Whether you're
actively trying to conceive or use a form of contraception, it's helpful
for all women to understand their cycle and the window of time that
they're able to get pregnant.
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| Image: YouTube |
First,
knowing the average length of your cycle is crucial. Day one of your
cycle is always the first day of your period, so you can calculate the
length of your cycle as
the number of days from the start of one period
to the start of your next.
Once
you know how long your cycle is, you can calculate what day you'll
likely be ovulating. If you're someone who has regular monthly cycles,
lasting 28 days on average, then you can expect to be ovulating around
day 14, give or take a few days, says Alyssa Dweck, MD, a gynaecologist in New York.
Because
the time of ovulation can vary by a few days, it can be tricky to
determine your fertile window, even with a regular monthly cycle. "Since
an egg can live and be ready for fertilization for maybe two days
before ovulation is expected or even a couple of days after, you have
about a five- or six-day window in your cycle when pregnancy can occur,"
Dr Dweck says.
Sperm must fertilize an
egg within 12 to 24 hours of the egg being released from the ovary for
you to become pregnant. However, your fertile window—the period in which
intercourse will likely lead to pregnancy—is actually the four to five
days before ovulation as well as the day
you ovulate. Sperm can live in a woman's body for up to five days
(which is why you can still get pregnant if you have sex toward the end
of your menstrual period and have a shorter cycle).
For
women whose periods aren't on a regular monthly cycle, your time of
ovulation will be altered, but you can assume you're ovulating about two
weeks before the start of your period. If you're on a six-week cycle,
for example, then your window for getting pregnant is likely a month
into your cycle, rather than two weeks in. "You have to figure out what
your pattern is," says Dr Dweck. "Most women ovulate two weeks before
menstruation starts. It's the time from menstruation to ovulation that
alters."
netdoctor.
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