If you are trying to conceive through sex, having vaginal sex with ejaculation into the vagina every two to three days is a practical starting point. You can also focus on the days before ovulation if that suits you. Neither approach can promise a pregnancy in a particular month.
There are many ways to build a family. If you will be using donor sperm, insemination or IVF, speak with a GP or fertility service about a plan that fits your circumstances; follow your treating team’s timing advice.
How timing works
Ovulation is when an ovary releases an egg. Sperm can survive in the reproductive tract for up to five days, while an egg can usually be fertilised for about 12 to 24 hours after ovulation. This is why the days leading up to ovulation matter, rather than only the day an egg is released.
The fertile window is roughly the five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Its position in the calendar varies between people and between cycles. Day 14 is not a rule, and a calendar cannot tell you with certainty that ovulation has happened. Your Fertility explains the timing of sex and conception.
Sex every two to three days across the cycle helps cover the fertile window without needing to identify an exact ovulation day. If you prefer to track, aim for sex in the days leading up to and around ovulation. Choose an approach that is comfortable and consensual for both of you.
Should you track ovulation?
Tracking can offer useful information, but it is optional. You do not have to use an app, temperature chart and several tests at once.
Ovulation predictor kits
Urine ovulation kits detect a rise in luteinising hormone (LH) before ovulation. They can help with timing, although a positive result does not guarantee that an egg is released or that pregnancy will follow. Follow the kit’s instructions, and ask your GP for advice if results are hard to interpret or your cycles are irregular.
RANZCOG’s pre-pregnancy guideline supports considering urine ovulation kits for people under 40 who are trying to conceive. It also notes that evidence is insufficient to recommend calendar, cervical-fluid and temperature methods as ways to improve pregnancy outcomes. These methods may still help you get to know your cycle.
Cycle records, cervical mucus and temperature
Count a cycle from the first day of one period to the day before the next. An app can record a pattern, but its predicted fertile days remain estimates. Cervical mucus often becomes clearer and more slippery around ovulation. A small rise in basal body temperature usually happens after ovulation, so it is more useful for looking back at a pattern than announcing the best day to have sex in that cycle. Read more about ovulation and fertility.
Make space for pre-pregnancy care
A GP appointment before pregnancy is a chance to review existing conditions, medicines, vaccinations and reproductive health. This is worthwhile whether conception will involve sex, donor eggs or sperm, or fertility treatment. The person planning to carry the pregnancy should ask about folic acid and iodine; our pre-pregnancy health guide explains the usual Australian recommendations and when individual advice is needed.
If a partner is providing sperm, their health and any fertility concerns matter too. Difficulty conceiving may involve egg release, sperm, the fallopian tubes, other health factors, or no cause that testing can identify. It is not a reason to blame one person. A GP can assess both partners where relevant, as explained by Healthdirect’s infertility guide.
When should you ask for fertility advice?
You can speak to a GP at any stage. As a general guide, arrange an assessment if pregnancy has not happened after regular sex without contraception for:
- 12 months if the person trying to become pregnant is under 35.
- Six months if they are 35 or older. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby gives this advice in its guide to trying for pregnancy after 35.
Do not wait for those timeframes if you have absent or irregular periods, significant period pain, known endometriosis or PCOS, a previous ectopic pregnancy, or concerns about sperm or testicular health. Ask earlier about any medical history or treatment that may affect fertility. If you are over 40, discuss your plans with a GP or specialist at the outset so advice can be tailored to your age and circumstances. The ASRM fertility-evaluation guidance also supports earlier assessment when there are known concerns.
These timeframes are a prompt to get help, not a deadline by which you should have conceived. They are also not a requirement to spend months trying through sex if that is not your route to pregnancy.
The waiting matters too
Trying for a baby can start to take up a lot of mental space. You are allowed to simplify tracking or ask for emotional support. A GP or counsellor can help if the process is affecting your wellbeing or relationship. Support should make this time easier to manage, without suggesting that you need to relax in order to become pregnant.
When it is time to test, our pregnancy-test guide explains when to test, when to repeat a negative result and which symptoms need urgent care.
For a broader checklist, read our nine practical steps when trying to get pregnant.
This is general health information for Australian readers. Your GP or fertility team can help with an individual plan.