This is one of the most asked questions on the infertility boards; “When can I get pregnant?” The answer is simple and complicated all at once.

You can get pregnant when you ovulate. For a “normal cycle” it is about 14 days into your cycle. This means that having intercourse within 1-4 days (generally and not exactly speaking) before ovulating.

Now here is the more complicated answer:

Your first day of bleeding is the first day of menses and your menstrual cycle. Your menses will end between a few days and a week. That is NOT the end of your menstrual cycle. Your menstrual cycle is a full-cycle from day 1 of menses to day 1 of menses the next time around.

Your estrogen levels are lowest as are your progesterone at this time. Estrogen begins to rise and FSH is also rising. FSH – follicle stimulating hormone grows the follicles into eggs.

Your estrogen continues to rise after menses. You ask yourself if you want to be pregnant and if the answer is Yes then you find a good sperm safe lubricant like Slippery Stuff (because you don’t want to kill the sperm with chemicals in those other over the counter lubricants) and you begin “the dance.” This early will usually result in a baby girl by the way if you are closer to the typical day 10ish.

Another hormone rises in your body called LH – luteinizing hormone.  (You can test your LH with OPK/OPT strips which are just like pregnancy strips.) It rises along with FSH and both mature the egg. Saliva Ferning is a great way to actually be able to see what your body is doing when LH is rising. Oestrogen patterns change as well and the changes are visual, allowing monitoring ovulation with saliva ferning microscopes such as the Fertility Tracker.  When the egg is ready there is a signal to release an LH surge from the pituitary gland, and a spike in estrogen causing temperatures to drop. The egg releases and if there has been intercourse hopefully the sperm are on their way to be the first to get there.

If you are not sure about your hormone levels and if they are all performing correctly ZRT Saliva hormone test kit make testing easy and affordable; even more so than a doctor’s. Only a doctor’s visit would not give you the information you receive with the test kits.

This is the basics. Use our search form to find more articles that explain this more in detail.