6 Ways to Tell You’re Fertile

It’s time! You’re ready to have a baby. But how do you know if your body is ready to get pregnant? Here are a few simple signs that could mean you’re primed for babymaking.

Photo: Veer / The Bump

Everything stinks
Is taking out the garbage making you completely gag today? According to the American Pregnancy Association, a heightened sense of smell could mean you’re ovulating. Alright, a quick refresher: ovulation = best time for babymaking.

You keep checking yourself out in the mirror
Damn, you’re lookin’ good. This whole biology/evolution thing is pretty clever. When you’re ovulating, you feel sexier and your partner is more drawn to you too. Some signs of ovulation include fuller lips, dilated pupils and softer skin.

You’ve been eating your veggies
We probably don’t have to tell you that your body should be in tip-top shape in order to conceive. But did you know that eating your fruits and veggies can boost fertility? So if you’ve been eating your fair share of spinach salad, congrats -- you’ve probably boosted your fertility.

You’re at a healthy weight
Being underweight or overweight can affect your chances of conception. It may be harder for women who are underweight to conceive -- in fact, it can take up to four times as long. And if you’re overweight, you might have trouble menstruating, because of insulin resistance. If you’re underweight, eat more snacks, exercise to increase muscle, and drink juices and milk. And if you’re overweight, choose a realistic diet plan with enough nutrients, make sure you exercise and drink a lot of water. As always, check with your doctor first before deciding on a weight-loss or weight-gain program.

You’ve been passing on the coffee and wine
Caffeine’s impact on fertility is still being debated, but it’s recommended to limit your consumption to about 300 milligrams a day -- that’s about two small cups of coffee, plus a soda. Too much alcohol consumption is linked to missed periods and altered estrogen and progesterone levels. You can still have a cocktail every now and then, but be careful about how much you drink a week.

You don’t smoke
Studies have shown that smoking may harm your reproductive system. It also can increase your risk of a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Kick the habit now if you’re looking to get pregnant.

Plus, more from The Bump:
Fertility Tricks That Actually Worked

8 Surprising Facts About Male Infertility

The Vitamins You’ll Need to Conceive

-- Sarah Yang

Sep 15, 2011

See More: Fertility and Ovulation

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Most of these are bunk. A woman's status as a non-smoker, tee-totaler, or decaf-er isn't a sign of fertility or infertility. What about fertile quality cervical mucus, cervical position, OPKs? Try again, Bump.

by kofmkg

well that was a worthless article...

by esmid001

This is bad! Hopefully women aren't taking this seriously!!!

by zach_sarah

started off good and then went to crap...

by cbrittanyfletcher

I agree also what does BFP mean?

by hanray2010

do you not like this article because you're not doing any of these things?

by stephquick

I have to agree with kofmkg. It started out really good. Stinky things... I totally notice that. But what about the other scientific things? sure... smoking is harmful. Sure being too thin or fat isn't healthy regardless of baby. More science and less "glamor magazine" style writing please?

by carleyauggie

no, b/c its an article on how to tell if youer fertle not what youer doing to be

by hanray2010

horrible advice. wtf?

by obeach8

I think they just should have titled it something else. It's not ways to know your fertile, it's steps to take to boosting your fertility...IMO

by Jaclyn619

The first 2 are ways to tell that a woman is fertile and the rest are ways to be fertile. The title is very misleading.

by KatlinW

i need some advice plz. i have been on the depo since march 2010 and missed my august shot 2011 and i have been feeling queezy, dizzy, and tored all the time and the curse has not come yet. i supposedly had my curse on aug 26 and it was onlt for 1 day and it was brown. do u all think i could be pregnant with 3 tests saying negative?

by mraffety

If you're truly TTC, PLEASE go get "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and read it in it! Then, start charting your BBT, cervical position, and cervical mucus. You will find out within a few cycles whether you're fertile or whether there is cause for alarm. This whole site is absolutely terrible for those of us who truly are dealing with infertility. I was on here for months trying to discover why after two years of trying we weren't pregnant. The advice is superficial and lame. It might help if you're fertile but just not timing things right or need to take a vitamin; but for those of us battling endometriosis, PCOS, missing ovaries, male-factor infertility, luteul phase defects, etc. etc. it's worthless. Go to a doctor (preferably and RE) who understands all sorts of infertility issues. Get yourself checked out. If it's been 6 months or longer without conceiving, I sincerely suggest you seek help.

by squeakerabudhbabi

I've heard about about this fertility talk when I was at least 13 year old and of course I don't care about that thing at that time. Until, I got married and happened to have some problem in baby making with my wife. Both of us were healthy though, in terms of making love well, I am not really active with that. I don't know maybe I am just working much of the paperworks which makes me so tired and not to have it everyday. Hence, I have to study the females' fertility to get the right timing. lol Good luck to me. Any Lab Test Now Franchise

by davetwilliams