What Are the Fertile Days to Get Pregnant?
The birth of a child is one of the greatest miracles in life, but it's also a simple matter of biology.
A woman can only become pregnant when one of her eggs is fertilized by a man's sperm, and there are only certain times of the month when this event can occur.
Obviously, in order for an egg to be fertilized, both an egg and sperm must be present.
To describe things in fairly simple terms, ovulation is the portion of woman's menstrual cycle when a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and releases an ovum - the scientific word for an egg.
Ovulation occurs monthly, and the days around ovulation are usually referred to as the woman's fertile days because those are the days of the month when fertilization can happen.
Ovulation typically occurs 14 days before a woman's next menstrual period should begin, but this can vary slightly from person to person.
For example, if a woman has a 28-day menstrual cycle, she is probably going to be ovulating on day 14, and she would have the best shot at getting pregnant that day.
Another woman might have a 30-day cycle, so she is probably ovulating on day 16.
Some women even have 32-day cycles.
Women can keep track of their periods on the calendar in order to help calculate their ovulation dates, but women that are just coming off of the birth control pill may have a tougher time than others when trying to figure out their fertile days, as hormonal birth control alters the woman's normal cycle.
Don't worry - relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ovulation prediction kits are available in most drugstores.
Physical signs can also help a woman determine when she is ovulating.
A woman's basal body temperature normally rises during ovulation, and a basal body thermometer can help track the numbers.
She should also notice a larger than usual amount of sticky, mucous-like vaginal discharge when she is ovulating.
These are often such small body changes that most women don't even notice them until they are trying to figure out when they are ovulating, but the signs are in fact present.
It's in a couple's best interest to have sex as often as possible during the days surrounding ovulation.
The sperm can live inside a woman's body for five to seven days, and an unfertilized egg can survive for 24 to 48 hours.
This means that the egg can possibly be fertilized on the days surrounding the actual ovulation, not just on that particular day.
A woman can only become pregnant when one of her eggs is fertilized by a man's sperm, and there are only certain times of the month when this event can occur.
Obviously, in order for an egg to be fertilized, both an egg and sperm must be present.
To describe things in fairly simple terms, ovulation is the portion of woman's menstrual cycle when a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and releases an ovum - the scientific word for an egg.
Ovulation occurs monthly, and the days around ovulation are usually referred to as the woman's fertile days because those are the days of the month when fertilization can happen.
Ovulation typically occurs 14 days before a woman's next menstrual period should begin, but this can vary slightly from person to person.
For example, if a woman has a 28-day menstrual cycle, she is probably going to be ovulating on day 14, and she would have the best shot at getting pregnant that day.
Another woman might have a 30-day cycle, so she is probably ovulating on day 16.
Some women even have 32-day cycles.
Women can keep track of their periods on the calendar in order to help calculate their ovulation dates, but women that are just coming off of the birth control pill may have a tougher time than others when trying to figure out their fertile days, as hormonal birth control alters the woman's normal cycle.
Don't worry - relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ovulation prediction kits are available in most drugstores.
Physical signs can also help a woman determine when she is ovulating.
A woman's basal body temperature normally rises during ovulation, and a basal body thermometer can help track the numbers.
She should also notice a larger than usual amount of sticky, mucous-like vaginal discharge when she is ovulating.
These are often such small body changes that most women don't even notice them until they are trying to figure out when they are ovulating, but the signs are in fact present.
It's in a couple's best interest to have sex as often as possible during the days surrounding ovulation.
The sperm can live inside a woman's body for five to seven days, and an unfertilized egg can survive for 24 to 48 hours.
This means that the egg can possibly be fertilized on the days surrounding the actual ovulation, not just on that particular day.
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