Perfect timing for getting pregnant
ONE of the most common reasons for a patient visiting my office is related to difficulty conceiving. There may be a few conditions such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis and abnormal sperm that can account for difficulties conceiving, but many women fail to conceive because they do not understand their menstrual cycles.
For pregnancy to occur, a sperm and an egg must merge to allow conception. Perfect eggs and sperm are useless if they don’t connect and if sex is off schedule
Most women will have a regular 28-day cycle (with day one being the first day of menses and day 28 being the last day before a new cycle starts). At day 14 ovulation occurs — the release of an egg. Sperm can survive for a few days, so the best time to conceive is around the time of ovulation. To be more precise, the fertile window is between days nine to 16 of the cycle — the best time to successfully get pregnant. If not, you’ve missed your opportunity, and outside of this period sex simply becomes exercise and enjoyment. No matter how often you have sex, once out of this fertile period, a woman will not get pregnant.
How do you know when you’re ovulating ? They are several ways as listed below.
1. Chart your cycle
Ovulation usually occurs mid-cycle, two weeks before menstruation. What about someone who has a 30 or 26-day cycle? Ovulation normally occurs around days 16 and 12 respectively. These days, with the advent of smartphones, there are many apps which can help women to track their cycle. Not only can cycle length be determined with accuracy, but also the most fertile period and best time to have sexual intercourse which will result in pregnancy.
2. Take your temperature
Charting your basal body temperature (BBT) — the morning body temperature — is another way of discovering when ovulation has occurred. The normal non-ovulating BBT is between 96 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. After ovulation the BBT rises by half a degree and remains elevated until menstruation. Over months, if charted correctly and if the cycle is regular, ovulation can be predicted with the BBT. Because the temperature remains elevated, the fertile period may be missed. Also, other causes of raised temperature, such as the common flu, can make the BBT inaccurate.
3. Cervical mucus
During mid-cycle, the cervical secretions almost appear slippery, stretchy and white when compared to the watery secretions after the menses. Once women can get over the “gross” factor of examining this discharge, it suggests that the cervix is receptive to sperm and that it’s the right time for sexual intercourse.
4. Fertility monitors
Leutinising hormone is a hormone that is released in large quantities right before ovulation occurs. Just like a urinary pregnancy kit, leutinising hormone kits can tell when a woman is most fertile. They are urine-based kits and are readily available in most pharmacies. They are extremely accurate and also very helpful for women who have irregular cycles.
Dr Daryl Daley is a consultant OBGYN at Gynae Associates, 23 Tangerine place, Kingston 10, and shops 46-50, Portmore Town Centre, Portmore. He can be contacted at 929-5038/9 and 939-2859 or drdaryldaley@gmail.com.
