When are the best days to get pregnant? This question is one that comes up frequently during conversations with people who are trying for a baby. I suspect that any education you may have had around pregnancy was probably about prevention, and not about promoting it! The advice I received at school made me believe that any sexual activity had a high risk of pregnancy - without any discussion of how the monthly cycle is actually designed to prevent it most of the time.

However, what we've learned, or been taught in the past often misses out the important point that you can only get pregnant in your 'fertile window' - which is just about 6 days per monthly cycle.

In this blog I'm going to help you to understand what the fertile window is, and how you can find out when yours is. What happens next is up to you!

What is a 'fertile window'?

This is the time in your cycle when pregnancy is possible, and is calculated by adding the maximum life span of sperm (about 5 days) + egg (1 day) together. Thus, technically your fertile window is about 6 days per month. That school ed - not much use, eh?  Not the whole month, two weeks, just six days. However....

Wait! The fertile window is only 6 days?

Yep. Sperm live for about 5 days in fertile cervical fluid, and eggs a mere 24 hours. You can see it's critical to be able to get sperm in place at least a couple of days BEFORE the egg is mature enough to hatch (called ovulation), to give the best possible chances of them meeting up.

Here's that however from the last point above... my warning is - that although technically your window could be around six days, the three days including ovulation and the two days previous are likely the best fertile window when you should be trying to conceive.

But how do I know when ovulation happens?

Great question - the answer is you won't know unless you are tracking your menstrual cycle. In fertility reflexology we need information to see what is happening during your cycle (unless you have a magic window into your ovaries, we have no way of knowing).

We get information by using a combination of tracking basal body temperature (BBT) using a simple digital thermometer and a temperature recording chart (or app), together with noting changes and types of cervical fluids, and keeping track of any significant symptoms (a rise in libido, feeling more energetic, etc.).

Put it all together

Altogether this information really helps as a good guide to the natural ebb and flow of your cycle, as well as helping to pinpoint the most likely time when you ovulate.  This in turn helps you to time when to try for a baby. Remember, ovulation and the 2 days BEFORE are the magic spot in your cycle.

Understanding that you have a fertile window, and being able to see when it is coming so that you can time your baby making activities is likely to dramatically increase your chances of becoming pregnant.

Want more help?

If you want to know more about tracking your cycle to pinpoint ovulation, I've made an easy to follow Guide to your Fertile Window which you can download here, together with a bonus file - 4 Types of Fertile Fluid to help you spot ovulation.

If you want to know more about how fertility reflexology can help you prepare for conception and pregnancy, book a discovery call with me now to start your journey.  Support packages start at £90 and can be tailored to YOUR needs.