The saying “every thing in due time” applies to many life events, including attempts to conceive a baby. We know that a woman’s age has an influence on her fertility (50% lower for women in their late thirties or early forties than for women in their early twenties). Men are also affected by reduced fertility with advancing age, but this phenomenon does not usually occur until the age of 50.
But, in addition to the age of the partners, there is another kind of important time factor for conception – the dates you have sex. A woman’s fertility is greatest during a 6 day period that ends on the day of her ovulation. These 6 days are referred to as: the “fertile period”. Although having sex frequently (daily or every other day) results in the highest pregnancy rates, it is very likely that conception occurred during the fertile window. It may therefore be useful for couples who wish to conceive, but for whom it is not desirable to have frequent sexual relations to know the moment of the pregnancy.
If two partners know that they have had sex during their fertile window for an extended period of time without conceiving a child (6 months or more if the woman is 35 years of age or older or 12 months or more if the female is under 35), they may have a fertility problem. If this is your case, your doctor may recommend you to a reproductive specialist.
There are several methods and devices that you can use at home to predict when you will ovulate and when you are fertile to help increase your chances of conceiving a baby naturally. One such method is basal temperature monitoring; the woman then plots her temperature each morning for a few months to determine when she is ovulating. Basal temperature, however, usually rises after ovulation, which makes it difficult to predict the fertile period of the cycle just monitored. Tracking basal temperature can be useful when combined with month-ahead calculations to predict fertile window based on measurements of several regular cycles.
Another method of predicting the time of ovulation is to examine the quality and abundance of vaginal fluids; we can thus identify the entire fertile period. However, you will need training to use this technique properly.
Tests that predict ovulation based on certain properties of urine and fertility monitors can be obtained without a prescription from a drugstore. These products can detect the presence of hormones that are released precisely before ovulation, such as luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrogen. Some ovulation predictor kits that detect LH identify an “optimal fertility period” that runs from the 36 th to the 24 th hour before ovulation. Fertility monitors detect LH and estrogen in urine. They can identify the entire 6-day fertile window and provide the best chance of timing sex at ovulation to achieve conception.
Other things you can do to increase your chances of fertility include:
- achieving a healthy weight;
- seeing your doctor to see if the lubricant you are using is likely to affect your chances of conception;
- moderation in the use of alcohol (2 drinks per day or less for women);
- stopping smoking.
May your design attempts be crowned with success !
