After they’ve made the decision to have a baby, many women try to do everything they can to conceive during their next cycle, but it’s important to remember that getting pregnant can take time, and for some couples, trying to get pregnant can be very tough. A healthy, 30-year-old woman has only a 20 percent chance of getting pregnant each month. It’s normal for it to take a few months or longer.
A woman can only get pregnant during the ‘fertile window’ in the menstrual cycle, and there are a few ways to work out when you’re ovulating. It's important to note that your chance of getting pregnant is dramatically increased if you have sex on the day of ovulation, or up to five days before that.
Why?
Because eggs and sperm only live for a short time - sperm live for around five days. Eggs can only be fertilised for around 24 hours (one day) after being released from the ovary, and eggs and sperm need to come together at the right time for fertilisation to happen to create an embryo.
Timing
Ovulation is when a mature egg is released from the ovary, then moves down the fallopian tube where it can be fertilised. If sperm are in the fallopian tube when the egg is released, there is a good chance that the egg will be fertilised, creating an embryo, which can grow into a baby.
Pregnancy is technically only possible if you have sex during the five days before ovulation or on the day of ovulation. But the most fertile days are the three days leading up to and including ovulation. Having sex during this time gives you the best chance of getting pregnant.
By 12-24 hours after ovulation, a woman is no longer able to get pregnant during that menstrual cycle because the egg is no longer in the fallopian tube.
There’s almost no chance of getting pregnant if you have sex before or after the fertile window (but if you’re not trying to get pregnant, don’t rely on this – contraception is your best option!).
Know when you are ovulating
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 of your period as day 1. The last day of your cycle is the day before your next period begins.
Working out your most fertile days
When you know your average menstrual cycle length, you can work out when you ovulate:
- Ovulation happens about 14 days before your period starts.
- If your average menstrual cycle is 28 days, you ovulate around day 14, and your most fertile days are days 12, 13 and 14.
- If your average menstrual cycle is 35 days ovulation happens around day 21 and your most fertile days are days 19,20 and 21.
- If you have shorter cycles, say 21 days, ovulation happens around day 7 and your most fertile days are days 5, 6 and 7.
Some women have very irregular cycles or find it difficult to work out an average cycle length. This can make it hard to work out when ovulation happens. If it’s all too hard, having sex every 2-3 days covers all bases and improves your chance of getting pregnant.
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Perfectly Healthy's Female Fertility Tonic is a natural ovulation & fertility booster for easy conception.
Formulated especially for women who are trying to fall pregnant. As a herbal fertility tonic, our Fertility Tonic contains herbs that are well-known for their ability to promote health and balance in the female reproductive system.
How Fertility Tonic can help:
- Promotes healthy and regular ovulation
- Corrects hormonal imbalances underlying infertility
- Strengthens and tones fallopian tubes & promotes ovarian health
- Supports healthy uterine functioning
- Regulates your menstrual cycle
- Boosts libido and sexual pleasure
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions, via our contact page, or via Facebook & Instagram messenger!
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Perfectly Healthy