method only applies if you have regular cycles. If your cycles are irregular, charting your basal body temperature and tracking your cervical mucus are better ways to predict your fertility.
Trying to conceive tips: #4 Basal body temperature (BBT) charting
Your BBT is your resting body temperature, which is the lowest body temperature you experience in a day. This usually happens in the morning, right after you wake up. So track your BBT every morning before you get out of bed.
Your BBT may rise and fall over a cycle, but before ovulation usually there will be a sudden dip in temperature, followed by a sharp rise in temperature that will remain elevated, and then drop at the onset of your period. The day the temperature dips is the day ovulation occurred. When you see at least three higher than average temperatures in a row, you can almost be sure that you’ve ovulated, just before the first high-temperature day.
Monitor your BBT chart for a few cycles, you’ll see a pattern and from there you’ll be able to predict or know when you will ovulate.
Trying to conceive tips: #5 Observing mucus changes
Changes in hormone also cause changes in the cervical mucus throughout your cycle. For example, just before ovulation, cervical mucus increases in amount, is transparent and stretchy, while after menstruation, cervical mucus is scanty, thick and white, and only slightly sticky. You can predict ovulation by noting those changes over several cycles.
These are natural methods to determine fertility and increase your chances of getting pregnant, but they are not foolproof. So it’s best to combine all methods. Alternatively, you can choose to use a home ovulation kit to do the job. If you have tried these trying to conceive tips but have not achieved pregnancy, visit your doctor to find out if there is an underlying fertility problem.