- the inability to conceive after having regular unprotected sex, after one year for women who are under 35 years old and after 6 months for women over 35 years old;
- the inability to contribute biologically to a conception;
- the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth.
Increasing your Chances of Conceiving
Before you begin to attempt to conceive, you need to make sure that you have the right timing. The timing of your ovulation in relation to your intercourse is essential and corresponds with your fertility window. Here are a few tips:
- Make Healthy choices! To know more about healthy habits, exercise, nutrition, supplements or vitamins, etc. please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/topics/healthy-pregnancy.html
- The ovulation occurs between 11-17 days before next menstruation (average 14 days). Please refer to the graphics below.
- Some women can feel the ovulation as a lower abdominal pain and others might observe it with cervical mucus changes. Some can only be able to determine it by charting their basal body temperature and others just don't feel or observe any of these symptoms.
- Taking daily basal body temperature before getting up in the morning, might help you determine the day of your ovulation (temperature will suddenly rise slightly; an indicator of ovulation).
- Eggs can live for about one day while sperm can live from three to five days.
- Highest probability of conception: intercourse, one to two days prior to ovulation;
- The use of personal lubricant during sexual intercourse can interfere with sperm function.
Your fertility window can be calculated according to the length of your periods, only if they are regular: Total number of days in between your periods, minus 17 days (to plan the earliest that the ovulation will occur) and minus 11 (to plan the latest that the ovulation will occur).
