Conception methods: 5 tips if you’re trying to conceive

The body temperature method There's a small rise in basal body temperature at the time of ovulation. For clarity, this is your temperature when taken at rest as soon as you wake up in the morning. Taking your temperature every morning before you get out of bed for several months can help you predict when you ovulate (and therefore are most fertile.) The increase in temperature is usually only around 0.2^o, so you’ll need to use a digital thermometer. Taking your temperature at the same time every morning before eating, drinking and smoking also helps with accuracy. If you notice your temperature is higher for three days in a row (compared to the previous six days) it’s likely you’ve ovulated. Your body temperature will probably remain at this higher level until your period starts. You’re unlikely to be fertile at this time.⁸

The calendar method It’s possible for conception to happen up to two days after you ovulate.⁹ But it’s also possible that if you've had sex in the seven days before ovulation, there may be sperm in waiting ready to fertilise the egg. By monitoring the length of your monthly cycle, you can identify patterns that can help you understand when you're most able to conceive. 

The cervical mucus method During your menstrual cycle, the texture and amount of female cervical secretions changes. In the days after your period ends, you’ll probably find the inside of your vagina feels dry. But as your body gets ready for ovulation and your hormone levels rise, you’ll start to produce a sticky, white, creamy mucus. This signals the start of the fertile stage of your cycle. Just before ovulation, this mucus will become wetter, clearer and slippery. This is a sign you're at your most fertile time. When the mucus reverts to being thicker and sticky again, it’s a sign your fertility is reducing.¹⁰

In addition, eating a variety of nourishing foods can help prepare a woman’s body for pregnancy. So, the best foods for you when you’re trying to get pregnant are probably the same as those for general well-being. 

For example, make sure you eat a range of fruit and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats. For similar well-being reasons, women preparing for pregnancy may choose to limit or cut out caffeine, alcohol and trans fats. And limiting alcohol consumption extends to men as well. Drinking alcohol excessively can affect sperm quality so consider limiting drinking to 14 units of alcohol a week (over three days or more).¹²

Folic acid is the supplement form of folate. It’s used by our bodies to make new cells, so it provides important support during the rapid cell growth in the early weeks of pregnancy. The NHS advises all women who could get pregnant to take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid. You should also continue taking this supplement for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.¹³

It takes 45 minutes to 12 hours after ejaculation for a sperm to reach the fallopian tubes.¹⁷ This is where conception usually happens. With this in mind, can you increase the possibility of pregnancy by keeping the sperm inside you as long as possible? Lying still after sex or raising the legs to prevent sperm leaking out is a commonly shared piece of advice for women trying to conceive.

There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to support this conception method but can it really make a difference? There are studies that have led to reports that women undergoing artificial insemination can increase the success of fertility treatment by lying still afterwards.¹⁸ However, the results are mixed, with no clear guidance that a post-coital horizontal rest will give sperm significantly better odds of reaching an egg.