If you want to get pregnant, you will need to understand your menstrual cycle. Pregnancy will only usually only occur at certain times of your cycle and you will need to have sex before and during this time to increase your chances.
Understanding the menstrual cycle
The average length for a menstrual cycle is 28 days, but every woman is different. There are some who will have a cycle of 26 days while others will have a 31 day menstrual cycle. Pregnancy will occur when you are ovulating, which is on day 14 for the typical length of a cycle.
Ovulation is when the egg is released from the ovaries. The egg will only survive for 24 hours once ovulation has happened so you will need to make sure there is sperm ready to meet it. However, trying to calculate the exact day of ovulation can be difficult.
Knowing your menstrual cycle
You need to know your cycle to stand a chance of getting pregnant; otherwise it will just be pot luck. Day one of your cycle is the first day of your period and you continue to count the days until the first day of your next period; this is the exact length of your menstrual cycle.
Pregnancy chances increase just by knowing the length so it may be worth spending two or three months of counting to find out how long your cycle lengths are; this is especially the case if you have just come off some form of contraception that stops your periods.
Increase your chances of pregnancy
By understanding your menstrual cycle, pregnancy has more of a chance of happening. The benefit is that you understand, in theory, when you need to have sex to conceive. There are a number of online calculators that will be able to help you determine the best dates to have sex – you will usually be given a four or five day window of opportunity depending on the figures that you put into the calculator.
Of course, there are chances that you will not know the length of your cycle, especially if you have irregular periods or have just come off contraception like the pill or the implant. Because of that, you need to start taking your basal temperature.
Your temperature dropping is a sign that you are going to start ovulating; this is the time to start having sex. You can also buy ovulation testing kits from many drug stores, which will also help you work out your menstrual cycle.
Do not be worried if you do not get pregnant right away. While most healthy couples will successfully conceive during the first year of trying for a baby, there are some that will not get pregnant for up to two years.
A healthy diet and being of a healthy weight will also help to increase your chances of getting pregnant. If you have been trying for some time then it will be worth talking to your doctor to rule out any complications.
