This is day 3 of your menstrual cycle

If you're trying to conceive, it helps to know which lifestyle and medical factors can affect your cycle.

277 days until your due date

Your periods may vary in timing and heaviness. Stress and medical conditions such as an overactive thyroid can make them lighter or less frequent. Erratic periods make ovulation harder to predict, and missed or unpredictable periods can mean you aren't ovulating. If monitoring or ovulation tests suggest this, get medical advice about your fertility.

Many women with period problems still conceive easily, but some conditions that cause long, irregular, or heavy periods are linked to lower fertility. Heavy periods can be caused by fibroids, for example. Heavy blood loss can also make you anemic, which isn't a good start to pregnancy, so you may want to boost your iron intake.

Painful periods can also affect fertility. Endometriosis, a common condition, can cause painful periods and discomfort during sex, so see your doctor if you have these symptoms. In endometriosis, cells like those lining the uterus grow outside it, on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or pelvic walls. Treatments, including laser surgery, can improve the chances of conceiving.

Ask a Doctor

Should I monitor my menstrual cycle?

Yes. Monitoring your cycle is an important part of planning for pregnancy. It helps you work out roughly when you ovulate, so you can time sex to improve your chances.

Note the length of your cycle too, since it may vary. The key point is that the time from ovulation to your next period is almost always about 14 days, so once your next period arrives you can work back to roughly when you ovulated.

Focus on

IVF: Stimulating egg follicles

IVF may be an option for couples having trouble conceiving. The first step is stimulating the ovaries to produce many follicles so several eggs can be fertilized outside the body. From about day 3 of the cycle, you inject yourself or use a nasal spray to suppress your normal cycle, followed by injections of a hormone similar to follicle-stimulating hormone. Egg retrieval follows.

This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.