When do you get pregnant: when are the chances best?

What are the chances of getting pregnant?

Can you get pregnant at any time?

A woman’s ability to get pregnant is influenced by various factors, including the menstrual cycle, age, state of health, contraception, the male partner and so on.

When is the probability highest?

Fertilisation of the egg can only take place during a woman’s fertile days. The most mature egg is released from one of the ovaries and travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. After ovulation, the egg is capable of surviving for around 12–24 hours.

The lifespan of sperm is up to 5 days. The time during which the man’s sperm are capable of fertilisation, combined with the lifespan of the egg, results in a window of 6 days during which you should have sexual intercourse if you want to get pregnant.

In summary, this gives us the following:

Sex at the right time

But are all 6 days equally suitable for getting pregnant? In fact, studies have shown that the probability of pregnancy depends, among other things, on which of these days sexual intercourse takes place.

When you can get pregnant, and with what probability.

The two days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself are the optimal window for achieving fertilisation. The period of highest fertility accordingly begins around 48 hours before ovulation and ends on the day of ovulation. You should therefore have sexual intercourse within this window if possible.

One day later, on the day the basal body temperature curve rises, the probability is already considerably lower. Expressed in figures: the chance two days before ovulation is 23.7%, one day before 25.5% and on the day itself 21.2%.

Cycle tracking is key: when can I get pregnant?

Of the 6 fertile days each cycle, you now know the most fertile ones for fulfilling your wish to have a child. But when does this fertile window actually begin?

The time span between the period and ovulation differs from woman to woman. In addition, the cycle length fluctuates, especially with an irregular cycle. The question of when you can get pregnant must therefore always be answered individually. The methods of natural family planning, in which ovulation symptoms are analysed, can be used for this.

The exact time of ovulation can only be determined by means of a blood test or an ultrasound scan. However, you can approximate this point in time and, above all, calculate the fertile days that matter when trying to conceive. You can do this with tools such as cyclotest mySense.

Can you get pregnant before ovulation?

Before ovulation itself, you have 4 days on which you can increase your chance of getting pregnant. Under optimal conditions, some sperm can survive up to 5 days in the female body, others not quite as long. That is why the probability of fertilisation increases the closer ovulation gets. The probability on the first fertile day is only 6.8%. On the day before ovulation, the probability is 25.5%, making this the best day for sexual intercourse in the entire fertile phase.

Can you get pregnant during your period?

Pregnant during your period? If you have a particularly short cycle, even this is possible, because with a short cycle, ovulation occurs very early.

If unprotected sex takes place during menstruation, in rare cases the sperm may survive in the uterus and wait for an egg. If the egg then travels from the ovary through the fallopian tube to the uterus, fertilisation and subsequent implantation can take place.

Can you get pregnant after ovulation?

Once ovulation has taken place, the egg can be fertilised for around 24 hours. Sexual intercourse after ovulation is definitely still worthwhile. The probability of pregnancy on the day of ovulation is 21.2%. On the following day, the probability drops sharply to 10.3%. After that, the fertile phase ends.

When can you get pregnant after stopping the pill?

After stopping the pill, the time it takes for fertility to return can vary. Some women can get pregnant immediately after coming off the pill, sometimes even in the first cycle. For others, it can take a few months for the natural menstrual cycle to settle down again and for fertility to be fully restored.

If you then want to fulfil your wish to have a child quickly, many questions arise: when is the best time to stop hormonal contraception? How long does it take after stopping the pill for a pregnancy to occur and for you to hold a positive pregnancy test in your hands? Our separate article on ‘getting pregnant after the pill‘ shows you everything you should bear in mind.

Can you get pregnant at any age?

The perfect time for a baby from a couple’s point of view often does not match the time that would be optimal from a purely biological perspective.

Probability of getting pregnant by a woman’s age

If you go by Mother Nature, the best time for your egg to be fertilised falls roughly between the ages of 20 and 30. After your 30th birthday, and again markedly after the age of 40, the odds are already less favourable. Getting pregnant at 40 or later can prove to be a challenge.² One reason may be that the interplay of hormones, for example oestrogen and progesterone, no longer works optimally. The man’s age plays a lesser role and is not considered a major risk factor for infertility. A man can, however, boost his fertility by improving his sperm quality.

A study from 2002 shows that women aged 35 to 39 already have a 50% lower chance of getting pregnant within the fertile window and fulfilling their wish to have a child compared with women between 19 and 26.