How to get pregnant

Some couples seem to get pregnant as soon as they decide they want a baby. For others, it takes time. Here are some tips on how to get pregnant.

How to predict ovulation

Having sex before ovulation is important. Knowing when you ovulate and having sex regularly from 3 to 4 days before ovulation until one day after ovulation improves the odds of getting pregnant.

Ovulation is the process in which an ovary releases an egg. The few days before ovulation are important because sperm can fertilize the egg for about 12 to 24 hours after it's released.

Sperm can live inside the female reproductive tract for about 3 to 5 days after sex. The chance of getting pregnant is highest when live sperm are in the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus, called the fallopian tubes, during ovulation. This is why having sex before you ovulate is important.

In most menstrual cycles, ovulation most often happens about 14 days before the start of the next menstrual period. For most people, this means that ovulation happens in the four days before or after the midpoint of the menstrual cycle. If, like many people, you don't have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you can find the length and midpoint of your cycle by keeping track of when your periods start and end.

You also can look for ovulation symptoms, including:

• Changes in cervical mucus. This is a type of vaginal discharge that comes from the cervix and out the vagina. Just before ovulation, you might notice a clear vaginal discharge. It feels thin and slippery. Just after ovulation, there's less cervical mucus. It's thicker and cloudy.

• Changes in basal body temperature. Your body's temperature at rest, called basal body temperature, goes up slightly during ovulation. Use a thermometer designed to measure basal body temperature. Take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed.

  Record the results and look for a pattern. Fertility typically is highest during the 2 to 3 days around the time that basal temperature rises.

A home ovulation test kit also may be helpful. You can buy one at a pharmacy without a prescription. These kits test urine for the rise in hormones that takes place about 24 hours before ovulation. This helps you know when you're most likely to ovulate.

Making the most of fertility: What to do

Follow these tips:

• Have sex daily or every other day. The highest pregnancy rates happen in couples who do this.
• Have sex near the time of ovulation. If you can't or don't want to have sex every day, have sex every 2 to 3 days a week starting soon after the end of your period. This can help ensure that you have sex when you are most fertile.
• Be at a healthy weight. Being overweight or underweight raises the risk of ovulation problems.

Also, think about talking with your healthcare professional before you try to get pregnant. Your care professional can check your overall health and help you make changes that might improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy.

Your care professional also might suggest you start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid a few months before you conceive. This can reduce the risk of your baby having a condition in which the spine and spinal cord don't form well, called spina bifida.

Making the most of fertility: What not to do

To improve your odds of getting pregnant:

• Don't smoke. Tobacco harms fertility, as well as your general health and the health of a fetus. If you smoke, ask your healthcare professional to help you quit before you get pregnant.
• Don't drink alcohol. Heavy alcohol use might lessen fertility. It's best to not drink alcohol if you're trying to get pregnant.
• Ease up on hard exercise if your weight is low. Hard, intense exercise of more than five hours a week in people with low body weight has been linked to ovulating less often.

Also, talk to your healthcare professional about medicines you take. Some medicines can make it hard to get pregnant. This includes some you can get without a prescription.

When to talk to a doctor

Most healthy couples who have sex often get pregnant within one year.

If you're younger than 35 and you and your partner are in good health, try it on your own for a year before talking with a healthcare professional. Think about seeking help after six months of trying if you're age 35 or older, or if you know or suspect that you or your partner has fertility issues.

Infertility affects both men and women. There is treatment. Depending on the source of the issue, a gynecologist, endocrinologist, urologist or family healthcare professional might be able to help. For some couples, talking with a fertility specialist may be useful.