Some women become pregnant within a month of trying, while others attempt to conceive for a year or more without success. Age beyond the twenties, obesity, pelvic inflammatory disease and a multitude of other factors make conception difficult for many women. Anyone attempting pregnancy without medical intervention should have a physical examination to ensure that she is physically ready to become pregnant. The health care provider often recommends pre-natal vitamins and healthy lifestyle changes at this visit.
Practice the Calendar Method
A woman attempting to get pregnant should become familiar with her menstrual cycle. Each month, she should mark the first day of her period on a calendar. After a few months, she can determine the length of her cycles, from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. Typically, this is around 28 days, but it can vary between women. WomensHealth.gov recommends that a woman determine the time in which she should engage in intercourse by writing down the number of days in each cycle that. She should then subtract the number 18 from the smallest number and record that number. Then, she should subtract the number 11 from the largest number and record that number. Those two numbers indicate the period in her coming cycles in which she should attempt to become pregnant. For example, a woman with numbers of 8 and 18 should have intercourse during the period of time between 8 days into her cycle and 18 days into her cycle.
Practice the Cervical Mucus Method
It is also helpful to monitor cervical mucus. This mucus can be found inside the vagina and is often secreted into the vaginal opening. During the fertile period, cervical mucus becomes thin, clear and slippery. In a healthy woman, a greater amount of mucus is present during this period. As the fertile period comes to a close, the mucus become less plentiful, and more cloudy and sticky. It may disappear or become scant until the next fertile period. The woman should engage in sexual intercourse while the mucus is clear, thin and slippery.
Have Regular Intercourse
Regular intercourse during the fertile period, determined by the calendar method, the cervical mucus method or both, greatly increases the odds of becoming pregnant. MayoClinic.com recommends that women attempting to get pregnant have daily intercourse during the period leading up to ovulation. If that is impractical, having sex every other day during this fertile time may work.
