Ovulation plays a critical role in making sure you get pregnant. Surprisingly then, very few women, and even less men, know the woman's ovulation cycle and exactly when the best time is to implant your sperm if you wish to ensure that pregnancy occurs.

Natural indications of when you ovulation cycle is are difficult to judge and know. Consequently, as with most technical matters, more and more, we turn to science to provide this information to us.

One method used to gage our ovulation cycle is the pelvic ultrasound. However, as ultrasound is not a safe conception during periods when we wish to get pregnant, we need to try and utilize this method of knowing the ovulation cycle some time prior to actually trying to conceive.

Home use test kits that measure the LH surge prior to ovulation have also proven to be very useful tools in knowing when out ovulation cycle is and when the best time to implant the sperm is in order to maximize the chances of conceiving. Home use LH measuring kits are, however, a little hit and miss and should not be relied upon exclusively. What is important with home use ovulation kits is that the LH surge prior to ovulation be logged and noted.

Know when you ovulate is one thing. Knowing when to have intercourse during your ovulation period is another although. Scientific research, however, seems to indicate that intercourse during the period 6 days prior to, and the actual day of, ovulation will result in your becoming pregnant. Moreover, as intercourse the day after you have ovulated is unlikely to cause you to become pregnant, all tests as to when your exact ovulation time is are for the benefit not so much of knowing when you ovulate, but more knowing when to have intercourse with your loved one prior to the ovulation itself, as if you have intercourse any time outside of the 6 days prior to ovulation itself you'll not likely become pregnant. Not unsurprisingly here, the percentage chance that you will conceive and become pregnant increases the closer you get to your actual time of ovulation, with the peak opportune time being on the actual day of ovulation itself.

Once you have established your ovulation cycle and given the system a good try then next thing you need to establish is whether or not you are actually pregnant. Here you have to usually wait 15-16 days following your ovulation day, as this would be the day of your next scheduled period. If you do not have your period on time following the loving making session 15-16 days earlier, you should rush out and buy a home pregnancy test to have a look and see if you have hit the jackpot! Remember, however, that any home pregnancy test, positive or negative, should be double-checked with your local doctor who can do relevant blood tests to confirm your happy news that you have beaten natures odds and happily conceived the child of your dreams.