Mom & Baby:

Your most fertile days of the month are usually during this week, as your body prepares for ovulation. Although conception can’t happen until you’ve ovulated, sperm can survive for several days in the fallopian tubes, so there’s a chance you’ll become pregnant if you have sex toward the end of this week.

If you don’t have regular menstrual cycles, ranging between 21 and 35 days apart, you should talk to your doctor or practitioner about the timing of your ovulation.

It’s best not to use lubricant this week, as that impedes sperm transport.

What's Happening Inside You:

So what exactly happens during ovulation? Several hours before the ripened egg is released, the oviduct receives a signal indicating from which ovary the egg is going to emerge and prepares for its arrival.

The egg is then sucked into the oviduct, which has the important function of guiding it toward the uterus. The egg — which is beautifully transparent and elastic — does actually bear some resemblance to a chicken egg. Even though the egg is not able to move on its own, it takes an active role in conception: It possesses an attractive force which pulls any nearby sperm toward it.

Some sperms become highly active as they move closer to their goal, until finally one of them is “caught” by the egg.

Find out more about your cycle and the best time to get pregnant.