Wondering when to conceive? Find out about the different phases of your ovulation cycle and predict your prime time with this easy tool.
The first day of your menstrual cycle is the first day of your period (day 1). The period usually then lasts anything from 3 to 7 days. You'll probably find that if you get any period pains, they'll be at their worst in the first few days of your period. This is because the hormones in your body are causing your womb to actively shed the lining that was built up in the previous menstrual cycle.
You are at your most fertile in the five days leading up to and including ovulation. These five days are called your fertile window. Your fertile window is calculated using the date of the first day of your last menstrual period and combining it with the usual number of days in your menstrual cycle. From this you can work out the day you will ovulate. Once you know when you will ovulate you can calculate which days you will be at your most fertile.
Ovulation is a process whereby a mature egg is released from the ovaries and travels down the fallopian tube where the fertilization by a sperm cell may occur. It is important to know when ovulation is likely to happen, as a woman is more suspectable to conceive during this time.
Conception occurs when a sperm cell from a fertile man swims up through the vagina and into the uterus of a woman and joins with the woman's egg cell as it travels down one of the fallopian tubes from the ovary to the uterus
Implantation is one of the most dramatic biological events of entire pregnancy - fertilization being the first. Although you may not even notice that implantation is happening although some woman experience period-like cramping and a little spotting . Either way, implantation silently marks the making of an embryo even before you know for sure that you're expecting.
Your best bet is to wait to take a pregnancy test until about 19 days after fertilization in order for HCG to build up to a level that's detectable in your urine. HCG production begins as soon as the embryo implants in our uterus which is between six to 12 days after fertilization.
Note: The calculator provides an estimate based on the information you provide and may not be accurate. Please seek advice from a medical professional if you are trying to conceive.
Note: The calculator provides an estimate based on the information you provide and may not be accurate. Please seek advice from a medical professional if you are trying to conceive.
Each month an egg is supported towards maturity by the action of hormones on the ovarian follicle in which it rests. Generally a new egg ruptures and is released mid-cycle; around day 14-15 after the first day of the last normal period. If the egg is fertilised and implants in the uterus, there will be no period. If fertilisation does not occur, then the uterine lining and egg are shed in the next period, around 14 days later.
The most common and easiest method of detecting ovulation is to use a monthly calendar. Mark the first day of your menstrual period and when bleeding stops. Doing this for a couple of months will help you to understand your own patterns and the cyclic, generally predictable nature of menstruation.
Although the average length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days, this can vary between individual women. Many women have shorter or longer cycles.
It is important to look for physical changes which can show you’ve ovulated, or are about to. Predicting your most fertile days will help to increase your chances of conceiving.
Having intercourse just prior to, or at the time of ovulation will maximise your chances of conceiving a baby.
There is only a small fertility window – twelve to twenty four hours, where the egg is viable and capable of fertilisation. Taking your basal body temperature first thing in the morning can also give you some clues as to your most fertile days.
Many women also experience ovulation symptoms such as changes in their vaginal mucous and an increase in their libido.
Sperm are much more robust than eggs and can survive for up to five days after ejaculation. Fertilisation normally occurs in one of the fallopian tubes. As soon as the egg has been fertilised, a signal is given off to the other sperm not to waste their efforts, there has already been a lucky winner.
For more information see Conception and Getting Pregnant.