The Best Time to Conceive

by Kathleen Roberts
When is the best time to conceive a baby? Even though there are thousands of women who seem to get pregnant just looking at their mate, there are also countless women who find it very difficult. The window of time when a woman is actually able to conceive a child is actually very small. The key to success is to understand exactly how your cycle works and use that knowledge to your advantage.

Understanding Your Cycle

If you are trying to pin down the best time to conceive a baby, you need to understand your cycle. Most women have a 28-day cycle. other women have a 32-day cycle. Your cycle is measured from the first day of your menstrual period to the first day of the following menstrual period. You should track this for at least six months so you know exactly how long your cycle is on average.

It is completely normal for your cycle length to vary slightly from month to month. However, if you track your cycle for about six months and do some simple math, it will be much easier to determine the best time for you to conceive a baby. After you have several month tracked, you should subtract 18 days from your shortest cycle and 11 days from your longest cycle. This will give your the first and last days of the most fertile time of your cycle. For example, in a typical 28-day cycle the days which are most fertile are days 10 through 18.

Another method of figuring fertile days is to calculate 14 days before the start of your next period. Again, you'll need to track your period for some time so you know when to expect your period each month, on average.

When Is the Best Time to Conceive

Once you have established your fertile days, you can figure out your best time to conceive. If you are fertile during days 10 through 18, as in the first example above, it is best to have intercourse every other day during these days. If you have intercourse daily, it is possible that your partner may not be able to produce enough sperm. However, you don't want to space it out too much or the sperm may not be viable. Sperm actually lives for about three to five days after ejaculation. Combine this with the 12 to 24 hours that the ovum is viable after being released, and you can see why some couple have such a difficult time conceiving a child. To make things more difficult, some women do not actually ovulate each month.

To more closely pinpoint the best time to conceive, you should also consider using a basal thermometer to track your body temperature throughout the month. When you do this for a few months, it becomes very easy to see when your most fertile days are. When you ovulate, your body temperature goes up slightly after a dip in temperature just before ovulation. When you see that dip, you know a spike is coming and it is time to try to get pregnant.


Once you know approximately when you will ovulate, you can plan to have intercourse three days before and three days after the estimated day of ovulation. This assures that when an egg is released, sperm will be there waiting to meet it.

Along with monitoring your basal body temperature, you should also pay attention to changes in your cervical mucous. The best time to conceive is when your cervical mucous is clear and stretchy. This creates an easier path for the sperm to reach the egg. Some couple also like to use ovulation predictors that can be purchased at any drug store. Using these in combination with monitoring the changes in your body will greatly increase your chances of conceiving a child.

Other Tips for Increasing Fertility

There are other things you can do to improve your chances of getting pregnant. One is to stay healthy. Take prenatal vitamins, avoid alcohol and tobacco maintain a healthy body weight.

You should also be sure that you and your partner relax! If either of you are stressed out, from trying to conceive or from anything else, it will reduce your fertility. It is good the be aware of the best time to conceive a child, but it is better to make your love for each other be the primary focus. This will assure a better relationship and increase your chances of conceiving that baby you are longing for. Kathleen Roberts is a freelance writer/editor specializing in health and parenting topics. She is the mother of five beautiful children who are home schooled. They all live happily on their family farm in Colorado.

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