Irregular periods and trying to conceive

At school, we're taught that ovulation occurs on the 14th day of our cycle (with the cycle starting on the first day of our period). Once present in the uterus, an egg lives for 24 to 48 hours and sperm lives for 36 hours.

In real life, every woman's body has its own particularities: you might actually ovulate on the 10th or the 18th day of your cycle, for example.

How to identify if you have a problem?
> Every morning, before getting up, take your temperature and record it on a graph so you can plot your menstrual curve. When you see a slight peak on your curve, it's a sign that you're ovulating. To calculate your ovulation date, you can also use ovulation tests which are expensive but reliable.

> After a few months, you will notice that you either ovulate on a date a standard number of days from the middle of your cycle; or that you ovulate at different times, depending on your cycles; or that sometimes you don't ovulate at all!

When is the most fertile time?
It depends on what you've discovered:
- if your ovulation date always occurs at the same time in your cycle, you simply need to adjust your lovemaking habits so you have sex between 4 days before your ovulation date and 4 days afterwards. The more often you make love during this period, the better your chances of getting pregnant.
- if the date varies from one cycle to the next, intensify your lovemaking for a longer period.
- if ovulation is too irregular or doesn't occur often enough, see your doctor. You may be able to have blood tests to check if you have a hormonal imbalance (which can be treated with medication).