Fertility 101: The basics of getting pregnant

For some women, avoiding pregnancy is difficult. For others, however, conceiving a child can be more challenging. With so much fertility advice swirling online and in books and magazines, it can be confusing as to what is required to get that BFP (Big Fat Positive).

While your fertility is influenced by several factors, here are few things you can do to increase your chance of falling pregnant each month.

Trash the contraceptives

Some birth control methods have a longer re-adjustment period than others, so be aware that you might not conceive right away. The time it takes for a woman’s hormones to stabilise after discontinuing contraception varies.

• Hormonal contraceptives — such as oral birth control or hormone injections might have a longer lag period while your body re-adjusts.
• If you have an implanted contraceptive, such as a Mirena, you need to see a health professional to have it removed.
• If you were relying on barrier methods (such as condoms, cervical caps, diaphragms or sponges), you don’t need to worry about a re-adjustment period. This doesn’t mean you’ll conceive immediately, though. (Also, take caution to prevent sexually transmitted infections if you were relying on these devices for protection.)

Track your fertile period

If you can time it right, your odds of becoming pregnant will be much higher. There are a few tricks to tracking your ovulation:

1. Count forward from the first day of your last period. On average, most women ovulate 14 days after they first begin to menstruate.
2. If you have regular cycles, you can often estimate the time of ovulation by dividing your cycle in half. For example, if your period usually lasts 28 days, you will likely ovulate around day 14 of your cycle (14 days after you begin menstruating). If you have a longer cycle, you may ovulate as late as 20 days after your period began.
3. Download an ovulation tracking app. If you find it difficult to keep a calendar of your cycle, make an app do it for you. Search “ovulation tracker” and find one that works for you.
4. Take your basal body temperature. Your body’s temperature will rise slightly when you’re ovulating. Keep a thermometer by your bed, and take your temperature first thing in the morning when you wake up. Jot down your temperature each day. If you notice a spike between that lasts more than a day, you might be ovulating.
5. Fertility is highest during the two to three days before your basal temperature rises^, so if you can observe any month-to-month patterns in when your temperature rises, you can predict the best time to conceive.
6. Keep track of your cervical mucus. It sounds gross, but it works. When your vaginal discharge is clear and stretchy, like raw egg whites, you are most likely fertile and should plan on having sex daily for three to five days from the day you noticed this consistency in your discharge. Once the discharge becomes cloudy and drier, you are less likely to conceive.
7. Use an ovulation predictor kit. Just like buying a pregnancy test, you can pick up an ovulation predictor kit from your pharmacy.

Do the baby dance

Once you know you’re fertile, start baby dancing! When and how often you have sex can influence how quickly you conceive, so try these tips:

• Start having regular sex slightly before ovulation. Here’s the thing: an egg is viable for about 24 hours, but sperm can survive for up to a week in the fallopian tubes. To make sure you don’t miss your shot, start trying to conceive a few days before you think you might ovulate.
• Keep the sperm supply fresh. However, just because sperm can last up to a week doesn’t mean they’re in tip-top shape by then. To combat this, aim to have sex at least every other day while you’re fertile.
• Bask in the afterglow. Don’t make the sperm work against gravity — instead of getting up immediately afterward, lie back and relax for a few minutes.

Take a test

Once the ovulatory period has passed, the waiting game begins. Wait until your next expected period — if it doesn’t show up, take a pregnancy test and see what happens!

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki building the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to fall pregnant. Content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons License.

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