How Long It Really Takes To Get Pregnant

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Is there a way to tell when you could get pregnant? Some women conceive as soon as they try to, some women take months while some take a year or longer. Does getting pregnant quicker depend on your fertility or monthly period cycle or climatic conditions?

These are the questions that come to every woman’s mind who is trying to conceive. While some believe that having an intercourse a week prior to the start of the monthly period will boost the chances of pregnancy, others believe in letting this happen naturally. There are also some who think that at a certain body temperature or a certain time of the day, chances of getting pregnant is the highest.

There is no hard and fast rule that a woman will get pregnant only after a specific number of tries.

For some women, it is either sheer luck or good timing that they get pregnant the first time they have an intercourse. Several women get pregnant within a few weeks or months of stopping their birth control pills. Whereas, some have to actively and consciously try for several months before conceiving.

And some couples need to turn to medical treatments to enhance ovulation and fertility.

According to a study by Harvard Medical School on women facing problems conceiving, 55% of the women who underwent relaxation course were able to conceive within a year compared to those who didn’t go through the course (1). So being stress-free and relaxed also ups the chance of conceiving.

Noticing your bodily changes and following a few simple steps can increase your chances of getting pregnant faster.

In This Article

1. Keep A Tab On Your Monthly Cycle

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The probability of you conceiving about two weeks before your monthly cycle is high. So keep a close tab of your periods. If your cycle is 30 days, you can estimate the best time to have intercourse by counting back about 14 days from the day 1 your expected cycle date. Having intercourse on days around this time should positively help you conceive. And if your cycle is less than 30 days, then count back about 12 days instead of 14.

2. Check Your Basal Body Temperature

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Basal body temperature is your lowest body temperature. Usually, this is the temperature right before you get out of bed in the morning. Normal temperature for women is anywhere between 96-99 degree Fahrenheit. And during ovulation, the temperature increases by around half a degree. While basal body temperature does not help you foresee ovulation, keeping a tab on it lets you know that you are ovulating. If you monitor your temperature over a couple of months, you will get a fair idea of your ovulation cycle. Thus, you can time your intercourse accordingly.

3. Change Your Lifestyle To Prepare Yourself For Pregnancy

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A few simple lifestyle changes can step-up your chances of getting pregnant. Eating right is the first step towards your goal because being either overweight or underweight does not help. Weight is one of the important factors for increased or decreased fertility. You can add some health supplements to your daily diet it will help maintain the right weight.

Next step is to steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, and smoking. Though research in this area is still ongoing and it is yet to be established whether these affect fertility, we can always turn away from these habits for a healthier life.

And lastly, like in all situations, stay calm. Stressing over trying to get pregnant can only do more damage by shutting down your reproductive system briefly. Apart from physical changes, stress can also bring differences between couples pulling them apart instead of keeping the passion alive.

We hope this insight has been helpful to you. Do write to us; we will be happy to hear about your experiences and point of view.

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