DID EVERYONE KNOW THIS???

Women, by definition, are only fertile for the few days leading up to ovulation. That is when they produce a wet quality cervical fluid that gradually starts to resemble a man's seminal fluid.

I thought a woman was fertile during her ovulating period, obviously not all the days but I thought you ovulated on say the 8th thru the 12, at least for those days you could get pregnant. Now reading this, how will you know days before you ovulate, that, that time is the ideal time to have intercourse This is all too much sometime. It makes one just want to say what the heck

It seems sometimes too much knowledge may not be the best thing. Maybe it's best to just 'go for it' and enjoy it!!

You can chart that will allow you to know.

I am being a rebel, I am not charting, temping or tracking anything, I am just doing the do. Its just that when I read certain things it makes me question what I read before.

Michele I am so not good at that stuff. Even if I was charting etc, who to tell I or hubby would be up to doing it then. I guess if and when we get serious about it say in a year with no success then I might consider other things.

This is true you only ovulate on a specific day. You do have a week span that you can possibly get pregnant, however there is a lot to take into consideration. One of the main points is that you know your body. It took me a few months to understand when I was ovulating and what entails ovulation. After that I didn't need anything else. However since I'm a worry wart I used the ovulation test predictors. They were 100% accurate for me. Everytime I knew I was ovulating the test confirmed it for me. I was pregnant a couple months later.
Good luck...

Yes I know, I read ALOT!!!!! And am using my monitor now

I guess they are all agreeing now

How long does it take to conceive?

My husband and I, both 29 and in good health, have been trying to get pregnant for the past several months. We have been identified when I am ovulating. How long does it typically take for couples our age to conceive?




Peg Plumbo

Peg Plumbo has been a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) since 1976 and has assisted at over 1,000 births.




A woman's chance of conception varies with age. Around eighty percent of all couples in their late 20s and early 30s, who are having intercourse two to three times per week without birth control, will achieve pregnancy within the first year. Another 10 to 15 percent will conceive within two years. At your age I would not worry unless you are unable to conceive within the next year.

Chance of conceiving in any given month, by age:


Early 20s -- up to 25 percent

Late 20s and early 30s -- up to 15 percent

Late 30s: up to 10 percent

If you have a history of STDs, repeat abortions or miscarriages, gynecological procedures involving the uterus, surgeries/trauma to the pelvis, a family history of infertility or irregular periods, and feel that you may be at risk for infertility, I recommend seeking help at this time.

Remember that having intercourse every other day is just as effective as every day, and the best time for conception is just prior to ovulation -- not on the day of ovulation or the day after

Understanding Your Most Fertile Time

One of the hallmarks of the current generation is that women are choosing to have children later in life – and it is likely that this trend will continue. On average, women today are having two children with approximately four years time between the first and second births. Between 1985 and 1994 the proportion of births to women in their 20s decreased from 62 percent to 53 percent, while the proportion of births to women 30 – 44 years of age increased from 25 percent to 34 percent. Since the mid 1970s there has
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been a four-fold increase in the percent of first births to women 30 years and older.

Because fertility declines with age, having children later in life means that many couples will experience infertility in their quest to build a family. Advances in the treatment of infertility have improved a woman’s chances of conception as she ages, and more couples than ever before are taking advantage of these new treatments. However, many couples still don’t know all they need to know about the first and most important step in the pregnancy process: ovulation.

Ovulation is the term used to define the release of an egg (usually one, though sometimes more) from a woman’s ovary. Conception occurs when a sperm fertilizes the egg. While sperm can survive for several days inside a woman’s reproductive tract, an egg can only survive for up to 24 hours after ovulation. This puts a limitation on the time when conception is most likely to occur. According to a recent survey conducted at the World Congress on Fertility and Sterility, 20 percent of the problems in conceiving are due to a couple’s failure to time intercourse correctly during the woman’s fertile time period.

The Opinion Research Corporation International (ORC) found that most women don’t know when they can become pregnant. Nearly all women (98 percent) of reproductive age polled are unclear about how many days each month it is possible to get pregnant, and more than half (52 percent) of women aren’t sure when those fertile days occur during their cycle. Most parents do not know the day(s) on which their children were conceived.

To increase chances of becoming pregnant, women should monitor their body’s fertile time period – the time that sperm can survive within a woman’s reproductive tract until ovulation and fertilization can occur. A woman’s most fertile period is typically several days (usually no more than 5-6) ending on the day after ovulation. Because menstrual cycles vary from one woman to another and even from one cycle to the next in the same woman, identifying a woman’s fertile time period can be challenging. However there are several methods a woman can use to determine when she is most likely to conceive:

Calendar – A woman can chart her menstrual cycle on a calendar to determine the days she is most likely to ovulate.


Basal Body Temperature (BBT) – The BBT is a woman’s temperature first thing in the morning, before getting up or doing any activity. In a normal menstrual cycle, a woman’s BBT rises almost one degree from just after ovulation through the beginning of her next cycle.


Cervical Mucus – Most of the time the cervix produces a mucus that protects the body from sperm, bacteria and other organisms. For several days each month, the consistency of the mucus changes to allow sperm to enter the fallopian tubes. By monitoring these changes, a woman can determine her fertile time period.


Symptothermal – Charting a combination of fertility indicators like cervical secretions and BBT can often help to indicate a woman’s fertile time period.

The above charting methods require women to record the secondary signs of fertility caused by changes in hormones. Because these conditions can be affected by factors such as infections or medications, they require careful monitoring and analysis, and they are never 100% reliable. An alternative to these methods is measuring changes in hormone levels. An increase in the level of estrogen marks the beginning of most women’s fertile phase, while an increase in the luteinizing hormone (LH) level signals that ovulation will occur soon – usually within approximately 24 to 36 hours.

The fertility monitor is a relatively new approach designed to provide daily information about a woman’s fertile time period. The monitor records a woman’s daily fertility level (low, high, peak) based on results from urine tests that detect increases in levels of estrogen and LH.

Another in-home test that can provide useful information is an ovulation predictor kit. These products measure the level of LH, helping women identify the days they have the optimal chances of conceiving.

The chances of becoming pregnant in any one month decrease from 20 percent in women over 30 years of age to five percent in women over 40. Among healthy women trying to conceive, nearly all pregnancies can be attributed to intercourse during the six days leading up to, and ending on, the day of ovulation. Being able to identify a woman’s fertility peaks and timing intercourse accordingly can increase a couple’s chances of pregnancy and also decrease unnecessary anxiety about the process.

Couples should also recognize that other factors may contribute to a woman’s inability to become pregnant, even when she is ovulating. These include:

previous tubal surgery


history of pelvic inflammation or infection


scar tissue from previous surgery


irregular or infrequent cycles


male partner’s infertility
A woman who is under 35 and trying to become pregnant should use timing methods for no longer than one year. If she is still not pregnant, she should consult a physician to try to determine the cause of her inability to conceive. A woman over 35 should only use timing methods for up to six months before seeking further medical attention.

For more information about timing conception and reliable methods for monitoring your fertile time period, please contact The American Infertility Association at 888-917-3777 or visit our Web site at www.americaninfertility.org.

I just noticed this article was edited by my Gyn
Edited by:
Ellyn Modell, M.D.
Reproductive Endocrinologist
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology
New York University School of Medicine

What point in my cycle is best for conception?

When is the best point in my cycle to conceive a child?




Peg Plumbo

Peg Plumbo has been a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) since 1976 and has assisted at over 1,000 births.




The answer to this is really 'it depends.' First of all, it would be great to see a provider for a 'preconception' visit. At that time, you can get a physical exam, a pap smear, a rubella titer and all the tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

Your provider can look at your calendar and see when you would be most fertile and describe fertile cervical mucus to you. You should also begin taking a folic acid supplement and be instructed in nutrition and hazards such as alcohol and smoking.

A general answer is that if you count the first day of your period as day one and, if you have regular periods every 28 to 30 days (counting from the first day of your period to first day of next), you should try every other day starting on day 12 to 16 or so.

In ideal conditions (ovulatory mucus and non-acidic pH), sperm live about 72 hours in the female, but the fertilizable life of the egg is only about 12 hours. Conception is more likely to result if intercourse takes place in the day or two before ovulation so everything is ready when the egg is in the correct place. In one study published recently in the 'New England Journal of Medicine,' no pregnancies occurred in the days after ovulation; instead, they resulted from live sperm waiting when ovulation occurred.

Try to read any of the many books out there on achieving a pregnancy, or use the Billings' method of family planning 'in reverse.' This method teaches you to recognize all the signs of fertility.

I hope all goes well for you.