Yes, you read that right—more women conceive in November than in any other month. How we know: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta shows that August is the most common birth month; backtrack 40 weeks, and that means sperm is meeting egg soon. So why November?
Understanding your menstrual cycle
You're most fertile at the time of ovulation (when an egg is released from your ovaries), which usually occurs 12 to 14 days before your next period starts. This is the time of the month when you're most likely to get pregnant.
The days before and during menstruation are the least fertile days of the menstrual cycle. People with a menstrual cycle that is shorter than 28 days could ovulate within days of their period ending.
Ovulation usually occurs about 14 days before the start of a woman's period — the beginning of her menstrual cycle. She is less likely to become pregnant from unprotected intercourse in the day or two following ovulation, but it's still possible.
The highest pregnancy rates occur in couples who have sex every day or every other day. Have sex near the time of ovulation. If having sex every day isn't possible — or enjoyable — have sex every 2 to 3 days a week starting soon after the end of your period.
Peak male fertility is around 25-29 years old. Sperm quality begins to decline at 30. At 45, men begin to experience a significant decrease in semen volume. Older men can also take longer to conceive a child.
There are lots of theories and claims made about influencing the chances of having either a boy or a girl baby, but the scientific facts are absolutely clear. The chances of having conceiving a boy or a girl are almost exactly equal for each and every pregnancy.
The pull-out method is about 80% effective. About one in five people who rely on the pull-out method for birth control become pregnant.
If your menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and your period arrives like clockwork, it's likely that you'll ovulate on day 14. That's halfway through your cycle. Your fertile window begins on day 10. You're more likely to get pregnant if you have sex at least every other day between days 10 and 14 of a 28-day cycle.
Continue counting each day of your cycle until your next cycle starts. On days 1-7, you're not considered to be fertile and can have unprotected sex, though you may have menstrual bleeding on those days. On days 8-19, you're considered to be fertile. Avoid unprotected sex or abstain from sex to avoid pregnancy.
The best time to try for a baby is on the days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself (ovulation is the process when an ovary releases an egg). Since sperm can live up to 5 days inside a woman's body, timing sex for the days leading up to ovulation can also lead to pregnancy.
Most couples will get pregnant within a year if they have regular sex and don't use contraception. But women become less fertile as they get older.
If your average menstrual cycle is 28 days, you ovulate around day 14, and your most fertile days are days 12, 13 and 14. If your average menstrual cycle is 35 days ovulation happens around day 21 and your most fertile days are days 19,20 and 21.
Super fertility has been classified as a monthly fecundity (the ability to get pregnant) rate of 60% or greater. A regular menstrual cycle and high antral follicle count are signs of high fertility. Perimenopause, fibroids, and endometriosis can make conceiving and sustaining pregnancy more difficult.
Pregnancy can happen if any semen gets in your vagina or on your vulva. So the best way to make the pull out method effective is to use it with another type of birth control (like the ring, pill, or condoms). This way, if there's a slip up, you're still protected. Accidents happen.
For every 100 people who use the pull out method perfectly, 4 will get pregnant. But pulling out can be difficult to do perfectly. So in real life, about 22 out of 100 people who use withdrawal get pregnant every year — that's about 1 in 5.
On an average, couples have sex 78 times from the time they start trying to the time they get a positive result. These 78 times are spread over 158 days or about 6 months. A study surveyed 1,194 parents and found that most couples have sex 13 times a month while they are trying to conceive.
Speed: since sperm containing the Y chromosome are faster than those containing the X chromosome, if the egg is in the fallopian tube at the time of intercourse, there is a greater probability of a Y sperm reaching and fertilising it, which means there is a greater probability of the baby being a boy.
A trained expert checks your sperm count, their shape, movement, and other characteristics. In general, if you have a higher number of normal-shaped sperm, it means you have higher fertility. But there are plenty of exceptions to this. A lot of guys with low sperm counts or abnormal semen are still fertile.