Identify Your Fertile Days
Knowledge is power. If you are trying to conceive, then it is best
to understand how and when ovulation occurs. There are several steps
you can take to determine when you are most likely to conceive. Below
are some guidelines that may help you to become pregnant.
Track Your Menstrual Cycles
To get pregnant,
healthy sperm need to meet a healthy egg in the
fallopian tube. For this to happen, timing is
key. Track your periods to determine the frequency
of your cycle - if your cycles are usually regular
(28 days), short, or long.
To track your menstrual cycle, note the first
day of your period on your calendar. This is
considered “Day One.” Your
cycle length stretches from the first day of
your period until your next period arrives.
When an egg is ready to be fertilized, the
ovary releases it into the fallopian tube. This
is called ovulation, and usually occurs about
two weeks before a woman expects to get her next
period. For a woman with 28 days from one period
to the next, ovulation occurs about 14 days after the first day
of her previous period. Women with longer or
shorter cycles can calculate their ovulation
day by subtracting 14 days from the length of
their cycle. For example, a woman with a 21-day
cycle ovulates on day seven and a woman with
a 35-day cycle ovulates on day 21.
Plan Intercourse Around Ovulation
For
the best chance of conception, it is recommended
to have intercourse every other day, starting
five days before her expected ovulation and ending
two days afterwards. This is recommended because
sperm can live as long as three to five days
inside a woman but an
egg only lives 12 to 24 hours.
If you have irregular cycles and are not sure
when you ovulate, you can buy an ovulation predictor
kit which tests the luteinizing hormone (LH),
the hormone of ovulation, in the urine.
If you are willing to take some extra steps,
you can also monitor two body functions to pinpoint
your most fertile times, maximizing your chances
of getting pregnant. These indicators of fertility
include evaluating
the changes in cervical fluid and
taking
a daily body temperature.
They are less expensive than ovulation predictor
kits, but they require more effort.
Visit our Pregnancy
Health Center to read more about how to
monitor your cervical fluid and body temperature,
identify the changes, and learn what the fertility
indicators mean.
Chances of Conception
Understand that
generally, a woman’s
fertility shows
signs of decline by age 30, dips sharply at age
35, and plunges as a woman nears age 40.
Chances
of Conception |
|
In
one month |
In
six months |
In
one year |
Early 20's |
25% |
75% |
94% |
Late 20's/ Early
30's |
15% |
38-47% |
70-85% |
Late 30's |
10% |
22-24% |
65-70% |
If you are under age 35 and have been unable
to conceive after a year of trying or if you
are age 35 and over and have been unable to conceive
after six months of trying it is recommended
that you speak with a fertility
specialist.
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