When to have sex if you want to get pregnant

If my periods are irregular, will it be harder for me to get pregnant?

    Can't we just try and see what happens?

    When is the best time to have sex if we're trying to conceive?

    How do I know when I'm ovulating?

  

When is the best time to have sex if we're trying to conceive?

Ovulation Calculator

Find out when you're likely to ovulate – and boost your chances of conceiving.

Timing is everything. Sperm can live for two to three days, but the egg is around for only 12 to 24 hours. To increase the likelihood of conception, it's important to have intercourse more than once around the time of ovulation. A good approach is to have sex one to two days before ovulation and again on the day you ovulate. That way, there's more likely to be a healthy supply of sperm waiting in the fallopian tube when an egg is released.

Of course, exactly when a woman ovulates isn't altogether clear. It all depends on the length of your menstrual cycle. A woman typically ovulates about 14 days before her next period — not mid-cycle, as is commonly held. If you have a 28-day cycle, which is the average, then you would ovulate halfway through your cycle. But if you have a 35-day cycle, you would ovulate around day 21, not day 17.

To determine the time when you're most likely to be fertile, try our ovulation calculator.

How do I know when I'm ovulating?

Some women are very aware of when they ovulate. Other women don't notice any changes at all. If you're thinking about getting pregnant, try to track your cycle for a couple of months. Some subtle signs of ovulation include:

    Breast tenderness

    Slight feelings of discomfort in your middle abdomen

    Increased vaginal discharge that takes on a wetter, egg-white-type quality

    A slight increase (about 0.4 to 1 degree Fahrenheit) in basal body temperature, or BBT, which you can detect by taking your temperature each morning before you get out of bed, two days after you ovulate. You can get a good sense of your cycle if you chart your BBT for a few months.