A couple of weeks ago I had a chat with the lovely Anna from @bumpspodcast about all the things she wished she had known before she embarked on her journey of trying to conceive.

One thing that we discussed was how important timing is for falling pregnant, and the importance of knowing when your fertile window is to be able to have a chance at conceiving.

I encourage all my patients, young and old, to monitor/track their cycle (for various different reasons), but for those who are trying or planning on trying to conceive, I encourage women to specifically track their ovulation.

There are many ways to do this, and usually a combination of at least a couple of methods is preferred for accuracy. You can record this information in a diary or a cycle tracking app – but be wary, if you are using these apps for ovulation prediction, know that when you first use the app the predictions are based solely on population averages, and as we know, every woman is different. So rely on your own symptoms/tracking results rather than the app, and over time it should learn your cycle, but they are only as good as the data you put in.

Also to get a good idea of your average cycle length and day of ovulation you should track for 6 months, but if you are already trying to conceive and not tracking, don’t worry any information is helpful!

Finally if you need help interpreting your ovulation symptoms, if you have concerns about your cycle length, or want education or clarification on timing of intercourse for conception please reach out to your GP for a chat.