How to Have a Baby: How to Time It and Improve Your Chances

The two things that make the most difference are timing and frequency. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the fertile window is the six days just before the day of ovulation, and the highest pregnancy rates are seen when couples have intercourse every one to two days during that window. Timing intercourse after ovulation has passed does not help, because an egg survives only about a day once released. Everything else, diet, weight, smoking and alcohol, matters, but it matters less than getting those six days right.

When is the fertile window?

The fertile window is the six days ending on the day of ovulation. It opens before ovulation rather than after, because sperm can survive for several days in the reproductive tract while an egg is viable for roughly 12 to 24 hours after release. In practice that means intercourse in the days leading up to ovulation is what counts.

A common piece of advice is to work out ovulation by halving the length of your cycle. That only holds for a 28-day cycle. The interval between ovulation and the next period is relatively fixed at around 14 days, while the first half of the cycle is what varies. So a woman with a 32-day cycle ovulates at roughly day 18, not day 16, and a woman with a 24-day cycle at roughly day 10, not day 12. Counting forward from the start of your period is the least reliable method, and it is where a lot of well-timed effort goes wrong.

How often should you have intercourse when trying to conceive?

Every one to two days through the fertile window is what the American Society for Reproductive Medicine associates with the highest pregnancy rates. Saving up by abstaining for longer stretches is not supported. If tracking the window is proving stressful, intercourse every two to three days across the whole cycle removes the timing problem altogether and still covers the fertile days.

How do you know when you are ovulating?

• Urinary ovulation predictor kits detect the hormone surge that precedes ovulation, giving you notice before it happens rather than after.
• Cervical mucus changes through the cycle and becomes clearer and more slippery around the fertile days.
• Cycle tracking apps can help, though a prediction based on past cycles is an estimate rather than a measurement.

If your cycles are irregular, these methods become much harder to rely on, and irregular cycles are themselves a reason to seek advice rather than keep trying to time things. Our article on how to calculate ovulation days goes into more detail.

Does age affect how quickly you conceive?

Yes, and it is the single factor no amount of preparation changes. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sets out how aging affects fertility and pregnancy, including the rise in the time it takes to conceive and in pregnancy complications with age. Male age has an effect as well, though a smaller one.

For those not ready to try yet, egg freezing stores eggs at their current age for use later. It is worth understanding what it can and cannot do before treating it as a plan.

Which lifestyle changes actually help?

• Stop smoking. ASRM's fact sheet on smoking and infertility covers the effect on both partners.
• Reduce alcohol and caffeine while trying to conceive, and avoid recreational drugs.
• A healthy overall diet. For men, a systematic review in Human Reproduction Update linked a healthy dietary pattern to better semen quality. Our article on foods that nourish sperm covers what that evidence supports.

When should you see a fertility specialist?

The NICE guideline on fertility problems sets the usual threshold at twelve months of regular unprotected intercourse without conception, with earlier assessment where the woman is 36 or over. Irregular periods, a history of pelvic surgery or infection, or a known reproductive health problem in either partner are all reasons to seek advice sooner rather than waiting out the twelve months.

We at Millennium IVF Clinic investigate both partners to identify a cause rather than treating on assumption. You can arrange a consultation with our team.

Frequently asked questions

Does having intercourse after ovulation help?

Not meaningfully. The egg survives roughly 12 to 24 hours after release, so the fertile window has effectively closed. The days before ovulation are the ones that matter.

Can stress stop you getting pregnant?

Trying to conceive is stressful for many couples and managing that is worthwhile in itself. Be cautious of confident claims that stress alone causes infertility. If you have been trying for twelve months, the more useful step is an assessment rather than further stress management.

How long does it normally take to conceive?

Most couples conceive within a year of trying, which is why twelve months is the point at which assessment is usually offered, and six to twelve months where the woman is 36 or over.