
Know Your Fertile Days
Know Your Fertile Days
Menstrual cycle | Determine your fertility period | Know about fertility period according to cycle |
Several couples do not have a clear idea of how ovulation works. To increase the chances of getting pregnant, women can determine the time of the month when they are most fertile.
The majority of parents do not even know exactly when they conceived their child. There are countless ways to know when in the cycle the woman is the most fertile!
Menstrual cycle, ovulation … How does it work?
The menstrual cycle is a natural hormonal process whose function is to ensure reproduction. It lasts an average of 28 days in a woman. It is divided into two periods separated by ovulation that takes place around the 14th day. The first period is the “follicular phase “, during which the rules arrive (on the first day of the cycle). The purpose of this phase is to mature an ovum that will be released by the ovary on the 14th day. It is where fertilization takes place.
The second part, called “luteal phase “, has for a role in preparing the arrival of the fertilized egg in the uterus. If there is no fertilization, the rules come, and a new cycle begins.
The ovulation is the term used for the release of an egg (usually but sometimes more) by the ovary. A child’s conception occurs when a sperm fertilizes the egg. While sperm can survive for several days in the female genital tract, the egg only survives 24 hours after ovulation. It, therefore, limits the probability of fertilization.
How to determine your fertility period?
To increase the chances of becoming pregnant, women can learn about their fertility period, the length of time that sperm can survive in the female reproductive tract before ovulation and fertilization occur.
During a cycle, the fertility period lasts 5 to 7 days: four or five days before the date of ovulation and one to two days later. To calculate fertility period, several methods are used:
THE CALENDAR
You can merely postpone the date of the rules on a calendar and deduct 14 days from the cycle time (14 days before the next rules). You will be able to know your date of ovulation and determine your period of fertility.
THE TEMPERATURE CURVE
The temperature curve makes it possible to determine at what moment of its cycle a woman ovulates. To draw a thermal curve, merely take its temperature every morning and note the results on a grid, usually for three months. The results of this curve provide information on the precise timing of ovulation. We can complete the curve with other events: rules, diseases giving fever, sexual intercourse, etc.
CERVICAL MUCUS
The cervix secretes mucus (mucus) that protects the woman’s body from sperm, bacteria and other micro-organisms. For a few days a month, the consistency of the mucus changes to allow the sperm to reach the tubes. Through monitoring these changes, it is possible to determine the fertile period. Just insert one or two fingers into the vagina and collect secretions in contact with the cervix.
Just after menstruation, there is no mucus. In the following week, the cervical secretions are viscous and sticky. As ovulation approaches, the mucus becomes creamy, lighter and can be stretched between two fingers without breaking down. It corresponds to the peak of fertility where the mucus lets the spermatozoa pass.
It should be kept in mind that different factors can alter cervical secretions: sexual arousal, the presence of sperm, the use of lubricants, the use of an antihistamine, a vaginal infection.
THE OVULATION TEST
The luténeisante hormone (LH) peaked in 24 to 36 hours before ovulation of a woman. Thus, by measuring the level of LH every day, it is possible to detect the peak and give daily information on the fertility period. The test is urinary or salivary, it is available in pharmacies, and it can easily be done at home. For more reliable results, it is advisable to make it every morning at the same time.
When the test is positive, it is imperative to have sex as soon as possible to have a chance to get pregnant.
How to know about your fertility period according to your cycle?
To increase one’s chances of procreating in a particularly short period, it is essential to know one’s fertility period. In general, this period will last several days (4 or 6) and will end the day after ovulation.
To know this period of increased female fertility, several methods can be applied. Here are some examples:
If you have a regular cycle:
A typical cycle lasts 28 days, and ovulation occurs on the 14th day of this cycle (knowing that the first day of the cycle is the first day of menstruation). In other words, the best period of the fertility of the woman will spread before and just after the ovulation phase, more precisely the four days before ovulation and the day after the 14th day (so between the 10th and the 15th day of the cycle ).
The method most often used to know this period of ovulation is to take into account the fact that it always takes place 14 days before the first day of the rules (this is called the luteal phase).). In other words, for a 28-day cycle, ovulation will occur on the 14th day and the most favorable period for fertilization will be from the 10th day to the 15th day of the menstrual cycle.
If you have a shorter cycle:
It is not uncommon to meet women with a shorter cycle than normal (just because their follicular phase is shorter). In this case, the calculation will not be identical because if the cycle of the woman lasts 21 days, ovulation will take place on the 7th day of the cycle (the first day of the rules). The calculation will be done by removing 14 days from the cycle time, that is, 21 – 14 = 7 for a 21-day cycle or 22 – 14 = 8 for a 22-day cycle. Ovulation will take place on the 8th day).
If you have a longer cycle:
By following the same principle but your cycle is more extended (e.g. 34 days), ovulation will occur on the 20th day of your cycle (the beginning of your period) because of 34 – 14 = 20. Your fertility period will stretch so from the 16th to the 21st day of your cycle.