Your window of opportunity to get pregnant in any given month is fairly small. A fertile woman has a 20 percent chance of conceiving during a cycle. Luckily, 85 percent of healthy, fertile couples will conceive within 1 year of trying.

Conception can only occur during a small window during your cycle. Your egg will live for 24 hours after ovulation so fertilization must occur within that 24 hours. Sperm can live inside a woman for 2-3 days so that helps increase the odds a little. The trick is determining when ovulation has occurred so you can plan your schedule around it. There are a few different ways in which you can try to predict ovulation.

Keeping track of your cycle: If you cycle is fairly regular you can try to predict when ovulation will occur. For a normal cycle that is 28 days long ovulation will typically occur on the 14th day of your cycle (that would be 14 days from the start of your last period), so by counting forward from the first day of your cycle you can predict about what day you will ovulate. This method of course is no help at all if your cycle is irregular.

Basal Body Temperature: When ovulation has occurred your basal body temperature will rise, it is a pretty small increase in temperature, only about 1/2 a degree to a degree. You can help predict when ovulation will occur by keeping track of your basal body temperature for several months to identify a trend. You will need to take your temperature first thing in the morning every day and chart your temperature. Over several months you will begin to see a trend that will be able to help you predict when ovulation typically occurs in your cycle. This method will require a little more commitment and time.

Ovulation Predictor Kits: Ovulation predictor kits are now available that women can use to determine if ovulation is about to occur. The way these kits work is a woman urinates on the stick and the stick will change color when you are about to ovulate. These kits measure the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in your urine which rise the day before ovulation occurs. The kits can be expensive, ranging in price from about $20-$50, so you might not want to rely on this every month.

Some lucky women will notice physical signs that ovulation has occurred such as cramping. For most women, however, there are no physical signs and ovulation remains a mystery. When you are trying to get pregnant it can be a bit frustrating, but remember the odds are in your favor. Talk to your doctor for some additional pointers on trying to predict ovulation. If after 12 months of trying you still have not been able to conceive consult your doctor to determine if there is some underlying fertility problem.

Best of luck to everyone trying to get pregnant, I know it can be a bit nerve wracking and a little stressful as you wait to see if you conceived.

(Source: BabyCenter)