When to ConceiveIf only we could all decide when to conceive. Can you imagine what would happen? We might have lots of people with birthdays in the summer or parents planning their pregnancy because they want junior to be a Sagittarius rather than a Leo because Sagittarius people have more luck in life. Maybe, they'll be lots of sneaky parents planning for their babies to arrive on Christmas day so that they only have to buy one set of presents every year, the spend thrifts! Actually, jesting aside deciding when to conceive or more importantly understanding the best time to conceive is a genuine concern for budding parents. Especially if a family has been on the agenda for a few months without the signs of a bump appearing. However, I think it is important to highlight the extreme example above because if we could choose when to conceive, we'd already be doing it. The simple factor is, getting pregnant is a natural act, and we have about as much chance of deciding when we will conceive as we have of demanding a White Christmas. If it happens, it just does, this is nature who does not really cater for the humble plans of us mere mortals. Instead, what we can do is to learn more and give ourselves the best opportunity. Consider a weather forecaster; they will have access to all manner of tools, techniques and trends designed to give them the edge when it comes to delivering an accurate weather report. We all know that they have spent many years studying the weather and are highly educated, so do they get it right every time? Not a chance, but they do give themselves the best chance; the point is that nature will continue to flummox them. In a way, we already do this with pregnancy. I know from my own experience the exact time my partner and I decided that we would start a family. Out went the contraception and we went about our family building business with total enthusiasm. We kind of knew the basics (we'd been together for some time by then), so we were confident it would not be long before we would be choosing a color for the nursery. Instead we waited tried harder, waited some more before eventually deciding that we must be missing something. This is when I started to learn more about conception, fertility and when to conceive. This is the time I decided that I would study and educate myself about one of nature's wonders. Much like a weather forecaster would, I consulted with experts, spent time understanding my body, learned about the ovulation cycle and more importantly how I could read the signs my body was giving me. Before long, I was confident that I had the edge and that I could increase my chances of becoming pregnant just because I had taken the time to learn. Just in case you're interested, I did become pregnant a few months later. I'm still not 100% convinced that knowing when to conceive helped an awful lot. However, it did give me enormous confidence, the knowledge I had about how my body worked gave me a sense of control. In a sense, it felt like I had opened a window to one of nature's greatest secrets. Read more of our articles on trying to conceive Trying to Conceive - Avoiding 'Mechanical Sex' |