When is the best time to get pregnant?

The best or most fertile time to get pregnant is the period of ovulation in your menstrual cycle. This is the time when following an LH surge, a mature ovum is released into the uterus from the follicles. This egg or ovum is ready to be fertilized and stays so for about 12 hours after which it starts degenerating. The best way to determine your most fertile time is to pay attention to your body and learn to spot the physical signs of ovulation, and thereby the best time to get pregnant.

Evaluating the best time to get pregnant
To know the best time to get pregnant, it is first important to evaluate when your ovulation due is. Then, once you know your ovulation period, you can time sexual intercourse in accordance with it to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Counting days to getting pregnant
One common method of finding out the best time to get pregnant is counting days. To do this, figure out when your next period is due. From this date, count back 12 to 16 days. This will give you a range of days when you will probably be ovulating. In normal case, for women with a 28-day cycle, the 14th day is often the best day to get pregnant. To use this method, you must know how long your cycle usually lasts and have relatively regular cycles.

Cervical Mucus and the best time to get pregnant
As your cycle progresses, your cervical mucus increases in volume and changes texture. The greater volume and changes in texture reflect your body's rising levels of estrogen. The best time to get pregnant is when the mucus becomes clear, slippery, and stretchy. At this stage the mucus can be compared to raw egg whites. The role of mucus is to nourish, protect, and speed the sperm on its way up through the uterus and into the Fallopian tubes for the rendezvous with your egg.

Basal Body Temperature and the best time to get pregnant
A rise in body temperature can also be an indication though it cannot really pin point the best time to get pregnant. Following ovulation, your basal body temperature can increase by 0.5 to 1.6 degrees. You won't feel the shift, but you can detect it by using a basal thermometer. This temperature hike is caused due to increase in the production of the hormone progesterone stimulated by ovulation. The best time to get pregnant is in the two or three days before your temperature hits its high point. A few experts think you may have an additional 12 to 24 hour window of fertility after you first notice the temperature creep up, but most say at that point it's too late to make a baby. Charting your basal temperature for a few months can help you pinpoint when you ovulate. This allows you to plan having sex 2 to 3 days before ovulation to increase your chances of getting pregnant.

Lower abdominal discomfort and the best time to get pregnant
Lower abdominal discomfort is also an indication of ovulation and hence the best time to get pregnant. About one-fifth of women actually feel ovulatory activity, which can range from mild aches to twinges of pain in the lower abdomen. The condition, called mittelschmerz, may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.