How to Count Days to Get Pregnant

Trying to get pregnant can be a stressful time for a woman. The best way to increase chances of pregnancy is to know when you ovulate. You can do this through a simple counting method.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar
• Thermometer

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Figure out when you are fertile. Make a menstruation calendar and document the length of your cycle over three or four months. Typically, a woman has a 28-day cycle from the start of her period to the start of her next period, though it can vary for each individual woman. In these 28-days, ovulation usually occurs between days 14 and 16.

• 2

  Pay attention to signs of ovulation. Although ovulation usually occurs on the 14th day of a woman's cycle, again much like cycle length, it can vary.

  A change in cervical mucus is a definitive sign you may be about to ovulate. During ovulation, your vagina will excrete cervical mucus that is slightly thicker and clear. It is when you see these secretions that you are most fertile. When ovulation is over, this discharge will either go away or become white. Mark the days you notice these increased clear secretions on your menstruation calendar.

• 3

  Follow your basal body temperature. Take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed, as your body needs to be at rest. Mark it on your calendar each day. Usually your temperature will rise slightly right after you ovulate. When it rises, mark the preceding three or four days as your ovulation period.

• 4

  At the end of three or four months, review your calendar notes. Look at cycle length and the signs of ovulation and how they coincide. If you have a regular cycle, you should be able to use all of this information to find out the days you are most likely ovulating.

• 5

  Now that you have figured out when you ovulate, simply count to that day at the beginning of your next cycle and plan to try for pregnancy on the days you ovulate. For example if you have a 30-day cycle and you ovulate on the 14th day, then plan for intercourse two weeks after the start of your period.