The Best Time to Conceive a Baby

A woman's egg can live for 24 hours after it is released from the fallopian tubes, while a man's sperm can live for three to five days in a woman's reproductive tract. Therefore, the optimal time for conception is within the 24 hour period that follows a woman's ovulation.

  1. Significance

    • A woman's egg and a man's sperm must meet in order for conception to occur, so the best time to have sex in order to conceive is three days before a woman's expected ovulation to one day after her ovulation. Having sex just days before ovulation is optimal because most of the sperm should still be alive and will have had a chance to swim to the fallopian tube where one of them will be able to unite with the egg.

    Identification

    • Optimal methods for tracking ovulation are to monitor your cervical mucous---which will look a lot like egg whites just before ovulation and will dry up afterwards---or track your basal body temperature. You can do this by taking your temperature each morning before you get out of bed. Before ovulation, your temperature will be 0.5 to 1.5 degrees lower than after ovulation. These methods are optimal because they can both be used by women with regular menstrual cycles and women with irregular menstrual cycles.

    Considerations

    • You can chart your expected ovulation by counting how long it has been since your last menstrual period; however, some women have cycles that vary in length from month to month. Even women who are usually regular can have an off month if they are stressed out or have been ill.

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