One of the deciding factors for women trying to conceive is their menstrual cycle. Timing your partner to have sex on certain days of your menstrual cycle around ovulation can significantly increase your chances of getting pregnant. Before calculating the most favorable days To conceive, you need to better know the features of your cycle and learn how to properly track it.
Steps
Part 1
Understanding the Menstrual Cycle- Mark the first day of your period on a calendar. Label it as Day One. Then count down the days until your next menstrual cycle. Remember that the average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, but it can also last from 21 to 35 days.
- Do this for three to four months. Note the difference in the duration of each cycle.
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Pay attention to the irregularity of the cycle. It is possible that you have an irregular cycle if, after three to four months of tracking your menstrual cycle, you do not notice any consistency. This happens to many women and can be explained by a number of factors, such as sudden weight loss, increased physical activity, stress or serious health problems. Check with your doctor if you have an irregular period to find out if you have any serious medical conditions. Women with irregular cycles can still determine their best days to conceive, it just takes more time and effort than for women with regular cycles.
Identify the key stages of your menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle consists of several stages, but this does not mean that you can conceive a child throughout the entire cycle. It is a myth that a woman can become pregnant at any stage of her menstrual cycle. The truth is that you can only get pregnant on the most fertile days, before and after ovulation. Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released from the ovary and travels down the fallopian tube before being fertilized by a sperm. The phases of the menstrual cycle are as follows:
Determine favorable days for conception. This is the period of the menstrual cycle when you more likely you can get pregnant after intercourse. For most women, the favorable period for conception lasts about six days.
Determine whether you have a regular menstrual cycle. Every woman has a different menstrual cycle, which may vary due to external factors such as stress. The best way To determine whether your cycle is regular, that is, how closely each subsequent cycle coincides with the previous one, is to track its duration for three to four months.
Part 2
Determining favorable days for conception-
Check your body temperature or use an ovulation tracking kit if you have an irregular menstrual cycle. If you have an irregular cycle or think your cycle is irregular, use other methods to track your ovulation days:
- Monitor your body temperature. During ovulation, your body temperature will rise. Check to see if you have a "heat shift" by taking your temperature at the same time every morning. Most women experience a deviation in body temperature of half a degree 24-48 hours after ovulation. You can use a regular thermometer or buy a special thermometer to determine your basal body temperature.
- Buy a kit to determine your ovulation period. Look for a kit at your local pharmacy. Although this is a more expensive method than taking your temperature, it will help you more accurately determine your ovulation period. This kit will test your urine and determine the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) in it. You will need to urinate on the test sticks to determine when your levels of this hormone rise. This is a sign that one of your ovaries is ready to release an egg, or that you are about to ovulate.
- Observe changes in the mucus secreted by the cervix. Before ovulation, your body will begin to release a large number of thin transparent mucus secreted by the cervix. This substance helps the sperm enter the egg. Just before ovulation begins, you will notice mucus on your underwear or around your vagina. It will be transparent, viscous and slippery, like protein raw egg. You can collect a sample of cervical mucus by lightly rubbing the vaginal opening with a piece of tissue or a clean finger. If you checked for discharge within one day and did not notice mucus, this is most likely not the most favorable period for conception.
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Enter into an intimate relationship during the most favorable period for conception. Most doctors recommend having sex with your partner every day or every other day for five days before ovulation, as well as for the day after. Although sperm live in a woman's body for five days, the lifespan of an egg is usually between 12 and 24 hours, so having sex before, during and after ovulation will increase your chances of getting pregnant.
- Focus on having sex during your fertile period, or three to five days before ovulation. Don't wait until you ovulate, because by the time the sperm enters your body, the egg will no longer be ready to be fertilized.
- If you're under 35 and have had sex on your fertile days in the last 12 months but haven't gotten pregnant, or if you're over 35 and have been tracking your fertile days for six months with no results, talk to with your doctor to evaluate your fertility. You and your partner can take fertility tests to determine if you have health problems that might make it difficult for you to become pregnant.
Use the length of your menstrual cycle to determine the most favorable days for conception. If you have regular periods, you can determine your fertile days by tracking the length of your menstrual cycle. Most favorable days There will be six days before and during ovulation to conceive. But the most favorable days will be the three days before and during ovulation. Use the length of the menstrual cycle to determine the most favorable period for conception by counting 14 days from the total duration of the menstrual cycle:
As a result of various hormonal processes in a woman’s ovaries, one follicle matures each cycle (very rarely, two or more). The first day of the menstrual cycle is considered to be the first day of the appearance of menstrual flow (1st day of the cycle), and the end is the last day before the start of the next menstruation.
A woman's menstrual cycle is divided into three main phases - the follicular (estrogenic) phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase (corpus luteum; progesterone).
Follicular phase(or estrogen) - begins on the first day of menstruation, lasts until one dominant follicle (or several) matures in the ovaries, and ends with ovulation. Its duration can be very different. Typically, the length of this particular phase of a woman’s cycle affects the delay of menstruation - for example, if the maturation of the follicle occurs more slowly or does not occur at all (since the phase of the corpus luteum is almost always constant). The main factor influencing the duration of this process is the time it takes the body to reach its estrogen threshold.
Estrogens(estradiol is the most active, estrone and estriol) play a very important role in a woman’s body:
– stimulate the secretion of cervical mucus - a favorable environment necessary for the life, movement and nutrition of sperm (by the time of ovulation, cervical mucus resembles the consistency of raw egg white– transparent, elastic and slippery); V otherwise– sperm die;
– stimulate a sharp release of luteinizing hormone (LH), after which ovulation occurs within 24-48 hours (the action of some ovulation tests);
– promote the regeneration and growth of the endometrium in the uterus and prepare the endometrium for the action of progesterone;
– lower body temperature.
As the follicle matures, estrogens are produced in its cells. And what larger sizes follicle, the higher the level of estrogen it produces. When the level of estrogen reaches a threshold level (sufficient for ovulation) in the female body, a sharp “release” of LH and FSH occurs (see illustration). The release of LH into the blood leads to ovulation - an increase in its concentration in the blood initiates rupture of the follicle.
Ovulation- the process of rupture of a mature follicle, as a result of which the egg enters abdominal cavity, and from there - to fallopian tube, where when it meets sperm, it is fertilized (the ability of the egg to fertilize lasts no more than 24 hours). Then the fertilized egg enters the uterus and, under favorable circumstances, implantation occurs on days 6-8 of development ovum. At the same time, a corpus luteum forms at the site of the burst follicle and begins to produce progesterone.
Luteal phase(corpus luteum or progesterone) - begins from the moment of ovulation (formation of the corpus luteum) and lasts 12-16 days in a normal cycle. The main function of the corpus luteum is the synthesis of progesterone and estrogens. If pregnancy does not occur, then after 10-12 days the yellow tissue undergoes reverse development, which leads to a drop in the level of estrogen and progesterone, then the functional layer of the endometrium is rejected and the next menstruation begins. If pregnancy has occurred, the corpus luteum continues to function (under the influence of hCG, the synthesis of which is carried out by trophoblast cells after embryo implantation) and maintain pregnancy.
Progesterone- a hormone produced by the corpus luteum. It is very important for the onset and successful course of pregnancy, because it:
– inhibits the formation of FSH and the maturation of new follicles in the ovary, therefore – prevents the release of other eggs during a given cycle (thus, it becomes impossible for a woman to become pregnant, and then after a few weeks or months a new egg matures in her ovaries);
– stimulates the growth of the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus), prepares it for the implantation of a fertilized egg, the development and maintenance of pregnancy;
– increase body temperature.
Progesterone levels reach their maximum about a week after ovulation (at this time it is recommended to take a blood test for progesterone to assess the function of the corpus luteum).
Estrogen levels usually reach their maximum values immediately before ovulation and a week after ovulation.
Cases where two (or more) eggs are released from the ovaries during one cycle constitute a very small percentage of the total number of ovulations. However, this is only possible for a short period of time after the first ovulation - further release of eggs from the ovaries is prevented by the action of progesterone. In this case, the birth of twins is possible.
