When Are You Most Fertile

The female body is…complex, to say the least. If you’re trying to conceive, you’re likely learning new and surprising facts about your reproductive system every day, like the fact that you’ll release between 300 and 400 eggs during your lifetime, yet each one will only remain viable for 24 hours.

The more you understand your body—especially your reproductive system—the more likely you are to conceive. In particular, it’s helpful to understand the time of the month you’re most fertile (and schedule your date nights during those times).

So, when are you most fertile?

Women are most fertile during ovulation. But what exactly is ovulation? And does that mean you’re not fertile at other times in your cycle? To continue your sexual education and understand the intricacies of the female reproductive system, take a look below as we explore fertility.

Understanding Ovulation: The Fertile Window

From tampon commercials featuring women clad in white pants to awkward middle school sex ed classes, women learn about periods from a fairly young age. But your period only accounts for about 3 to 7 days of your entire menstrual period. The other 21 to 35 days of a typical menstrual cycle consists of:

• The follicular phase
• Ovulation
• The luteal phase

To understand ovulation’s place and importance within your menstrual cycle, let’s dive deeper into these various phases.

The Follicular Phase

After your period ends, your reproductive system enters the follicular phase, typically lasting between 6 and 14 days. During this phase, two important hormones increase:

• Estrogen – The hormone that regulates your reproductive system.
• Follicle-stimulating hormone – The hormone that (you guessed it) stimulates the follicles in your ovaries.

This increase in estrogen causes the lining of your uterus to thicken so that it’s nice and inviting in case a fertilized egg comes by and needs to latch onto it. Meanwhile, the increase of the aptly named follicle-stimulating hormone causes the follicles in your ovaries to grow.

Think of these follicles as teeny tiny sacs of fluid, each cradling a teeny egg (awww). When follicle-stimulating hormone tells these follicles that it’s their favorite time of the month, several of the follicles will begin to grow, which in turn, causes the eggs inside of them to also begin to grow and mature.

However, only one follicle will completely reach maturity every month, resulting in one fully mature egg.

Ovulation

Around day 14 of a 28-day cycle, the increase of another hormone—the luteinizing hormone—will stimulate the ovary into releasing that fully matured egg into the fallopian tubes.

The release of the egg is what’s known as ovulation—the only time during her cycle that a woman is fertile and able to conceive (aka the best time to get it on).

But why exactly are you only fertile during ovulation? It basically all comes down to timing. To conceive, that mature egg needs to be fertilized by a handsome sperm. But that egg is only viable for about 24 hours after it’s released. This means you’re only fertile (i.e., able to conceive) during these 24 hours when your mature egg is all dolled up and ready to go.

If the egg isn’t fertilized before the clock strikes midnight (or, in this case, before the 24-hour viability window closes), the egg will turn back into a pumpkin. Or rather, it will disintegrate. This dramatic entrance and potential exit of the egg is referred to as the luteal phase.

The Luteal Phase

The luteal phase begins immediately after ovulation and continues until the end of your menstrual cycle. This phase consists of the following:

• Your mature egg travels through the fallopian tubes.
• The hormone progesterone increases to prepare for a potential pregnancy.
• The egg either becomes fertilized and attaches to the uterine wall or stays unfertilized and sheds, along with the lining of your uterus, during the following phase—your period.

Then, the cycle repeats.

The Best Time to Have Sexual Intercourse

So, let’s review: for your egg to meet a charming sperm and live happily ever after, it has to be fertilized within the 24-hour window after release. During this time, you are considered fertile. Now, you might be wondering:

Does this mean I only have 24 hours every month to get pregnant?

Yes and no. While your egg is only viable for 24 hours, you can have sex outside of that 24-hour period and still become pregnant. This is because sperm can hang out and survive for up to 5 days inside your cervix.

While this may seem egg-sessive, it’s great news for both you and your partner, because it means that you can also conceive if you have sex up to 5 days before ovulation. This expands your total conception window from 24 hours to about 6 days.

One study of 221 healthy women even went so far as to break down the likelihood of conception on ovulation day and the days leading up to it. Of these 221 women:

• 10% conceived 5 days before ovulation

• 16% conceived 4 days before ovulation

• 14% conceived 3 days before ovulation

• 27% conceived 2 days before ovulation

• 31% conceived 1 day before ovulation
• 33% conceived on ovulation day

So, plan to set aside some one-on-one time with your partner in the 5 days leading up to ovulation, as well as the 24 hours following it. But in order to know when the 5-day window occurs, tracking ovulation period is important.

How can you know when you’re ovulating?

Because every woman’s cycle is different, it can be difficult to know when exactly in your cycle you ovulate. In the average 28-day cycle, ovulation typically occurs around day 14. However, a woman’s cycle can be anywhere between 21 and 35 days. What’s even more confusing is that ovulation doesn’t always occur on the same day every month (this timeline is even more difficult to determine for women with irregular periods).

So, how do you know when you’re ovulating? Fortunately, there are a few ways to figure it out:

• Track your menstrual cycle – Use a paper calendar, a planner, or a period tracking app (like Clue or Flo) to track your menstrual cycle. If your cycle follows the average 28 days, you’re likely ovulating on or around day 14 of your cycle. However, if your cycle isn’t exactly 28 days, you can use the total length of your cycle to determine its midpoint, which is likely when you ovulate.
• Use an ovulation test – Ovulation prediction tests can help you determine whether you’re ovulating by detecting levels of luteinizing hormone—the hormone that surges about 24 to 36 hours before ovulation. Once this hormone is detected, you and your partner can start getting busy to make sure there’s plenty of sperm hanging out in your cervix by the time your egg makes its appearance.
• Pay attention to vaginal discharge – Before your mature egg makes its way into your fallopian tubes, your cervical mucous may increase and become more clear, thin, and slippery than usual due to rising estrogen levels. The consistency is very similar to an egg white.
• Take your temperature – Your bedroom isn’t the only thing heating up during ovulation. After your egg is released, your basal body temperature (i.e., your resting body temperature) rises. However, because this increase in temperature only occurs after ovulation, this method is better for long-term tracking. You should be taking your temp at the same time everyday not just starting at mid cycle (ideally before getting out of bed in the morning.) You will need a basal body thermometer to detect the slight rise in temperature (going out 2 decimal places 98.56 vs. 98.5). For some women it is every so slight. Normal may be 98.1-98.2 and then when you are ovulating it’s 98.36.
• Consider infertility treatment – If you are constantly having fertility problems, ask your doctor if you can turn to infertility treatment. Some of the most common treatments include fertility drugs, intrauterine insemination, and surgery to mend fertility. Medically infertility is when a couple has been actively trying to conceive for 12 consecutive months without a pregnancy. If the woman is age 35 or older and has gone 6 consecutive months without a pregnancy, that is considered worthy of a workup sooner than later just due to the age of the woman and increased risks in pregnancy with increasing age.

Other Tips for Increasing Your Fertility

Wondering how to increase your fertility? While timing is an important element in increasing your chances of conceiving, your overall health can also impact your fertility. After all, growing a baby is no easy feat, and your body wants conditions to be just right for your little one.

To help increase your fertility, consider the following tips:

• Make zinc and folate part of your healthy diet – Antioxidants like zinc and folate are believed to improve fertility in both men and women by protecting sperm and egg cells from damaging free radicals. While both are available in supplement form, you can also get a taste of zinc and folate with:
• Walnuts
• Nuts and seeds
• Papaya
• Legumes
• Leafy greens
• Citrus
• Eggs
• Take a booze break – While more research is needed to make definitive claims regarding moderate alcohol consumption and fertility, one study found that those with more than 14 alcoholic drinks per week had a harder time getting pregnant. So if you’re looking to conceive, you might consider swapping your cocktails for mocktails. Think of it like rehearsal for those alcohol-free pregnancy months.
• Limit your caffeine intake – Don’t worry, we’re not saying to completely forego your daily cup of coffee, but some studies have found links between excessive caffeine intake and decreased fertility. To play it safe, current recommendations suggest limiting your caffeine intake to less than 200 mg per day when trying to conceive. This means you can still pour yourself about 12 ounces of your happy awake juice.
• Treat yourself to high-fat dairy – We may have taken away alcohol and caffeine, but we’re offering you high-fat dairy in return. Studies show there may be a link between high-fat dairy consumption and improved ovulatory function. In fact, one study found that women who ate at least 1 serving of high-fat dairy once per day were 27% less likely to be infertile. So if a cheese plate is calling your name, go ahead and answer.

Take note that as you grow older, you produce fewer egg cells. So if you are past your 20s, study up on how to boost fertility in your 30s.

Ask your partner to join in. Partners should stay away from drugs and eat healthy too. Sperm needs to be mobile and healthy to get to the egg!

From Fertile to Fruitful, SneakPeek is Here For Your Pregnancy Journey

As a woman, your body is a marvel, capable of growing, birthing, and nourishing your little one. While the process of conceiving may seem complicated, understanding the timeline your reproductive system follows can help increase your chances of hearing those two incredible words: You’re pregnant.

Later, as you continue on your pregnancy journey, SneakPeek can surprise you with three magical words—it’s a boy, or it’s a girl.

The SneakPeek At-Home Early Gender Prediction Test is the #1 OBGYN-recommended at-home gender test on the market. That’s because our test is clinically proven to give over 99% accurate¹ results as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy and from the comfort of your own home.

So, after you conceive, join the over 1 million moms who’ve been able to share the news of a baby boy or a baby girl even sooner by choosing SneakPeek.

This post has been reviewed for accuracy by the following medical professional:

Dr. Heather Soper, Certified Nurse Midwife

Dr. Heather Soper brings over 15 years of experience in women's health and obstetrics to her role as the owner of The Genesis Resort for Birth. Complementing her clinical practice, she serves as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at James Madison University, where she educates nursing students with a focus on compassionate, patient-centered care. Her advanced training and dedication to midwifery are evident in her contribution to both academia and the wellness of expectant mothers.

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