What Is a Fertility Window?
Your fertility window refers to the 6-day period in your menstrual cycle when you’re most likely to get pregnant. This includes:
- The 5 days leading up to ovulation
- The day of ovulation itself
During this time, your body is in its prime for conception due to the lifespan of sperm and eggs. Sperm can live inside your body for up to 5 days, waiting for an egg to be released. Once the egg is released during ovulation, it has a much shorter lifespan, surviving only 12 to 24 hours.
You’re most fertile in the 3 days leading up to and including ovulation. Because pinpointing the exact time of ovulation can be tricky, it’s recommended to try for pregnancy every day or every other day during your fertility window to increase your chances of conception.
If you're not trying to conceive, this is the time to avoid unprotected sex or use contraception. Keep in mind that predicting ovulation isn’t an exact science, so it’s still possible to get pregnant at other times in your cycle.
