When you are trying to get pregnant, timing is everything! You need to keep track of your menstrual cycle and find out your fertile days as well as your ovulation day.
How to identify your fertile days?
Let’s understand how pregnancy happens first. A woman’s fertile days are 5 to 6 days in the menstrual cycle when you have the best chance of conceiving; it includes the day of ovulation when the egg is released from the ovary. After the egg is released, it will stay in the fallopian tube for about 24 hours. Pregnancy can happen when a sperm penetrates and fertilises the egg, and implants successfully in the uterus. Subsequently, it will turn off your period and you will find yourself expecting a baby!
Your menstrual cycle starts on day 1 of your period and finishes the day before the next period. Ovulation happens about 14 days before the next period starts. For instance:
-If you have a period every 28 days, you will ovulate around day 14 and your fertile days are between days 11 and 15.
-If you have a period every 30 days, you will ovulate around day 16 and your fertile days are between days 13 and 17
-If you have a period every 35 days, your will ovulate around day 21 and your fertile days are between days 18 and 22
You may also use menstruation tracker apps to predict your fertile days to make things easier. There are many tracker apps available now.
Reminder: As sperm can survive for up to five days after intercourse, having sex every alternate day during your fertile days helps to increase your chances of conceiving.
How to increase the chance further?
Track your ovulation and having sex on that day will boost the chance further! As your ovulation may fall on a different day every month, you need to pay attention to the signs of ovulation such as breast tenderness, increased sex drive, bloating, cramps and light spotting. Your cervical mucus can also give you a good clue. As you approach ovulation, your cervical mucus will become more plentiful, clear, slippery, and sticky, the consistency is similar to egg whites.
Alternatively, you can also identify your ovulation day precisely by using an ovulation test. An ovulation test works by detecting a surge of LH hormone in your urine that is present on the day of ovulation. Ovulation test kits are available at most pharmacies.
In addition, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle are important too!