How to Know the Best Time to Get Pregnant

It is very often the case that when a couple is told they have unexplained infertility they really should be told that they need to learn some more about conception, and not listen to everything the doctors say. To put is plainly, many doctors will give the title of ‘infertile’ simply if a couple hasn’t conceived after one year, when all it can take is asking the question ‘when is the best time to get pregnant’ and finding the answer with a better understanding of the function of our own cervical fluid.

It’s pretty standard for doctors to focus on basal body temperate and overlook the significance of changes in cervical fluid. If couples are serious about timing when is the best time to get pregnant then they cannot afford to ignore cervical fluid. For millions of couples around the world, doctors are unfortunately still prescribing the timing of intercourse be dictated by changes in a woman’s temperature. If you have been told that checking basal body temperature is actually a post-indication of ovulation and fertility, then at least that is half the story – however most doctors will still tell you to check your past cycles for a predictive indication of future fertile times. Couples are being mislead in both instances!

If couples us the basal temperature method to determine when is the best time to get pregnant, they may actually be doing themselves a disservice, as often by the time an increase in temperature is recorded, the egg has died.

Tracking changes in temperature is of course a part of the conception puzzle, but the emphasis the medical profession gives it as a sign of fertility is misleading. There are many useful things to be gleaned from recording basal body temperature, such as your ovulation cycle length (important for knowing if an egg can be successfully implanted in the uterus) or if you are ovulating properly or not – even for determining if a conception has taken place. It should not, however, be used as a way to find the best fertile times. The best way for determining fertile times is to check cervical fluid, and start charting that instead! The prime fertile day is the last day of the cervical fluid that looks like eggwhites, or the wettest type of cervical fluid.

Chances of conception can be increased by paying attention to your cervical fluid. Of course the most important first step is to know what it is you are looking for. Volume, colour and consistency are all important indicators in cervical mucus, and these can alter considerably throughout the menstrual cycle. By using these indicators and charting their changes you can more accurately determine the optimum time for conception.

Directly after the menses have finished, there is usually not much cervical fluid produced. In most women for the first half a week directly after the period there will be little mucus produced, if any at all. The chances of conceiving depend largely on the presence of cervical mucus, so no mucus, no pregnancy. The stage after this one, and preceding ovulation is one where there is a sticky consistency to the cervical mucus and it is a cloudy or white colour. This time is also one of lesser quantities of mucus. A couple of days prior to ovulation the cervical mucus changes to a moist, sticky consistency like a lotion or hand cream. This stage is accompanied by a white to cream coloured mucus.

The optimum time for conceiving is a couple of days before and during ovulation. The most cervical mucus is present during the ovulation phase of the menstrual cycle. During ovulation the cervical mucus takes on the colour and consistency of an eggwhite which is why this time is called the time of ‘eggwhite cervical mucus’. The eggwhite cervical mucus is an indicator that the optimum time for conception has arrived.

By taking notice of the changes in your cervical mucus, you can track your cycle more accurately, and always know where you are in your cycle. By observing the changes in your cervical fluids over a number of months it becomes easier to pinpoint exact ovulation times, and thus to pinpoint the perfect time each month for conception.