Chances of Getting Pregnant During Ovulation

Ovulation is said to be the most important phase of a woman's menstrual cycle, as it is said to be her most fertile period. Ovulation occurs every month when an egg is released from one of the ovaries into the fallopian tube for fertilization. It is important for a sexually active woman to know about the time of her ovulation because her chances of getting pregnant are extremely high during this time. Hence, if a woman is trying to have a baby or trying to prevent pregnancy, it is crucial that she keeps a tab of her menstrual cycle to know the exact time of ovulation.

Understanding Ovulation
Though it can be difficult to determine the exact date of ovulation, usually it occurs on the fourteenth day in a 28 day menstrual cycle. However, this is only true in the case of women who experience regular periods, i.e. who have their periods on the same day, every month. If you have regular periods, most likely ovulation for you may occur between 14th and 16th day, counting from the first day of your period. Nevertheless, women who have irregular periods, i.e whose menstrual cycle ranges anywhere between 21 to 35 days, cannot rely on this information. In such cases, ovulation may occur somewhere between the 8th or the 20th day of the menstrual cycle. Hence, it can be said that time of ovulation actually depends on the length of the menstrual cycle of a woman.

Ovulation and Pregnancy
If you are trying to have a baby, having intercourse during the time of ovulation will be best because the egg is ready for fertilization during this time. This increases the chances of getting pregnant when you ovulate. The ovum or the egg remains in the reproductive system for 12-48 hours, during which the body also produces estrogen and progesterone, two important hormones which are necessary for conception as well as pregnancy. Moreover, the lining of the uterus also thickens during this time to accept the fertilized egg. If a sperm fertilizes the egg during this time, conception is said to have occurred. However, if this does not happen the egg begins to disintegrate along with the uterine lining which passes off from the body in the form of menstrual blood.

Nevertheless, the fertile period for conception to occur is not limited to just one day because the sperm can live for 2-3 days in a woman's body. If you have a question as to can you get pregnant day before ovulation, the answer is actually no because on that day, no egg would be present for the sperm to fertilize. However, the sperm can wait for sometime in the reproductive system till ovulation occurs, subsequently fertilizing the egg.

Another doubt that most women have is, can you get pregnant day after ovulation. The answer to this query is positive, however the chances are very less. This is because, for some women, the egg may not disintegrate before 48 hours after ovulation and in such cases, there is surely a possibility of conception to occur. Yet, the chances are very less in comparison to the time before as well as during ovulation.

Signs of Ovulation
As you now know how important ovulation is for conceiving a baby, you must know the signs that occur while ovulation takes place in your body. Moreover, for women who experience irregular periods, this will help in keeping a track of their date of ovulation.

• One of the most common signs of ovulation is severe lower abdominal pain. When the egg is released from the ovary, a severe pain on the lower abdomen may occur in some women which may last for a few minutes, and sometimes even for hours.
• Another sign that tells that ovulation is occurring in the body is change in the appearance of the cervical mucus. Usually the cervical mucus is a thick and cloudy fluid, however, during ovulation it may become stretchy, clear and faint in appearance.
• The basal body temperature of the woman's body increases during ovulation. Apart from this, other signs of ovulation are breast tenderness, moodiness, etc. Also, there are some ovulation predictor tests that can be taken for the same purpose.

We can now say that, all women who want to become pregnant or want to avoid it, should keep a check on their ovulation dates. However, one thing that you should remember is that ovulation is not the only factor that determines the chances of a person getting pregnant. Rather, there are several factors that influence conception and pregnancy. Therefore, if you are not being able to conceive even after following the ovulation method, consulting a gynecologist will definitely solve your problems.