How Do You Calculate Your Fertile Window
The most effective way to determine your fertile window is by charting your cycles, observing cervical fluid, and tracking basal body temperature. Ovulation test kits will improve the accuracy of your predictions.
Ovulation typically occurs between day 11 and day 21 of your cycle. Its important to note, though, the date of ovulation can vary with each cycle. So simply counting the number of days isnt very reliable.
The most effective way to determine your fertile window is by charting your cycles, observing cervical fluid, and tracking basal body temperature. Ovulation test kits will improve the accuracy of your predictions.
If you track your cervical fluid, youll know youre about to begin ovulating once it takes on an egg-whitish consistency. When checking basal body temperature, an increase of at least three-tenths of a degree signals ovulation. The rise in temperature, however, must be sustained for at least three days.
The next 12 to 24 hours offer your best chance of getting pregnant. Since you cannot confirm that ovulation has occurred until its over, begin trying to conceive at the first sign of cervical fluid. For more information, contact your OB-GYN.
Can I Get Pregnant On Fertile Days Or Only On My Ovulation Day
I have been with my boyfriend for 6 years. We have a 5yr old daughter. Found out he was cheating on me this whole time. So out of desperation I ended up having sex with my ex whom I was with for 9 years. Now I’m pregnant. My concern is I’m not really to sure who the father is. During my fertile week my boyfriend and had sex and he ejaculated inside me on the 9th. Then me and my ex had sex literally for a half of minute on the 12 my ovulation day. Didn’t ejaculated. Here I am trying to figure out things out. My ex has a low sperm count. Was with him for 9 years and nothing. My boyfriend and I are very careful because it’s easy for me to get pregnant from him. My question is can I get pregnant on my fertile day or only on my ovulation day
Can You Take Emergency Contraception
If you had unprotected sex and want to avoid pregnancy, take emergency contraception as soon as possible.
There are two main types the copper IUD and the hormonal EC pill and they can both work up to five days after unprotected sex.
The IUD prevents pregnancy by producing an inflammatory reaction thats toxic to sperm and eggs.
Its more effective than the morning-after pill, but its only available by prescription and has to be inserted by a doctor within five days of unprotected sex.
The pill delivers a high dose of hormones to delay ovulation or prevent a fertilized egg from implanting to the uterus.
Plan B One-Step, Next Choice, and MyWay are all available over the counter.
Which should you use?
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How Long Does Your Fertile Window Last
Strictly speaking, conception only occurs within 24 hours of ovulation. However, its possible for your body to release eggs from both ovaries in a single cycle, as much as 24 hours apart. Therefore, your ovulation window can last up to 72 hours.
Keep in mind that your fertile window is much longer. It begins four or five days before ovulation. However, because ovulation can shift, its important to remember that youre potentially fertile on any day that you observe cervical fluid, or a clear to whitish discharge. Sometimes its sticky or lotiony. If youre about to begin ovulating, its wet and slippery like egg whites. Sperm have the highest chances for survival in wet, slippery cervical fluid.
Having Sex Throughout The Month
While some women feel empowered by tracking ovulation, others just feel anxious and overwhelmed by it all. Whatever method of ovulation tracking you choosechecking your temperature every morning, using ovulation detection strips, checking your saliva for ferning, checking your cervical mucus, or all of the abovepaying close attention to your cycles and ovulation signs can be emotionally exhausting.
If timing sex for ovulation is causing anxiety, you can instead just rely on regularly timed sex. In these cases, experts suggest having sex every week, about every other day. Following this schedule, you’re bound to have sex at least once during your fertile window, even without tracking your cycle.
Aim to have sex at least three to four times a week, throughout your cycle. There is a theory that semen may be helpful to the developing embryo. This means that sex after ovulation, and after you’ve conceived in fact, may help your pregnancy “stick.” Another good reason for more sex.
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Can You Get Pregnant Outside A Fertile Window
Your fertile window refers to the time its possible to get pregnant. In a typical menstrual cycle of 28 days, there are around six days when youre most fertile .
But its important to keep in mind that cycle length can vary greatly from person to person. Even in people with regular cycles each month, the timing of the fertile window can be highly unpredictable as ovulation can take place on different days.
So, can you get pregnant when youre not ovulating? The short answer is yes. Its possible to get pregnant outside of your predicted fertile window because timing of ovulation may differ each month and sperm lives in the body for several days. Therefore, though more unlikely at some points, pregnancy can result from unprotected sex at any time during your menstrual cycle. If you want to avoid pregnancy, theres actually no safe time of the month to have unprotected sex so its important to always use contraception.
You can calculate your fertile window by tracking your cycles with Flo, observing your cervical fluid, and taking your bodys basal temperature. Using ovulation test kits will also make your predictions even more accurate.
Lets take a closer look at the possibility of conception at the different phases of your cycle.
How Does Fertility Differ On The Pill
Birth control pills aim to prevent unintended pregnancy. The pill prevents pregnancy by releasing synthetic hormones that stop ovulation from occurring and the uterus lining from thickening.
So, even if the ovaries do release an egg, a fertilized egg would be unable to implant in the wall of the uterus. The pill also thickens cervical mucus, making it harder for sperm to reach an egg.
According to the CDC , the pill is more than 99 percent effective with perfect use but only 91 percent effective with typical use. This means that, with typical use, around 9 out of 100 women would become pregnant in a year of taking the pill.
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Can A Lubricant Stop A Woman From Getting Pregnant
Not only is this not true, it could actually prevent you from getting pregnant. Most lubricants can change the pH or acid balance inside the vagina, and that in turn may affect sperm motility and ultimately prevent, or at least reduce the chances of a pregnancy occurring, says Goldstein. If you find you must use a lubricant avoid petroleum jelly.
Dealing With Low Sperm Counts
If sperm counts are borderline normal or on the lower side, the general recommendation is to have sex every other day during the fertile window.
For example, if on Monday you get your first positive ovulation predictor test result, or you see fertile cervical mucus, you should have sex on Monday, skip Tuesday, and then again on Wednesday, skip Thursday, and once more on Friday. The day in between will help replenish the sperm supply, possibly increasing your chances of pregnancy.
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How To Use Your Fertility Calendar
Its great to know your odds of conceiving for each individual day within your fertile window. But the major limitation, of course, is that you cant know for sure when ovulation will occur in advance. Its much easier to confirm when ovulation occurred in the past than it is to predict precisely when it will occur in the future.
This means that a fertility calendar can be very useful after youve confirmed ovulation for assessing how good your timing was.
What To Expect At Your Appointment
During your first visit with a fertility specialist, your doctor will ask a lot of questions about your history, to try to understand factors that may be making it harder to become pregnant. They may order some blood tests to try to understand any irregularities that might be keeping you from getting pregnant, and to make sure you are in the best possible health to become pregnant. Theyll also order a semen analysis on your partner though this wont be performed on the day of your initial appointment. Depending on your medical history, you might also plan an ultrasound and additional imaging to further explore. If you arent ovulating, your doctor may prescribe medications, including ones that can help induce ovulation. The best choice is very personal and your doctor will help you understand all of your options.
Wherever you are on your fertility journey, remember that approximately 85% of healthy women will get pregnant within a year of trying. For those who struggle to conceive, you can increase your chances by mixing love with science and seeing a doctor who specializes in fertility.
We want our patients to feel as comfortable as possible during this emotional and sometimes stressful time. Our team is committed to providing the most caring, compassionate, and leading-edge fertility care available.
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Your Fertility Calendar: The Best Days To Get Pregnant Ranked In Order
When youre trying to get pregnant, what you really need is a fertility calendar: something that tells you the days when having sex is most likely to result in pregnancy.
Of course, you could just have sex and hope it results in a baby, but unless youre having sex daily or every other day the entire month, thats a bit like throwing darts with a blindfold on. The bullseye when it comes to getting pregnant fast is your six-day fertile window: the five days before ovulation, and the day of ovulation itself. This is the time in your cycle when the possibility of getting pregnant is highest.
Six days may seem like a lot, but not all six of those days carry the same chances for conception. Depending on which of those six days youre having sex, the odds may be as high as 25 30 percent, or just barely higher than zero percent.
Changes In Body Temperature
When youve just ovulated, your body temperature may increase very slightly, by about half a degree Celsius. If youre using temperature as a means of keeping track of when you are most fertile, you need to use a special thermometer to take your temperature every morning before you get out of bed. If you record the readings every day using a graph or a spreadsheet, its possible to learn your pattern over time. The time when you are most fertile is 2 to 3 days before the rise in temperature.
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How To Know When Youre Ovulating
Knowing when you ovulate can help you plan for sex at the right time and improve your chance of getting pregnant. You can keep track of your menstrual cycles on a chart, in a diary, or on a free period-tracker app on your smartphone.
To work out the length of your menstrual cycle, record the first day you start bleeding . This is day 1. The last day of your cycle is the day before your next period begins.
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Some people think the menstrual cycle and a period are the same thing.
A period is when you bleed .
A menstrual cycle starts on the day when a period starts and ends the day before the next period. A cycles length is considered normal if its between 21 and 35 days. They can vary between women and from one cycle to the next.
- Working out your average menstrual cycle length
If your menstrual cycles are different lengths you can work out your average cycle length.
The number of days in a womans menstrual cycle can vary month to month. Periods are not always regular. It can be useful to work out an average cycle length, based on the length of three menstrual cycles, to estimate when youre most likely to be ovulating.
If you add the number of days in three cycles and divide the total number by three, it gives you your average cycle length.
Example
Sarah tracked her last three menstrual cycles by counting the time from the first day of one period, to the day before the next period.
Cycle 1 was 28 days Cycle 2 was 32 days Cycle 3 was 27 days
28 + 32 + 27 = 87
Take Your Prenatal Vitamin
Start popping that prenatal at least a month before you begin trying for a baby. One study showed that women who were taking their prenatal vitamins while undergoing fertility treatments were twice as likely to get pregnant as those who were only taking a folic acid supplement while going through the same treatments. So while it’s not a guarantee that you’ll hit the baby jackpot sooner, it’s definitely worth a shot!
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Can I Get Pregnant Just Before My Period
The probability of conceiving if you have sex two or three days before your period is extremely low. Since your egg lives for around 12 to 24 hours after it is released, this means your fertility window closes soon after you ovulate. However, there is always a risk of pregnancy. Use our tool to calculate the chances of getting pregnant.
How Does Birth Control Impact The Time It Takes To Conceive
If you’ve recently stopped using a non-barrier-based method of birth control , these numbers may look a bit different depending on what you were using.
A team of researchers recently did a systematic review of the existing work on how different methods of birth control impacted the likelihood of getting pregnant within 12 months of TTC. Here’s what they found:
- 74.7% for ex-implant users
- 87.04% for ex-oral contraception users
- 84.75% for ex-IUD users
Among women using different formulations of oral contraception, times to conception are similar meaning how soon you’re likely to get pregnant after stopping the pill isnt affected by whether the pill was a combined oral contraceptive or the progestin-only pill, or by the pill dose. Time to pregnancy is also likely not affected by the duration of oral contraceptive use.
The main takeaway here? There’s no delay in the resumption of fertility for women coming off of the most popular methods of birth control, but women coming off of the implant and injection-based methods may see a slight delay. This no-delay-in-resumption-of-fertility also doesnt seem to be affected by how long contraception methods were used for. For more info, you can check out this post that covers birth controls impact on fertility.
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How Do Ovulation And Pregnancy Work
Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released from an ovary. About once a month, an egg matures and is released into the fallopian tube. It then heads toward waiting sperm in the fallopian tubes and uterus.
An egg is viable between 12 and 24 hours after it leaves the ovary. Sperm can stay alive up to five days after having sex. Implantation of an egg, which happens after fertilization, usually takes place 6 to12 days after ovulation.
You can get pregnant immediately after your period. That can happen if you have sex toward the end of your cycle and are approaching your fertile window. On the other hand, the probability of getting pregnant right before your period is low.
If youre tracking ovulation and wait 36 to 48 hours after ovulating, the chance youll conceive is low. The probability for pregnancy decreases the further in the month you are from ovulation.
If pregnancy doesnt occur, the uterine lining will shed and your menstrual period will start.
Can You Get Pregnant Outside Of Your Fertile Window
Although conception only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, its definitely possible to get pregnant from sex outside of your predicted fertile window. Again, this is because sperm can survive inside the uterus for several days.
Although conception only happens in the first 12 to 24 hours after ovulation, its definitely possible to get pregnant from sex outside of your predicted fertile window.
Occasionally, ovulation may occur at a different point in your cycle. Stress, anxiety, travel, and changes to your normal routine all affect the delicate hormonal balance that triggers ovulation. For example, you might usually ovulate around day 20 but experience 1 or 2 cycles per year where ovulation occurs much earlier or later.
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Chances Of Getting Pregnant During Ovulation
Welcome to prime time for conception! No matter the length of menstruation, ovulation generally starts about 14 days before your next scheduled period. When it happens, your body temperature rises about a half a degree but bear in mind that this also takes place after you’re already ovulating, which could be too late for conception.
“That’s where ovulation test kits become so helpful,” Dr. Bayer explains. These kits detect a surge in luteinizing hormone that happens about 36 hours before you ovulate. After the test kit shows this surge, Dr. Bayer recommends having sex in the next 24 to 36 hours. Sperm can survive for some time in the reproductive tract, so it will be ready to meet the egg once it’s released during ovulation.
Another good indication of fertility is a change in the consistency of your cervical mucus. “You’ll see vaginal discharge that increases in amount and has the consistency of egg whites, signaling it’s the perfect time to have intercourse,” Dr. Bayer says. Test yours by sticking your index finger and thumb in your vagina to get a sample, then tapping your finger and thumb together. If the consistency is thin and spreads easily between two fingers, you’re good to go.
