Fertility Days blog: guides for every step
Every guide we publish, from preparing to the first trimester, grouped by step, with the DPO day-by-day series.
Prepare
Choline Before Pregnancy: The Nutrient Most Prenatals Miss
Choline before pregnancy: the 450 mg adequate intake, why most prenatals contain little or none, egg and food sources, brain-development evidence and safety.
CoQ10 for Fertility: Does It Help Egg or Sperm Quality?
What studies show about CoQ10 for fertility in women and men: IVF trials, egg and sperm quality, Cochrane reviews, doses used in trials, safety and evidence grades.
DHA for Fertility: Does Omega-3 Help You Conceive?
DHA and omega-3 for fertility: what studies show for conception, the 200 mg pregnancy target, fish and mercury advice, preterm birth data and evidence grades.
The Fertility Diet: What to Eat When Trying to Conceive
The fertility diet explained: the Nurses’ Health Study II pattern, Mediterranean diet and IVF data, caffeine and alcohol limits, fish and what ASRM concludes.
How Long Does It Take to Get Pregnant?
How long it takes to get pregnant, month by month: cumulative pregnancy rates from a German cohort, how age changes the odds, and when to see a doctor.
Methylfolate vs Folic Acid: Which Should You Take?
Methylfolate vs folic acid before pregnancy: CDC and USPSTF doses, what MTHFR variants really mean, ACMG advice on MTHFR testing, and how to read a prenatal label.
Myo-Inositol for Fertility: Does It Help With PCOS?
Myo-inositol for fertility and PCOS: what the 2023 PCOS guideline and Cochrane say, evidence grades for ovulation and pregnancy, doses and safety.
NAC for Fertility: What N-Acetylcysteine Can and Can’t Do
NAC (N-acetylcysteine) for fertility: PCOS ovulation and pregnancy trials, sperm studies, Cochrane evidence grades, doses used, safety and FDA status.
The Preconception Checklist: What to Do Before You Try
A preconception checklist built on CDC, ACOG and ASRM guidance: folic acid, a prepregnancy visit, vaccines, medicines, alcohol, caffeine and partner health.
Vitamin D and Fertility: Does Your Level Matter?
Vitamin D and fertility: what studies show for conception, IVF and miscarriage, the 600 IU RDA, Endocrine Society pregnancy advice and whether to test.
When to Stop Birth Control to Get Pregnant
When to stop birth control before trying to conceive: how fast fertility returns after the pill, IUD, implant, ring, patch and Depo shot, method by method.
Zinc and Selenium for Sperm Health: Do They Work?
Zinc and selenium for sperm: the FAZST trial of 2,370 couples, the MOXI antioxidant trial, Cochrane reviews, supplement doses and evidence grades.
Try
The Best Time to Have Sex to Conceive
The best time to have sex to get pregnant is the 2 days before ovulation. How often to have sex, whether position or lying down matters, and a simple plan.
Can You Only Get Pregnant During Ovulation?
No: you can get pregnant from sex up to 5 days before ovulation. See the odds by day, and whether sex on or near your period can lead to pregnancy.
Cervical Mucus: How It Changes Around Ovulation
How cervical mucus changes around ovulation, what egg-white mucus means, how to check it, and what studies show about the Billings and Creighton methods.
Does Ovulation Cause Cramps?
Yes: mid-cycle cramps called mittelschmerz affect about 1 in 5 or more. How long ovulation pain lasts, what causes it, and when cramps need a doctor.
Your Fertile Window: Which Days You Can Get Pregnant
Your fertile window is the 6 days ending on ovulation. See how many days after your period you ovulate, why it shifts, and how to track it.
How Long After an LH Surge Do You Ovulate?
Ovulation usually follows the start of the LH surge by about 32 hours, and a positive test by a day or so. Plus how long an LH surge lasts and when to have sex.
How to Read an Ovulation Test (and What a Positive Looks Like)
How to read an ovulation test: what a positive looks like, why a faint line is negative, reading times, digital and app results, and multiple positives.
Signs of Ovulation: What Your Body Shows, and How Reliable It Is
The signs of ovulation, from egg-white mucus and an LH surge to a temperature rise and mid-cycle pain, with how well each one pinpoints the day.
What Is the Luteal Phase?
The luteal phase runs from ovulation to your period, usually 11–17 days. How to measure it, what BBT does after ovulation, and what ASRM says about short phases.
When to Take an Ovulation Test: Which Day, What Time, How Often
When to take an ovulation test: the cycle day to start, the best time of day, how long the LH surge lasts, and why you can ovulate without a positive test.
Wait
Chemical Pregnancy: What It Is and What Happens Next
A kind, factual guide to chemical pregnancy: what it means, how common it is, signs, why it happens, when to seek care and trying again when you are ready.
How Long Does Implantation Bleeding Last?
How long implantation bleeding lasts, what the research shows about spotting duration in early pregnancy, and when bleeding has gone on too long.
How Many Days After Ovulation Can You Take a Pregnancy Test?
How many days after ovulation you can test: hCG by day past ovulation, which test sensitivity works on which DPO, and when a negative result is reliable.
Will a Pregnancy Test Be Positive During Implantation Bleeding?
Will a pregnancy test be positive during implantation bleeding? Usually not yet. How hCG rises after implantation, which tests detect it first and when to test.
Implantation Bleeding: What It Is, When It Happens and What It Means
What implantation bleeding is, how common it really is, when it happens, what it looks like, how it differs from a period and when to test or call a doctor.
What Does Implantation Bleeding Look Like?
What implantation bleeding looks like: color, amount and texture, how it compares with a period and with other early bleeding, and when it needs a doctor.
When Does Implantation Bleeding Occur?
When implantation bleeding can happen, counted in days past ovulation and weeks of pregnancy, with what the timing studies show and when to test.
Will an Ovulation Test Be Positive If You’re Pregnant?
Can an ovulation test detect pregnancy? Why hCG can turn an LH strip positive, why that is unreliable, other causes of a late positive, and what to use instead.
Investigate
AMH Explained: What an Anti-Müllerian Hormone Test Can Tell You
AMH reflects how many eggs you have left, not whether you can get pregnant. What the test measures, what affects it, how IVF uses it, and when a result matters.
Semen Analysis Results Explained: What Each Number Means
Semen analysis results explained with the WHO 2021 (6th edition) reference values for volume, count, concentration, motility and morphology, and what to do next.
Unexplained Infertility: When Every Test Comes Back Normal
Unexplained infertility affects about 30% of infertile couples. What the diagnosis means, which tests it requires, and the treatment path ASRM and ESHRE recommend.
When to See a Fertility Specialist, and What the Workup Includes
When to see a fertility specialist: after 12 months under 35, 6 months at 35+, now if over 40 or with known issues. What the workup includes for both partners.
Treat
At-Home Insemination: How ICI Works, Safely and Legally
At-home insemination (ICI) explained: how it differs from IUI, choosing a kit, FDA donor sperm screening, timing with ovulation, steps and legal parentage.
How Much Does Egg Freezing Cost, and Does It Work?
Egg freezing cost in the US: more than $15,000 per cycle in FertilityIQ data, plus storage and future IVF, with success rates per egg by age and insurance options.
IUI vs IVF: Which Fertility Treatment Is Right for You?
IUI vs IVF explained: how each works, who each suits, success rates by age from SART data, costs, risks, and how doctors decide when to move from IUI to IVF.
How Much Does IVF Cost in the US?
IVF cost in the US: about $22,000 per cycle including medication in FertilityIQ data, $40,000–$60,000 in total for many, plus add-ons, state mandates and tax rules.
IVF Step by Step: What Happens From First Visit to Pregnancy Test
The IVF process step by step: testing, stimulation, egg retrieval, fertilization and ICSI, embryo culture and genetic testing, transfer and the wait.
Pregnant
Early Pregnancy Symptoms: What to Expect and When to Call
The most common early pregnancy symptoms, when they start, why they happen, what is normal (including having few symptoms) and the signs that need a call.
Your First Prenatal Appointment: When, What Happens and Which Tests
When to book your first prenatal appointment, what happens at the visit, which blood and urine tests ACOG recommends, genetic screening options and what to bring.
First Trimester Checklist: 12 Things to Do After a Positive Test
A first trimester checklist built on ACOG, CDC and FDA guidance: folic acid, first appointment, food safety, caffeine, alcohol, medications and support.
Miscarriage Signs and Risk by Week
The signs of miscarriage, how risk changes week by week in early pregnancy from published studies, when to seek urgent care and what happens next, explained gently.
Perinatal Anxiety and Depression: Signs, Screening and Where to Get Help
How common anxiety and depression are in pregnancy, the signs, ACOG and USPSTF screening advice, free hotlines (988, 1-833-TLC-MAMA, PSI) and therapy options.
Pregnancy Nutrition: What to Eat, What to Avoid and Why
What to eat in pregnancy and what to avoid, from ACOG, FDA and CDC: key nutrients, the fish and mercury chart, listeria foods, the 200 mg caffeine limit and alcohol.
Prenatal Nutrient Doses: How Much You Need in Pregnancy
Pregnancy RDAs, upper limits and ACOG advice for folate, iron, iodine, choline, vitamin D, DHA, calcium and B12 in one table, plus a prenatal label check.
For partners
The 90-Day Sperm Health Plan
A 12-week sperm health plan built on the 74-day sperm cycle: when to test, what to stop, heat, weight, alcohol, honest supplement evidence and when to retest.
How to Increase Sperm Count: Evidence-Based Steps
How to increase sperm count with evidence: WHO 2021 reference values, smoking, alcohol, weight, heat, testosterone, varicocele and when to see a urologist.
TRT and Fertility: Why Testosterone Lowers Sperm Count
TRT and fertility: why testosterone therapy suppresses sperm production, how long recovery takes after stopping, what guidelines say and the options to discuss.
Support
How to Cope With the Two-Week Wait
The two-week wait is one of the hardest parts of trying to conceive. Why it is so stressful, when a test can work, and coping tools that research supports.
Support After Pregnancy Loss
Support after miscarriage, chemical or ectopic pregnancy: free helplines and groups from Share, PSI and RESOLVE, and when to get urgent medical care.