Are you 'doing the deed' on conception day?

In a developed country such as Australia, I feel I speak for the general consensus when I say that I thought most Australian women would have a fairly good idea of when to ‘do the deed’ if they are attempting to get pregnant.

To my surprise however, I recently discovered that more than half of Australian women could be trying to get pregnant at the wrong time. In a study of 509 Australian women[i], 55 per cent of those surveyed could not identify the best time for conception during their menstrual cycle. It seems that despite a general understanding of the ovulation cycle, women still have a low awareness about the details of conception.

In fact, when I met senior fertility specialist and obstetrician Professor William Ledger, who attended a P&G Health & Wellbeing Clinic on behalf of Clearblue, he told me that the number of women who come to him after months of trying to conceive who cannot identify when they are ovulating is amazing.

“If women were better able to understand when they were ovulating, the time it might take to fall pregnant may be shortened – drastically in some cases” Professor Ledger said.

So, if your next bub is on the ‘To Do’ list, here’s the detail:

There are a limited number of days in each cycle when a woman can conceive and this differs from woman to woman and cycle to cycle. In almost 50% of women, a cycle length can differ by more than 7 days each cycle[ii].

The average lifespan of a woman’s egg is only 24 hours, therefore correct timing is everything when it comes to conceiving.

The best time to conceive a baby is the day before and the day of ovulation. As many as 36% of women incorrectly identified the 1-2 day period after ovulation as the best time to conceive a baby, with 17% of women admitting they don’t know the best time to conceive at all[iii].

So, how do you figure out when you are ovulating?

There are many thoughts on how to determine when you are ovulating – over the years, I’ve certainly had a hundred discussions with lots of my mum friends … from mucus to ‘ferns’ in your saliva to taking your temperature. It’s all relevant but often confusing and a little bit vague.

The best thing my mum friends ever did was invest in home ovulation tests – they help take the guesswork out of conceiving a baby, give you a greater understanding about your body and your fertility and help you feel a little bit more in control of the process.

It’s never going to work for everyone and I guess the bottom line is there’s still lots of educating to be done. But just imagine how much happier some people could be if they just pinpoint their very own ‘D Day’ as the time for conception!

What’s your experience been with falling pregnant? How did you go calculating when you were ovulating?

Thanks very much to the team at Clearblue Digital for this information – a real eye opener! Find out more about the Clearblue range here.

[i] Data on file. How Knowledgeable Are Women About Their Menstrual Cycle? A survey of 463 women, 18 to 45 years of age. GfK Roper Public Affairs, 2005.

100 Comments

- - danielle_morrisson said
  - 07 Nov 2013
    10:46 pm
Not trying but good to know thanks.

- - catgrrl3 said
  - 31 Oct 2013
    3:09 pm
very interesting thought thanks for sharing

- - rainbownerds said
  - 28 Oct 2013
    2:13 pm
interesting read, thanks for sharing

- - barch said
  - 27 Oct 2013
    9:45 am
I was very aware of when I was ovulating and fell pregnant easily with both children.

- - sonja_holness said
  - 24 Oct 2013
    1:35 am
I’ve fallen pregnant both times without even trying. I’m still in the dark about when ovulation occurs.

- - meltingmoment said
  - 12 Oct 2013
    9:03 pm
Thanks for sharing as I feel mums trying to fall pregnant will find this info very helpful.

- - jocelynwong31 said
  - 26 Sep 2013
    3:38 pm
Clear Blue Digital might help too

- - sraluca said
  - 15 Sep 2013
    9:20 pm
My cycles were always so crazy, i never knew, and the drs told us chances of getting pregnant are slim due to my extreme menstrual cycle . Yet here i am, 5 years later with 2 kids 🙂

- - omgjag31 said
  - 13 Sep 2013
    7:36 am
We are just startling to try so I may go and get a kit and take the guess work out of it

- - kali111 said
  - 27 Aug 2013
    1:36 pm
I love the new apps that help

- - missangela said
  - 16 Aug 2013
    6:50 pm
My cycles were also irregular so it was impossible to find the perfect time.
From what I have read most women ovulate on day 14 of their cycle.
- missyj replied
  
  19 Aug 2013 , 1:52 pm
  Missangela, did you succeed?? How did you work it out?
  - earthlydelites replied
    
    25 Aug 2013 , 3:25 pm
    
    hope you got there in the end!
  - missangela replied
    
    27 Aug 2013 , 8:10 am
    
    Yes my daughter us 7 now. I did have help from the doctors who it me on a pill to Mae my periods regular. 🙂
- - missyj said
  - 14 Aug 2013
    2:23 pm
This information is very good however with an irregular cycle it’s much easier to just ‘try’ every night, or at least every second night – my husband is feeling very lucky at the moment!
If it doesn’t happen in the next month or so, I think i’ll be purchasing some sort of at home kit to try that out – does anyone have any recommendations for a good brand/type of kit?
- bankstownbrats replied
  
  28 Nov 2014 , 6:39 pm
  Yes same as me n my hubby we have already got 4 kids but now I’m 38 and my youngest is now 7 it’s been harder for us to fall pregnant as we never tried before if it happened it happened but then I went on the pill after my last one and have gained weight so my periods ain’t like clockwork no more they come about 34-35 days and are real heavy but I have only just learnt about ovulating and we brought the ovulation sticks off ebay that you pee on and they worked a treat and so cheap 20 Pk for like $8 so definately try these even though we are still trying 3 months later but these give us a idea when I’m ovulating
- - vikram77 said
  - 09 Aug 2013
    4:16 am
I read the whole article but still confused :0

- - lynzstevo said
  - 07 Aug 2013
    10:06 am
I’m guessing I did as I fell pregnant first go each time.

- - a-edwards said
  - 25 Jul 2013
    2:01 pm
Great for ppl who r trying. One child is enough for me
- sallty replied
  
  22 Aug 2013 , 9:41 am
  Yes, one child is perfect for our family too.
  - meros replied
    
    30 Aug 2013 , 11:33 pm
    
    I think two is enough but hubby says three
  - kjgarner replied
    
    27 Sep 2013 , 7:55 pm
    
    lol that’s funny, it I had my way I’d love 5 and if my husband had his way he’d love 8 children but with circumstances and trouble falling pregnant etc. we have 3 beautiful daughters.
- - jenny9761 said
  - 19 Jul 2013
    2:46 pm
This is some great information if you are trying to conceive.

- - tammykilby said
  - 15 Jul 2013
    6:54 pm
great informatoin i never knew with an of mine when i was ovulating jyst took a guess..

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 10 Jul 2013
    9:47 am
It’s surprising but I’m kind of not surprised at the same time. I work in the health industry, and although as a developed country we are largely aware of our health issues and body, it is amazing to hear people
Come in asking things that you would consider rudimentary to your own knowledge of your body and health. I’m often so busy ( and I don’t take a contraceptive) that I wouldn’t even know where I’m at in my cycle.

- - ginoula5 said
  - 10 Jul 2013
    7:38 am
Great article for those wanting to get pregnant. Very informative, surprised to read more than 50% don’t know when they are ovulating when trying, this is a must read for them.

- - mehr said
  - 05 Jul 2013
    2:50 pm
The best way is to actually have intercourse every 2-3 days. More relaxed, and you cant really go wrong. Having said that, ovulation generally occurs 10-18 days from the start of your period.