Your fertile window is one of the most important factors when you're trying to get pregnant. This window is the time around when you're ovulating, which is the time when you're most likely to be able to conceive. Taking advantage of your fertile window to become pregnant takes a little bit of effort and a few tools, like a chart, a thermometer and the occasional steak dinner for your husband.
The fertile window consists of the five days leading up to ovulation and the actual day of ovulation. (Sperm can stay alive for up to three to five days.) Pregnancy is possible if intercourse is had on any of these days, but the chances of conceiving go up a lot if you have intercourse on the three days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. The trick is to figure out when you're actually ovulating.
Start by marking the day when your period begins. This is Day One of your monthly cycle. Track the number of days until your next period. You may have to do this for several months to get an accurate idea of how regular your cycle is. Ovulation tends to happen 14 days before the menstrual cycle starts, so if you're pretty regular, it's easy to figure out your best baby-making days. JustMommies has a handy ovulation calendar that you can use to help figure out your fertile window. Tracking your basal body temperature (BBT) is another method you can use to pinpoint the time when you start ovulating.
Frequent intercourse during your fertile window will increase your chances of getting pregnant.