There are a few different "schools of thought" regarding when the best time to have sex is, in order to conceive.
1. Most experts now are saying to have sex every-other day (or as often as you can), regardless of the timing of your cycle. Women ovulate around the middle of their cycle (+/- "day 14" for a 28-day cycle; you would be +/- "day 12" for a 24-day cycle)...and that is if our bodies are like robots and worked like clockwork every-single month. Instead of trying to guess and predict when you may ovulate, experts are now wanting healthy women and their partners to stop over-tracking, over-evaluating and just enjoy being intimate with their partners on a regular basis... this will be the best on many levels (lower stress level, no more trying to count days, etc.).
2. If you do want to track days, or at least have an idea...then you can start with your "mid-cycle" day (for you...it is most likely "day 12"), and add 5-7 days on either side of this day for your "potential most fertile time". The problem with this: some women ovulate much earlier or later than their mid-cycle, so waiting until "day 9" to begin having sex may be too late ("day 1" is the first day of bleeding during your period). Thus, refer back to Option 1 for just having sex every-other day or often.
3. Another method I read about (we were trying to conceive also, and I fell into the "over-analyzing" category), is to count 11-21 days since your LMP (last menstrual period) and highlight those days on your calendar plus count 12-16 days from your next expected period (and highlight that range of dates on your calendar) for another "potential most fertile time". Again...you may miss out on a few potential fertile days if you ovulate much earlier than your mid-cycle (and many women do). The problem with ovulation is you do not know when you ovulate until after-the-fact, and many times it may be too late to have sex once you realize it.
See why most experts are now saying "do away with your calendar!" and just have sex often?! You can drive yourself crazy with the dates, and it is such a broad range that really does not help, anyways. Yet, ironically, the broad range of dates may actually still miss a few critical times if you ovulate early.
If you have only been trying to conceive for a month or two, this is the best piece of advice: just through out your calendar (except, keep track of your periods), and just enjoy having sex often! You can also check or just become aware of your different vaginal secretions (cervical mucus tracking), as it changes consistency when you are more fertile.
It takes healthy partners 6-12 months to become pregnant, and each month you have "only" a 20% chance of conceiving (I thought it was a higher chance of getting pregnant, too!!).
Lastly, if you do decide to track, experts are saying to have sex before and during predicted ovulation, as the sperm can live inside your body for 3-5 days, and it may be better for the sperm to be "waiting" for the egg to be released (compared to having sex after ovulation...the egg only is viable for 12-24 hours after ovulation).
Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.
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There are a few different "schools of thought" regarding when the best time to have sex is, in order to conceive.
1. Most experts now are saying to have sex every-other day (or as often as you can), regardless of the timing of your cycle. Women ovulate around the middle of their cycle (+/- "day 14" for a 28-day cycle; you would be +/- "day 12" for a 24-day cycle)...and that is if our bodies are like robots and worked like clockwork every-single month. Instead of trying to guess and predict when you may ovulate, experts are now wanting healthy women and their partners to stop over-tracking, over-evaluating and just enjoy being intimate with their partners on a regular basis... this will be the best on many levels (lower stress level, no more trying to count days, etc.).
2. If you do want to track days, or at least have an idea...then you can start with your "mid-cycle" day (for you...it is most likely "day 12"), and add 5-7 days on either side of this day for your "potential most fertile time". The problem with this: some women ovulate much earlier or later than their mid-cycle, so waiting until "day 9" to begin having sex may be too late ("day 1" is the first day of bleeding during your period). Thus, refer back to Option 1 for just having sex every-other day or often.
3. Another method I read about (we were trying to conceive also, and I fell into the "over-analyzing" category), is to count 11-21 days since your LMP (last menstrual period) and highlight those days on your calendar plus count 12-16 days from your next expected period (and highlight that range of dates on your calendar) for another "potential most fertile time". Again...you may miss out on a few potential fertile days if you ovulate much earlier than your mid-cycle (and many women do). The problem with ovulation is you do not know when you ovulate until after-the-fact, and many times it may be too late to have sex once you realize it.
See why most experts are now saying "do away with your calendar!" and just have sex often?! You can drive yourself crazy with the dates, and it is such a broad range that really does not help, anyways. Yet, ironically, the broad range of dates may actually still miss a few critical times if you ovulate early.
If you have only been trying to conceive for a month or two, this is the best piece of advice: just through out your calendar (except, keep track of your periods), and just enjoy having sex often! You can also check or just become aware of your different vaginal secretions (cervical mucus tracking), as it changes consistency when you are more fertile.
It takes healthy partners 6-12 months to become pregnant, and each month you have "only" a 20% chance of conceiving (I thought it was a higher chance of getting pregnant, too!!).
Lastly, if you do decide to track, experts are saying to have sex before and during predicted ovulation, as the sperm can live inside your body for 3-5 days, and it may be better for the sperm to be "waiting" for the egg to be released (compared to having sex after ovulation...the egg only is viable for 12-24 hours after ovulation).
Hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.
October 27, 2009 - 7:33pmThis Comment
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