After ovulation, the choices you make over the next 8 to 10 days can influence whether a fertilized egg successfully implants in your uterine lining. This window, called the luteal phase, lasts roughly two weeks and ends when you either get a positive pregnancy test or your period arrives. While there’s no guaranteed formula, research points to several specific things worth avoiding during this stretch to give yourself the best chance of conceiving.
Why the Days After Ovulation Matter
Once an egg is fertilized, it doesn’t attach to the uterine wall immediately. In a landmark study tracking early pregnancies, 84% of successful implantations happened on days 8, 9, or 10 after ovulation, with the full range spanning days 6 through 12. During this time, your body is producing progesterone to thicken the uterine lining and increase blood flow to support a potential pregnancy. Anything that disrupts that hormonal environment, reduces blood flow to the uterus, or triggers excessive uterine contractions can work against implantation.
Alcohol, Even in Moderate Amounts
Alcohol during the luteal phase has a surprisingly strong link to reduced chances of conceiving. A prospective study published in Human Reproduction found that women who drank 3 to 6 alcoholic beverages per week during the luteal phase were 44% less likely to conceive in that cycle compared to non-drinkers. For women drinking more than 6 per week, the reduction was 49%. The researchers also found that each additional day of binge drinking during this phase was tied to a 19% drop in the odds of conception.
This was a dose-response relationship, meaning even moderate drinking mattered. If you’re serious about conceiving, the luteal phase is the most important time in your cycle to skip alcohol entirely.
Heavy or Exhausting Exercise
Moderate activity like walking, swimming, or light yoga is fine after ovulation. The concern is with vigorous, prolonged exercise. A large prospective study found that women with a normal BMI who did 2 hours per week of vigorous exercise were 16% less likely to conceive than sedentary women. At 3 to 4 hours per week, the reduction jumped to 27%, and at 5 or more hours, it reached 32%.
The mechanism involves energy balance and hormones. In one study, 58% of women running about 20 miles per week showed menstrual cycle abnormalities, including shortened luteal phases and failed ovulation, compared to just 9% of sedentary women. A separate study found that women who exercised every day were 3.2 times more likely to experience infertility, and exercising to exhaustion was linked to 2.3 times the odds. The issue isn’t movement itself but the intensity and caloric deficit it can create. When your body senses it’s burning significantly more energy than it’s taking in, it can suppress the hormonal signals needed to maintain a healthy luteal phase.
Stick with light to moderate activity during the two-week wait. If you’re a regular runner or do intense training, consider dialing back during this phase of your cycle.
Too Much Caffeine
You don’t need to quit caffeine entirely, but keeping intake low is a reasonable precaution. The European Food Safety Authority recommends women trying to conceive stay under 200 mg per day, roughly the amount in one 12-ounce cup of brewed coffee. The World Health Organization sets the limit slightly higher at 300 mg. A systematic review and meta-analysis found that the evidence supports this precautionary approach, with some researchers noting that even the 200 to 300 mg guideline may be slightly too generous.
Keep in mind that caffeine adds up from multiple sources: tea, soda, chocolate, and energy drinks all contribute. If you’re a heavy coffee drinker, the luteal phase is a good time to cut back to one cup.
Smoking and Nicotine
Cigarette smoking directly impairs the uterine environment needed for implantation. Research shows that smokers have significantly reduced blood flow to the endometrium (the uterine lining) and the tissue just beneath it throughout the menstrual cycle. Nicotine also increases resting uterine muscle tension, which can make the uterus less receptive to an embryo.
At the cellular level, tobacco compounds interfere with the ability of uterine cells to adhere to embryonic tissue, a critical step in implantation. Lab studies show that cells normally capable of attaching to an embryo lose that adhesion when exposed to cigarette smoke components. If you smoke and are trying to conceive, quitting or at least abstaining during the luteal phase removes a significant barrier.
Prolonged Heat Exposure
Hot tubs and saunas can raise your core body temperature to levels that may be harmful to a developing embryo. The threshold of concern is a core temperature of 38.9°C (about 102°F). Research found that in a hot tub set to 41.1°C (106°F), women reached that threshold after about 10 minutes. In a cooler tub at 39°C (102°F), it took at least 15 minutes.
Brief, casual use is unlikely to push your temperature into the danger zone, but lingering in very hot water for extended periods could. The simplest approach during the two-week wait is to keep hot tub and sauna sessions short (under 10 minutes) or skip them altogether. Warm baths at a comfortable temperature are not a concern.
Certain Herbal Supplements
Some herbal products commonly used by women trying to conceive can actually work against you after ovulation. Chasteberry (also called Vitex) is one of the most popular fertility supplements, but it may act as a uterine stimulant and has estrogenic or progesterone-like activity that could interfere with early pregnancy. It’s generally recommended for use only before ovulation, not after.
Red raspberry leaf, often marketed for reproductive health, is considered likely unsafe in early pregnancy. CBD products are flagged as possibly unsafe as well. The challenge with herbal supplements is that they’re not regulated the same way as medications, so potency and purity vary. If you’ve been taking any herbal product to support fertility, check whether it’s safe to continue through the luteal phase, since some are meant to be stopped at ovulation.
Unnecessary Pelvic Imaging
If you need an abdominal or pelvic X-ray for any reason during the two-week wait, tell your doctor or the X-ray technologist that you could be pregnant. The FDA advises that while the risk from a single diagnostic X-ray is very small, your doctor may choose to postpone, cancel, or modify the exam to reduce radiation exposure. This applies to any imaging of the lower torso, including dental X-rays that use abdominal shielding.
If you were X-rayed before realizing you might be pregnant, the actual risk to an early embryo from a standard diagnostic dose is extremely low. But when you have the option to delay elective imaging by a couple of weeks, it’s an easy precaution to take.
Extreme Stress and Sleep Deprivation
Your body produces progesterone throughout the luteal phase to support a potential pregnancy. Chronic stress raises cortisol, which competes with progesterone for some of the same raw materials and hormonal pathways. While a single stressful day is unlikely to derail implantation, sustained high stress over the luteal phase can shorten its length and reduce the progesterone levels needed to maintain the uterine lining.
Sleep deprivation amplifies cortisol production and disrupts the hormonal rhythms that regulate your cycle. You don’t need to transform your life during the two-week wait, but prioritizing sleep and finding even basic ways to manage stress (a walk outside, a consistent bedtime, limiting doomscrolling) can support the hormonal balance your body needs to sustain a pregnancy.