[Brookem]

Well... My husband and I have been entertaining the idea of trying to conceive. Our plan was to start being less careful in September and see where it went. I don't know what in the world came over us but last night (very late, more like early morning) we had unprotected - and unplanned - intercourse. We NEVER do this. Yikes! I think all of the baby talk got to us!!

I decided to get online and see when I am most fertile and every stinking site I went to (six total ) stated that today or tomorrow was the begining of my "fertile window".

So, I need a little input from the women that have really done their homework here. We are really pushing it. We're talking about mere hours into the wee morning of my first day of "fertility window". Understanding that all women and their cycles are unique - what sort of odds am I facing here? Any tips on additional rescources? Anyone have a similar story to share that will make the next two weeks a little easier??

Thank you in advance!

[ShawnaCAN]

It depends entirely upon when you ovulate (and you can only confirm that after it happens). It doesn't really matter if a calender says you should be fertile, what's more relevant is actual evidence of fertility. If cervical mucus was present at the time of intercourse, sperm cells can live in your body for up to 5 days waiting for ovulation to occur. So as long as you ovulate within the next 5 or so days, there's a possibility of conception. If there was no cervical mucus at the time of intercourse, sperm can only live about 30 minutes in your body.

You are also potentially fertile for 3 days after confirming ovulation. That's because of the possibility of double ovulation and the lifespan of each egg. An egg lives about 24 hours if not fertilized. If a second ova is released, it will happen within 24 hours of the first one...then can live up to 24 hours as well. Even if there is no cervical mucus is present during this time, conception is possible if intercourse occurs during this time.

Hope that helps a bit. The only real way to know whether you are actually fertile or not is to track the signs your body gives you. Evidence of fertility is more reliable than predictions of fertility.

[kruff79]

To add to that, even if everything is perfect (timing, mucus, ovulation etc.) you have about a 25-30% chance of concieving in any given month.

[dapgal]

You definitely need to go off of the signs that your body is giving you rather than a calendar method.

[sjkduke]

It's very uncommon for someone to have the perfect "day 14" ovulation like most books/sites say. Even your own cycle will change from month to month.

Either way, hope you get the result you guys are hoping for!