Womens Health Blog

Fertility is the term generally used to describe the ability to have a baby; conception is the first step to pregnancy. During sexual intercourse, millions of sperm are released into the vagina. At ovulation, an egg is released from the ovary and begins to travel down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. The mucus at the cervix becomes thinner to enable sperm to travel up through the cervix and uterus toward the egg. Only an extremely small proportion of the sperm originally ejaculated reaches the fallopian tubes. These sperm cluster around the egg until one actually penetrates its outer shell, when fertilization takes place. The rest then drop off and die.

Conception is the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus. The ovaries increase their levels of female hormones to prepare the lining of the uterus to support the pregnancy until the placenta can take over. It is this increased level of hormone production that can cause early symptoms of pregnancy such as morning sickness, giddiness, fainting, tingling in the breasts, and a desire to urinate frequently, If conception does not occur, hormone production diminishes, thus triggering the monthly menstrual period.

Gauging Fertility

A woman’s fertility depends on several events, but the most crucial point to remember is that even someone who ovulates regularly is fertile for only about three days each month.

A woman’s age is a significant factor in determining her fertility: she reaches her peak at about the age of 24 (in fact, at exactly the same age as a man reaches his peak). Eggs decline in quality with increasing age. There is a definite decline after about the age of 30 and it is very rare, although not impossible, for a woman to conceive after the age of about 50. Even with normal fertilization, however, the uterine environment during the premenopausal years may be much less favorable and the egg will therefore have much less chance of survival.

The Timing of Intercourse

To ensure fertilization, intercourse must occur within a day or so of ovulation you can confirm that ovulation has taken place with an ovulation kit, or by checking your vaginal discharge .

Sperm can survive within a woman’s body for between two and three days after intercourse takes place; an egg is viable for only about two days following ovulation. During an average 28-day cycle, therefore, the fertile period is comparatively short. Although every woman’s pattern is slightly different, you are more likely to conceive in the middle of your menstrual cycle and less likely to conceive very early in the menstrual cycle or within the last few days before your next menstrual period.

If you menstruate regularly, there are ways It isn’t true that conception is more likely if to confirm when you ovulate. The easiest way is the temperature method and by examining your cervical mucus. In the temperature method, take your temperature contained in his ejaculate each time. If you first thing in the morning throughout the are anxious to become pregnant, therefore, month; when it stays up 0.4 degree F (0.2°C) three days in a row, and there is no other possible cause, this usually indicates ovulation. With the mucus method, you examine your mucus regularly throughout the cycle: it should become slippery and clear, and you should feel ‘wet,” two or three days prior to ovulation. An ovulation kit available from pharmacies is the most accurate method.

It is not true that conception is more likely if you have intercourse very frequently ; in fact the opposite may be true-the more often a man ejaculates, the few sperm are contained in his ejaculate each time. if you are anxious to become pregnant, therefore, it may be a good idea to abstain from sex for a few days prior to ovulation to build up the numbers of sperm , or at least to confine it to alternate days.

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