Healthier Scotland. Scottish Government

Improving your chances of conception

Getting pregnant – how it works

An egg is released from a woman's ovaries roughly once every four weeks. It then travels down a passage called a fallopian tube to reach the womb. If it has been fertilised by a sperm from a man, it may then implant in the lining of the womb and start to grow.

If not, the egg is rejected along with the lining of the womb and a little blood and the woman gets her 'period'.

However, the egg is only in the right place to get fertilised for a few days each month, usually around the middle of the cycle. But some people have a cycle of nearer five weeks, others slightly less than four, and others have cycles that fluctuate between the two.

back to top

Getting the timing right

Regular, unprotected sex is the best way to get pregnant. However, you could try to increase the chances by concentrating your lovemaking around the times when an egg is most likely to get fertilised.

To find out when this is, a woman can keep a diary of her periods for a few months. You need to take your temperature every day on waking and note when your period bleeding starts and stops.

From this, you can work out when the egg is released and when it can be fertilised by a sperm.

This technique can also be used as a method of birth control and is called natural family planning.

Find out more about natural family planning on the NHS 24 website

back to top

When to stop using contraception

It's possible to get pregnant just as soon as you stop using contraception.

However, it may take three months to a year for your periods, and therefore fertility, to return to normal if you've been using contraceptive injections. Your sexual health service or GP can provide you with further advice if required.

back to top

Alcohol

Alcohol is not an effective contraceptive but drinking too much alcohol can lower sperm counts in men and reduces the ability of a woman to get pregnant. If a woman drinks to excess, her periods (when an egg is released into the womb) can stop completely.

To improve the chances of the woman getting pregnant, drink no more than 3-4 units a day if you are a man and 2-3 units a day if you are a woman. Both men and women should have at least two days every week without alcohol.

If you are the woman seeking pregnancy, it may be safest to stop drinking altogether as you might not know straight away that you're pregnant.

back to top

Alcohol and pregnancy

Alcohol can harm the unborn child even in relatively small amounts and even in the very early stages of pregnancy. In larger amounts, it can cause serious problems such as foetal alcohol syndrome that will affect the child for the rest of its life.

Partners of pregnant women should also examine their drinking habits – will you be able to get your partner to the hospital in an emergency if you've been drinking too much?

back to top

Illegal drugs

Like alcohol, many illegal drugs lower sperm counts in men and fertility in women and may harm the unborn child or cause a miscarriage.

Don't use any drugs during pregnancy other than those recommended by your doctor or midwife as safe to use.

back to top

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Some sexually transmitted infections can lessen the chances of becoming pregnant.

Most STIs can be treated or managed effectively during pregnancy but it's best for mother and child that treatment is completed before getting pregnant.

If you're thinking about starting a family, both partners should get tested.

back to top