Women don't know when to get pregnant

Two in three UK women don’t know that there is only a small window of opportunity each month when it comes to conceiving a baby.

Each month, a woman has just two peak fertile days in which to conceive.

The current social trend is for women to put off child bearing until later life once they have established a career and feel financially comfortable.

The research, conducted for pregnancy and fertility testing brand Clearblue, shows it is this age group between 25 to 40 years who have the biggest gap in their knowledge when it comes to timing, meaning months or years of frustration.

Women are most likely to fall pregnant when their levels of oestrogen reach a critical level in the menstrual cycle, causing a rapid rise in the level of luteinising hormone. This triggers the release of an egg from an ovary some 24 – 36 hours after the hormone surge. Having sex during this period is when a woman has the highest chance of conceiving.