Trying for Pregnancy

When you start trying for a baby there are many things that can be helpful to know.

This includes understanding about ovulation and when is the best time to try for conception, perhaps using an ovulation calculator or predictor kit, and also being the healthiest you can possibly be.

What is the best time for conception?

There are certain days in a woman’s menstrual cycle when pregnancy is possible. Pregnancy is technically possible during the five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. These days are the ‘fertile window’ of opportunity to conceive. The likelihood of becoming pregnant is dramatically increased if you have intercourse in the three days leading up to and including ovulation.

What is ovulation?

Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary and pushed down the fallopian tube so it is available to be fertilised.

Periods & ovulation

Sometimes you can have a period but you don’t always ovulate. The blood that flows from this type of period is the shedding of the lining of the uterus (womb) but not of an unused egg. Sometimes you can skip a period altogether and it’s because you haven’t ovulated in that cycle. This is more common in the first two years of having your period, and in the years leading up to menopause when periods stop altogether around age 51.

As you move through the transition towards menopause you can ovulate regularly or irregularly, or even twice in a cycle. Periods can start to become irregular in your 40s and this can affect your opportunity to get pregnant.

There can be other causes for missing periods and not ovulating, such as stress. If you miss your periods on a regular basis, see your doctor.