The Time to Conceive... What’s Normal?

The Time to Conceive... What’s Normal? Related Information:

If you and your partner are trying to conceive and are wondering how long it should take, then you’ll want to take a few seconds, and read here about some general facts concerning the average conception time. One of the most notable things about pregnancy today is that couples are having babies at older ages. What results from this, quite often, is a longer conception time, and sometimes, other methods, which are applied to help the women conceive.

In the last 30 years, there have been more women giving or trying to give birth in their thirties to early forties than in their twenties as was the case beforehand. For many people this is a very serious issue, because it threatens the possibility of their building a family for themselves. However, while many couples are up-to-date on a number of aspects of conception, many people aren’t knowledgeable in the most important step in the pregnancy process: ovulation.

”Ovulation” is the release of an egg from a female’s ovary. When a sperm fertilizes that egg, conception occurs. It’s notable that while sperm can survive for several days inside a woman's reproductive tract, an egg can only survive for up to 24 hours after ovulation. This is one of the most important aspects on the pregnancy process, that is, it affects the likelihood of conception.

If you’re trying to increase your chances of becoming pregnant, you ought to monitor your body's fertile time period. This refers to the time that sperm can survive within a woman's reproductive tract until ovulation and fertilization can occur. Usually, a woman's most fertile period is about five or six days ending on the day after ovulation. Because menstrual cycles vary from one woman to another and even from one cycle to the next in the same woman, you might have some difficulty figuring out your most fertile time of the month. Because of this, there are several methods you can use to determine when you are most likely to conceive:

You can use a calendar to chart your menstrual cycle in order to determine the days you are most likely to ovulate. Your “Basal Body Temperature” is the temperature first thing in the morning, before getting up or doing anything. In a normal menstrual cycle, a woman's Basal Body Temperature rises almost one degree from just after ovulation through the beginning of her next cycle. 

You can also pay attention to Cervical Mucus. The majority of the time, the cervix produces mucus that protects the body from sperm, bacteria and other organisms. For a number of days each month, the consistency of the mucus changes in order to allow sperm to enter the fallopian tubes. By monitoring these changes, you can determine your fertile time period.

Another way to monitor your fertility time is called the Symptothermal Method. This involved charting a combination of fertility indicators like cervical secretions and Basal Body Temperature and can often help to indicate your fertile time period.

The above charting methods require you to record the secondary signs of fertility caused by changes in hormones. Because these conditions can often be affected by factors such as infections or medications, they require careful monitoring and analysis, and they are never 100% reliable. An alternative to these methods is measuring changes in your hormone levels. An increase in the level of estrogen in your body marks the beginning of most your fertile phase, while an increase in the luteinizing hormone level signals that ovulation will occur soon, usually within 24 to 36 hours.

If you’re thinking about conceiving or are having trouble conceiving, it’s often a good idea to look into some of these methods. Also, there is now more than ever, abundant information on the internet and in your doctor’s office about fertility and the different ways that it can be monitored and increased. If you’re worried about your chances of becoming pregnant, the first step is to educate yourself on the options available to you.