Fast-Track Your Conception

If you are anything like me (and most of my 30-something girlfriends), once you've decided that you are ready to get pregnant and have a baby, you want it yesterday. But most of us learn that conception is easier said than done.

It doesn't have to be that way. If you are otherwise healthy, many new cool tools (as well as knowing some conception basics) can help you maximize your chances of conception right now. Such tools include wrist watches that detect whether there will be a welcome mat for sperm in the female genital tract and digital aids that predict your peak and not-so-peak fertility days.

First: Conception 101

"The first thing couples need to do is to keep track of the intervals between day one of bleeding and day one of their next cycle," explains fertility expert Mark P. Leondires, MD, medical director of Reproductive Medical Associates of Connecticut in Norwalk. "The biggest problem is that people do not pay attention in health class."

The solution involves some simple math, he says. If a woman is aware of her cycle interval and has a regular 28-day cycle, "you take that number [28] and subtract 14, and that should give you the approximate day of ovulation. That is the day to work around," he tells WebMD.

Specifically, he adds, to get pregnant: "Take that day that you presume you are ovulating and have intercourse every other day around it, such as on days 12, 14, and 16 if you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle," he says. "Sperm can last two to three days and this way, there should be sperm there waiting to greet the egg."

You'll even find web sites that do the math for you, including WebMD and BabyCenter.com. Enter your first day of your last menstrual period as well as the average length of your cycle and hit "calculate."

These days, busy couples who want to be pregnant may only be having sex on the weekend and missing their fertile window, which is as small as three to five days, Leondires says.

"We have pretty good evidence to suggest that having intercourse close to ovulation will maximize the chance of conception," agrees fertility expert Randy S. Morris, MD, medical director of IVF 1 in Chicago and Naperville, Ill.

"Plotting ovulation has never been demonstrated to increase the chances for most individuals," he says. "Most people do well enough on their own, but for busy women who travel or whose spouses travel or who are not comfortable having intercourse repeatedly over time, ovulation predictor kits may help further reduce the time frame."

That said, there are a number of methods to help you plot ovulation and increase your chances of conception quickly, Morris says. They include: