Timing sexual intercourse for conception

Couples who intend to conceive a baby would do well to time their lovemaking. There is an optimum time for enjoying sexual intercourse that increases the chances of conception. But to be able to do this it is important to know when your spouse is ovulating.

Ovulation in your spouse is determined by her menstrual cycle. The popular belief that ovulation occurs mid-cycle is not really true.

• Ovulation generally occurs about 14 days before she get her period.
  
  
• Women who have a 28-day cycle will thus ovulate mid-cycle.
  
  
• A woman with a 35-day menstrual cycle will, ovulate closer to day 21, and not mid-cycle.

These are some of the signs that your spouse is ovulating:

• Tenderness in her breasts
  
  
• An uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen
  
  
• Increase in discharge from the vagina
  
  
• Increase in body temperature of up to 1 degree Fahrenheit
  

If you are planning a baby, the ideal time to have sexual intercourse is one or two days before your spouse ovulates and again on the actual day of her ovulation. Having sexual intercourse on other days is fine. However, you need to ensure that you don't inadvertently leave out the days around her ovulation. This is because:

• The period while sperms remain alive is about two to three days.
  
  
• In contrast, the egg remains for only about half to one day.
  
  
• Having sex one or two days before and on the day of the ovulation ensures that there is enough healthy sperm in the fallopian tube at ovulation.