Know the Best Time to Conceive

If there’s one thing a couple should do who have been labelled with ‘unexplained infertility’ it is to go on a ‘no doctors allowed’ hiatus and really learn about conception. This is because many doctors are far too quick to tell patients they are ‘infertile’ after just one year of trying – sometimes it just takes a better understanding of your bodies and your cervical fluid is one of the best indicators of when is the best time to get pregnant.

Doctors tend to focus on the basal body temperature for measuring fertile times and ignore the fundamental indications of the 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 misinformed by both prescribed methods!

Unfortunately finding when is the best time to get pregnant by keeping a temperature record may actually be impeding conception, as in most cases by the time a temperature increase is noted, the egg has already passed.

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. Recording basal body temperatures can help determine if the phases of your cycle are long enough to let an egg be implanted into the uterus, or to determine if you are ovulating at all – it can even tell you if a pregnancy has been achieved. Be this as it may, basal temperature is not a good determinant of optimum fertility periods. Changes in cervical fluid provide a very accurate determinant of fertile times, so start checking! The ‘eggwhite’ cervical fluid, or the wettest type of fluid and vaginal sensation is the indicator for the most fertile period.

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. The qualities of cervical mucus , such as colour and consistency can change a lot during the menstrual cycle. Couples can find the best time for conception if the woman understands and tracks these changes.

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. During this phase there is normally also less mucus. A couple of days prior to ovulation the cervical mucus changes to a moist, sticky consistency like a lotion or hand cream. Usually the colour at this stage will be creamy or white.

The best conception time is ovulation. When a woman is ovulating, this is when there is the highest production of cervical mucus. 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’. When the eggwhite stage comes, this is the time when the chances of conception are highest.

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. If you note these changes over a couple of months, the times of your ovulation will be very easy to determine, and so will the best times for trying for a baby.