When Are You Most Fertile

Fertility of a woman cannot be defined without defining the term, 'ovulation'. It is defined as the process of release of ovum or egg from the ovary. The ovum travels down and settles in the mouth of the fallopian tubules. Ovulation takes place at the midway of the menstrual cycle. The ovum remains active for 24-48 hours. If during this period, a sperm fuses with the ovum to form a zygote in the fallopian tubules, and the zygote moves and gets located in the uterus, you get pregnant. The process of fusion of sperm and ovum is known as fertilization. To better understand the concept of conception, and know when are you most fertile to get pregnant, go through the given account.

Ascertaining the Most Fertile Days

Menstruation is described as the shedding of the endometrium or uterine lining. It occurs periodically in females of reproductive age. The most fertile years of a woman is said to be when she is 21 - 26 years, though she comes of age much before. This is because the initial years of a woman's menstruation cycle are not stable. The cyclic repetition of menstruation is known as menstrual cycle. Its length is generally between 21-35 days. On an average, the menstrual cycle takes place in 28 days. It means that in this cycle the gap between the first days of two consecutive cycles is 28 days. However, only a small number of women have menstrual cycle that takes 28 days to complete. Let's consider a menstrual cycle of 28 days to understand the following discussion.

The first day of menstruation is called day one. From this day to the next 4-5 days, you experience bloody discharge from your vagina. During day seven, the ovum gets ready for fusion with the sperm or fertilization. From day eight to twelve, the uterine lining thickens to get itself ready for implantation of the zygote or the fertilized ovum. During day fourteen, the ovum is released from the ovary. It travels down and reaches the fallopian tubules. If a sperm is present there, it fuses with it and forms a zygote. It remains active or in a state to fuse with the sperm for about 12-24 hours, or to a maximum of 48 hours in some cases. This means that the ovum can undergo fertilization till day sixteen of the menstrual cycle. A sperm can survive up to a maximum of 72 hours inside the reproductive tract of a woman. Therefore, if during the period of activeness the ovum happens to meet with a sperm and successful fertilization occurs followed by the implantation of the zygote in the uterus, you get pregnant. If the ovum in the fallopian tube does not get a sperm to fuse with, it breaks down and gets released out of your body with the uterine lining.

Therefore, in a 28 days menstrual cycle, the days when you are most fertile are 14th, 15th, and 16th day from the first day of next expected menstruation. Thus, if you are planning to raise a family, you should make use of this fact.

Signs of Approaching Ovulation

There are a few special signs your body gives you when it ovulates. You may make use of these bodily indications to understand that you are at the peak of fertility.

Body Pain: Many women experience pain in the lower abdomen, on the sides of lower abdomen or in the lower back during ovulation. If you keep a record of such days every month, you can determine your ovulating period. However, this method is not very reliable and is not the ideal way for every woman to determine her ovulating days. Many women also experience breast enlargement and tenderness, spotting and mood swings. PMS during this period is also not very uncommon.

Basal Body Temperature: The most common way of determining your most fertile days is by keeping a record of the basal body temperature. It is seen in many cases that a woman experiences rise in basal body temperature by 0.4 to 0.1 degrees during her ovulating days. So, if you maintain a diary where you note down your basal body temperature every morning for at least 3 months, you will be able to determine your days of ovulation. Though this method is also not very reliable, you can combine it with other methods to determine your most fertile days.

Vaginal Discharge: Change or increase in vaginal discharge is another indication of your approaching ovulation. The discharge is usually cloudy and thick, but during your ovulation, it becomes clear and stretchy. It is an obvious indication and you can determine your most fertile days when you see the change in your vaginal discharge. Another change in the vaginal discharge might be an increase in the flow.

Ovulation Prediction Kits: Ovulation prediction kits can come to your rescue in case non of the above methods help you in determining your most fertile days. These kits come in handy in giving the tentative date of ovulation. They basically determine the days of ovulation by measuring the levels of hormones in the urine. However, these kits are very expensive and using them every month is a high-priced idea.

Effect of Birth Control Pills on Ovulation

Birth control pills are either a combination of female hormones estrogen and progesterone or they contain only progesterone. These hormones inhibit the release of hormones, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), from the pituitary gland located in the brain. LH and FSH are required for the development of ovum and preparation of the lining of uterus for zygote implantation. In the absence of these two hormones, the processes associated with them do not take place. As a result, ovulation is prevented. This is how, birth control pills prevent pregnancy. Once you stop taking birth control pills, your body resumes to its normal way of functioning. It starts producing follicles, that lead to ovulation. After a couple of months, your body comes back in a state wherein it is ready for conception. Birth control pills are known to be 99% effective. 1% possibility of getting pregnant is always there in all the cases. This means that you are not fertile while on the pill.

After going through this article, you must have come to know many interesting things that keep on taking place inside you. Try to make use of the information given here to lead a life the way you want to.