Picking a time to get pregnant is one of the big challenges you face when you decide to start a family. There is a specific time in your cycle when you stand the best chance of conceiving. If you don’t know when this time will be, then you have a real disadvantage and may find it harder to get pregnant.
What Makes You Fertile?
You can only get pregnant when sperm can encounter a viable egg. Sperm can survive five days in the uterus, but the egg is viable for only twenty-four hours after ovulation, so to identify when you’re fertile and use that information to boost your chances of conceiving, you need to know at least five days in advance when you’re going to ovulate.
Today, we’re looking at some of the signs of ovulation, to help you give yourself a better chance to get pregnant when you want to.
Fertile Mucus
Your cervical mucus is normally a barrier to help prevent foreign matter and contaminants entering your uterus. When you’re fertile, though, sperm need to be able to pass through your cervix in order to reach the egg. This means that as ovulation approaches your cervical mucus changes in appearance and consistency. One of the signs you are looking for is cervical mucus that resembles egg-white: translucent and slick.
Heightened Sense of Smell
As you get closer to ovulation, you might find that food smells more appetising, and unpleasant scents are more repellent. This is because as you become fertile your body heightens your senses to help you find a similarly fertile mate! In the time around ovulation, your sense of smell is more intense and will help you detect (subconsciously at least) male hormones like testosterone.
Breast Tenderness
Ovulation is a process that is driven by your hormones, and as your hormones circulate through your whole body, they can cause some secondary effects. One of these is pain or tenderness in the breasts or nipples.
There are lots of different things that can cause tenderness, but if you notice you are experiencing breast pain on a regular cycle, it could be an indicator of ovulation!
Tests and Measures
As well as these obvious symptoms of ovulation, there are tests you can take that can confirm when you ovulate, such as hormone-based ovulation predictor kits or basal body temperature tracking. As many of the symptoms of ovulation are subjective, hard to interpret or may have different causes, it’s wise to confirm your conclusions with a test, especially if you’re hoping to use the information to get pregnant – or avoid pregnancy!
