Best Day to Get Pregnant

The best day to get pregnant can be different for different women, but there are general guidelines to help you to find the best day for you. Women who have regular periods find it easier to determine the best day, and those with very irregular periods find it a bit more difficult, but certainly not impossible, especially with all the new techniques to help determine the optimal time for ovulation.

Women Who Have a Normal Twenty-Eight Day Cycle

Women who have a normal twenty-eight day cycle normally ovulate about two weeks into their menstrual cycle, which would make the best day to get pregnant between the fourteenth and sixteenth days. The egg released during ovulation is ready to be fertilized for approximately 12 hours before it starts to degenerate, and will survive approximately 24 hours.

Women Who Have an Irregular Cycle

For women who have an irregular menstrual cycle, the best day to get pregnant can be determined in other ways. If you know when to expect your next period, count back twelve to sixteen days from this date, which should be the range of dates that you will be ovulating. Your body may also provide other clues to help in determining when you are most fertile.

Cervical Mucus Can Help Determine the Best Day to Get Pregnant

During the menstrual cycle, the cervical mucus increases in volume as well as it changes in texture. This change reflects the body's rising levels of estrogen, shown best when the mucus is clear, stretchy and slippery, similar to raw egg whites. This mucus helps the sperm get safely through the uterus and into the Fallopian tube before meeting with the egg.

Body Temperature Fluctuations

A woman's basal body temperature can also help determine her best day to get pregnant. Basal thermometers can be purchased at most stores, and will show a woman's slightly raised temperature after ovulation. This temperature can increase .5 - 1.5 degrees, making it hard to determine the change on a regular thermometer.

Lower Abdominal Discomfort and Cramping

Some women experience discomfort or cramping in their lower abdominal region during ovulation. Approximately 20% of women feel this discomfort, which ranges from mild aches and twinges of pain all the way to moderate cramping. This condition is called mittelschmerz, and can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.

Using an Ovulation Kit or Fertility Monitor

Using an ovulation kit or fertility monitor to determine the best day to get pregnant is another popular method. These kits and monitors, also available at most stores, read the LH surges prior to ovulation and are easy to use and generally accurate for predicting ovulation. Fertility monitors read LH as well as other hormone changes and require even less guesswork. Finding the best day to get pregnant is now much easier than in the past. Using any combination of these ways to determine a woman's optimal time for ovulation will help a couple to get pregnant much easier, and more quickly.