Getting pregnant

For the best chance of getting pregnant, you need to get your eggs and your partner's sperm together as often as possible.

How does pregnancy start?

It helps to know how your menstrual cycle works. Your cycle starts on the first day of your period and lasts until the day before your next period.

This is what happens during the cycle and the start of a pregnancy:

1. Eggs mature in your ovaries once a month.
2. The lining of your womb starts to get thicker to prepare for fertilised eggs.
3. Once the egg is mature, it is released from 1 of the ovaries. This is called ovulation.
4. During ovulation your cervical mucus (this is the substance in your cervix, between the vagina and the uterus) becomes thinner and clearer, to help any sperm swim to the egg.
5. If you have sex, millions of sperm will swim up the cervix into the uterus and the fallopian tubes to meet a mature egg.
6. If sperm is there when you ovulate, or during the next 24 hours, the egg may be fertilised (only 1 sperm has to join with the egg for this to happen).
7. If the egg is fertilised, it starts to move towards the womb and divide into more cells. 
8. Once the fertilised egg reaches the womb, it has to attach to the lining of the womb. This is called implantation and is the start of pregnancy.
9. If the egg has not been fertilised, it is re-absorbed by the body, the hormone levels drop, and the womb lining is shed – the start of your next period.

Now that you know all about how to get pregnant, use our tool to find out if you are ready to conceive.

Best time to have sex to get pregnant

To boost your chances of conceiving, aim to have sex every 2 to 3 days throughout your cycle. That way, there will be more chance of sperm waiting when the egg is released. 

An active sex life is all most people need to conceive.

If you know when you ovulate each month, you can give yourself the best chance of getting pregnant by having sex in the days leading up to, and during, ovulation. 

Find out more about the best time of the month to have sex if you’re trying to conceive.

When does ovulation happen?

Ovulation usually happens about 10 to 16 days before the start of your next period, so it helps to know your cycle length before you start trying to get pregnant. 

As a first step, mark the dates in your diary that you bleed during a period. You can then count how many days there are from the first day of your period to your next period, to work out the length of your cycle. 

This will mean you can work out when ovulation is likely to happen. You can also use our ovulation calculator to help you.

If you’ve stopped taking hormone contraceptives like the Pill, your periods may be a bit irregular for the first few months while your body adjusts to the change in hormone levels.   

See our advice on stopping contraception.

Are there any signs that I might be ovulating?

These signs can also help you know when you ovulate:

Cervical mucus changes

Your cervix (the neck of your womb) produces mucus throughout your menstrual cycle. It starts off sticky white and becomes thinner and clearer as you get nearer to ovulating.

Just before and during ovulation, you produce more mucus and it becomes much thinner, slippery and stretchy. It looks a bit like raw egg white.  

This thinner mucus is designed to help the sperm swim through it.

The last day you notice the wetter mucus is sometimes known as ‘peak day’. For most women and birthing people, this occurs very close to the time of ovulation.

Temperature

You can also find out about your menstrual cycle by keeping a note of your temperature each morning when you wake up. Your temperature rises by about 0.2 degrees Celsius when ovulation has taken place. 

As this change in temperature only shows you when you have ovulated, and doesn’t tell you when your fertile time starts, this is not as useful as other methods, but can help you to track your cycle over time.

Using ovulation predictor kits (OPK)

You can buy ovulation predictor kits (OPKs) from chemists. There is no firm evidence that predicting ovulation with an OPK makes it easier to get pregnant and they don’t test for ovulation itself.   

Instead, they work by checking a hormone in your urine (wee) that increases when ovulation is about to take place. 

The simplest kit is one that tests your urine for luteinising hormone (LH). This increases 24 to 36 hours before ovulation and  can help to pinpoint the best 2 days for conception.

However, you can be fertile for a day or so before and after this time.

It is best to get familiar with your usual menstrual cycle to help figure out when you should start testing. 

If you have an irregular cycle, an OPK can still help predict ovulation, but you should expect to use more of the test strips. 

Best position to have sex in to get pregnant

The position that you have sex in does not make a difference to conception so long as the sperm goes into the vagina. 

Once this happens, the sperm can swim up through the cervix and into the womb and fallopian tubes to meet an egg if one is there. 

Many people also say that if you raise your legs upwards after sex it helps the sperm get to the womb. This is not backed up by science. 

The route from the vagina to the womb is not a straight line, so you do not need to worry about all the sperm coming back out when you stand up. 

Find out more about sex positions for pregnancy.

Getting ready for pregnancy

Factors like your age, your BMI, any health conditions or issues with your periods can affect your likelihood of getting pregnant. But there is also plenty you can do to improve your chances. 

If you’re worried that a health condition might stop you getting pregnant, make an appointment with your doctor to get help with this. 

Check your family history too, to see if there are any conditions that may affect your pregnancy. 

Are you ready to conceive? Use our tool to find out.

Make healthy lifestyle choices

Even before pregnancy starts, your health sets the foundation for the lifelong health of your baby. And, once you stop contraception and start trying for a baby, you won't know you're pregnant for the first few weeks. 

So, making healthy lifestyle changes sooner rather than later will give you peace of mind when you get a positive pregnancy test.

This will help you to:

• protect your baby’s development and future health
• improve your fertility
• reduce your risk of complications in pregnancy.

Things to stop doing

These harm your fertility and an unborn baby:

• smoking
• having too much caffeine
• using lubricant that isn’t sperm-friendly
• alcohol and recreational drugs.

Things to do

Lifestyle changes and taking supplements will all improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and baby.

• Start taking folic acid now because it needs time to build up in your body.
• Have a healthy balanced diet.
• Cut down on your caffeine intake.
• Try to get closer to a healthy weight if you are overweight.
• Make sure you are active.
• Check you are up to date with your cervical screening test. 
• Check that you have had the MMR vaccine because rubella is harmful to developing babies.
• Get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) if there’s a chance you may have one.

Use an app to keep track of your menstrual cycle

While it’s best to have sex every 2 to 3 days throughout your cycle, this is not always possible. 

There are apps that can help you track your menstrual cycle and ovulation dates. You can try our ovulation calculator too.

Don't stop taking medication without talking to your doctor

If you take medication for a physical or mental health condition, talk to your doctor or specialist about it before you start trying for a baby. 

Don't stop taking it without chatting to them, as your symptoms could come back or get worse. Your doctor will talk to you about the safest treatment for pregnancy.  

Take care of your mental health

Trying for a baby can be an anxious and stressful time for many reasons. Taking care of your mental wellbeing matters now and during pregnancy.

Know when to look for help with fertility

If you have not become pregnant within a year of regular unprotected sex (sex every 2 to 3 days), see your GP.

If you have a condition that might affect your fertility, like endometriosis or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), or if you are aged 36 or over, talk to your GP sooner. Find out more about fertility and causes of infertility.

Find out how long it takes to get pregnant.