Fertility and ovulation: where to start if you want to get pregnant

You may wish to get pregnant without thinking too much about it, and simply let it happen by "luck.” But many women want more certainty, and don't want to let everything fall to chance. There are more “scientific” things you should know about your body, so you can get pregnant when you want to.

Steps in pregnancy planning

Now that you’ve made the decision to have a baby, several questions arise. Is there a time for optimal fertility, and how do you assess it? How and when should you stop using the various methods of contraception? Here’s a general overview containing some basic knowledge about how female reproduction works.

Every month, the ovaries produce eggs. If they are not fertilized by sperm, they die within 24 hours. To become pregnant, sexual intercourse must take place without contraception, allowing nature to take its course. Understanding the couple’s combined fertility helps identify the most favorable times to conceive a baby.

Know the signs of ovulation

The menstrual cycle typically lasts between 26 and 35 days, but it can vary from one cycle to another. By recording your observations in a chart or an app, you can better understand where you are in your cycle. The first day of the cycle corresponds to the first day of menstruation. If menstruation occurs, and not just light spotting, it confirms that ovulation took place about two weeks earlier. That’s a first positive sign!

Because cycles can vary, there’s no need to stress about calculating the exact timing of your next ovulation. Under the influence of natural hormones, other changes also occur in your body: cervical mucus at the vulva, a rise in body temperature, swelling of a lymph node in the groin, and more. By paying closer attention to these signs and recording them daily, you can recognize when ovulation is approaching and share the wonders of your cycle with your partner. Intercourse from the onset of cervical mucus until two days after it disappears is favorable for pregnancy. A rise in basal body temperature confirms that ovulation has occurred, and it may still be possible to conceive! If ovulation is harder to identify, using an ovulation test is recommended.

Stop using contraception

The contraceptive pill

It is possible to become pregnant very quickly after you stop taking your birth control medication. For some women, however, it may take two to three months for the cycle to return to normal after they stop taking the pill. If you wish to stop using contraception and facilitate normal resumption of the menstrual cycle, it is advisable to complete your entire cycle of contraceptive pills before having unprotected sex. The reason for this is that your cycle may be slightly disturbed if you stop taking your birth control medication in the middle of the month.

The IUD

Since you need to go to your family doctor or gynecologist to have an IUD removed, it would be a good idea to discuss your decision to get pregnant with them. Your doctor will be able to perform a check-up and advise you to update your vaccines. Know that your menstrual cycle will resume as soon as your IUD is removed.

Recognize optimal conditions

As we’ve seen, fertility is at its peak for 24 hours, about 14 days before the start of menstruation. However, the window favorable for conception lasts a few days longer, since sperm can survive for up to five days in the female reproductive tract when conditions are favorable.

Thus, during a regular 28-day cycle, a woman will be fertile between the 10th and 16th day of her cycle. It is therefore essential to have sexual relations during this period  to get pregnant. The more intercourse at the peak of ovulation, the greater the chances of fertilization.  "If a man and a woman have sex during the fertile period, they have between a one in four chance (at age 20) and one in twenty (at age 40) that fertilization will occur.” ¹

There are applications as well as an ovulation test (french only) to determine the best time to get pregnant. The test calculates the most fertile days by measuring fluctuations in LH (the fertility hormone). You will find out when the most optimal 48 hours are during the month to conceive a baby. The ovulation test works much like a pregnancy test, using urine as an indicator. The fertility hormone level is measured by passing urine over a strip of paper. When the result is positive, it’s a sign that ovulation is at its peak. However, it is also important to make sure that cervical mucus is present; without it, sperm will not be able to reach the egg in the fallopian tube to fertilize it. Sympto-thermal charts or apps are effective tools for identifying ovulation, both to avoid pregnancy and to conceive.

Please note that conception may take longer than expected and could even take several months. This is in no way a sign of infertility.

1- https://www.inspq.qc.ca/en/tiny-tot/pregnancy/stages-pregnancy/before-pregnancy