How To Use Fertility Prediction
If you want to use fertility prediction to avoid pregnancy, the process is always the same:
- Determine how many days each monthly cycle lasts
- Predict the day of ovulation by charting signs in your body and counting back 14 days from the first day of your period
- Count back six days from ovulation, and abstain from unprotected sex for these six days
- Do not have any unprotected sex for the entire day after the day you ovulated
Since your cycle may change from month to month, tracking it is not a reliable birth control method.
Can I Get Pregnant Just After My Period Has Finished
Yes, although it’s not very likely. If you have sex without using contraception, you can conceive at any time during your menstrual cycle, even during or just after your period.
You can also get pregnant if you have never had a period before, during your first period, or after the first time you have sex.
There’s no “safe” time of the month when you can have sex without contraception and not risk becoming pregnant.
But there are times in your menstrual cycle when you’re at your most fertile, and this is when you’re most likely to conceive.
Should I Have Sex Before During Or After Ovulation
For the best chances of pregnancy, you should have sex every day or every other day during the:
- Five days leading up to ovulation
- Day of ovulation
- Day after ovulation
Theres a lot of information about methods for having sex that could increase your chances of getting pregnant. Theres no specific sex position that increases your odds of conceiving. Some lubricants may negatively affect sperm and prevent them from reaching the egg. Talk to your health care provider about which lubricants to avoid.
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Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant On Your Period
Menstruation is triggered after an egg has been released and has not been fertilized, occurring after ovulation somewhere between day 21 and 35 in most people who menstruate.
During menstruation, the inner membrane of the uterus is shed. By the third day of your cycle, levels of progesterone and estrogen are rising and working to rebuild your endometrium. Around day four, follicle ripening begins to increase as the ovaries start preparing an egg for release.
Most people will ovulate well after their period ends, somewhere around day 14 for the average 28-day cyclethough as we know, cycle length and ovulation can vary widely from person to person and even cycle to cycle. Because an egg is needed in order for pregnancy to occur and it’s unlikely that an egg will be released during or soon after your period, there’s little chance that sperm introduced during your period will result in a pregnancy.
However, it is possible to get pregnant if you have sex near the very end of your period and you ovulate very soon after your period ends. Remember: Sperm can live up to five days, so if your period ends on day seven, for instance, and you go on to ovulate on day 10, it is possible to get pregnant from sex as early as day five of that cycle.
Can You Get Pregnant Right After Your Period
You are moving into your fertility window, so yes, you can get pregnant right after your period. On a typical cycle that occurs every 28 to 30 days, the fertility window is usually between Day 11 and Day 21. Remember, sperm can live up to 5 days. If your period lasts for 5 to 7 days, and you have sex right after that, you are approaching your fertility window.
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Using Ovulation Test Kits
Ovulation predictor kits are available from chemists and are fairly simple to use. They work by detecting a hormone in your urine that increases when ovulation is about to take place.
The simplest ovulation test kits check for luteinising hormone , which surges 24-36 hours before ovulation. This will help to identify the best two days for conception, although a woman can be fertile for a day or so before and after this time.
It is best to become familiar with your usual menstrual cycle to help figure out when you should start testing. If you have an irregular cycle then an ovulation predictor kit can help you identify the time of ovulation, but expect to use more of the test strips.
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Can You Get Pregnant During Your Period
For those with a shorter cycle the average is 28 to 30 days theres still a possibility pregnancy could occur if you have sex during your period. For example, if you have sex toward the end of your period and you ovulate early, you can conceive. Using birth control, condoms, or another barrier method is typically the best way to prevent pregnancy.
Read on to learn more about how to time sex and other ways to prevent pregnancy.
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How Soon Before Or After A Period Can A Person Become Pregnant
Fertility increases sharply around 1214 days before menstruation, so unprotected sex is more likely to result in pregnancy during that time.
It is unlikely but possible that conception will occur in the 1 or 2 days following a period since sperm can survive for up to 7 days after sex.
For example, a couple may have sex the day after a period ends. If ovulation occurs on that day or within the next 6 days, pregnancy is possible.
People with shorter menstrual cycles are more likely to become pregnant in the days after a period ends because they ovulate earlier.
Symptom #: Changes In Your Cervix
As you approach ovulation, your cervix actually changes it dilates and feels a little soft, like your lips. Afterward, it feels harder, like the tip of your nose. This isnt a main way to know youre ovulatingits subtle, and its not exactly convenient to try to reach all the way up to your cervix and touch it every day. But if you want to be ultra-familiar with your body, this can give you interesting clues to when ovulation occurs.
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Brief Intro To Ovulation
The ovulation cycle lasts 28 days on average. Starting from Day 1, when the period starts, the first 14 days are gearing up for ovulation. On Day 14, the egg is released and travels through the Fallopian tube toward the uterus. This journey takes around 6 days. If the egg is fertilized, it implants in the uterus around Day 23.
Critically, the egg survives only an average of 24 hours, well before it makes it to the uterus. Therefore sperm must be waiting around in the Fallopian tube, right as the egg is released.
Luckily, sperm live up to 5 days in the Fallopian tube. Therefore, the best chance of conception happens the day before or the day of ovulation. Conception can still happen up to 5 days before ovulation, with lower chances.
The Emergency Contraceptive Pill
Also known as the âmorning after pillâ, this needs to be used within a few days of unprotected sex. Some emergency pills need to be taken within three days of unprotected sex.
Another emergency pill, called ellaOne, is a relatively new method. It can be taken up to five days after sex and is only available with a prescription. For more information about ellaOne, speak to a doctor or nurse.
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How Does The Menstrual Cycle Work
- Your cycle starts on the first day of your period and continues up to the first day of your next period.
- At the same time, eggs begin to mature in the ovary.
- The lining of the womb thickens ready for fertilisation.
- During ovulation your cervical mucus becomes thinner and clearer to help the sperm reach the released egg.
- About 10 to 16 days before the start of your next period, an egg is released from one of the ovaries .
- If sperm is present at the moment of ovulation, or some time during the next 24 hours, the egg may be fertilised.
- If the egg has not been fertilised, the egg is re-absorbed by the body, the hormone levels drop, and the womb lining is shed. This is the beginning of your next period.
What About Right Before Your Period
The likelihood of getting pregnant right before your period is extremely low. For women with a typical 28- to 30-day cycle or longer and their cycles are regular, it is fairly safe to say your ovulation occurred between Day 11 and Day 21. The egg is only available for 12 to 24 hours for conception.
This means the days right before your period are the safest to have sex without the expectation of getting pregnant. The number of safe days right before your period go up with longer cycles and lessen with shorter cycles.
If you wait 36 to 48 hours after ovulation, you should be beyond the possibilities of conception. The further you are from ovulation, the less likely your chance for conceiving. This is not the time to have sex if you are trying to conceive. Its still a good time to enjoy intimacy with your partner.
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Check Your Basal Body Temperature
It’s also a good idea to pay attention to the signs that your body is ready to ovulate. Checking your basal body temperature is one way to do this.
The BBT is your temperature first thing in the morning. Just after you ovulate, it rises slightly — sometimes by less than a degree — and stays higher until your period starts. If you record your temperature every day, you can spot the subtle changes that mean one of your ovaries has released an egg.
To take your BBT, you need to:
Use a basal body thermometer. It’s more sensitive than a standard one and will show temperature changes down to a fraction of a degree. You can get them at many pharmacies for less than $20.
Take your temperature at the same time each morning. Always do it before you get out of bed. Even getting up to go to the bathroom can affect your body temperature. So can smoking, drinking, or getting a bad night’s sleep.
Remember, your BBT won’t tell you exactly when you’ve ovulated, and it may take a couple of months before you start to see a pattern. You’re most likely to get pregnant 2 or 3 days before your ovary releases an egg, and then another 12 to 24 hours after that. When your temperature has spiked for 3 days, your chances of conceiving drop.
How Do I Know If Im Ovulating
As an adult, you are probably ovulating most of the time if your cycle is generally within range . Cycles that are consistently outside of those ranges can be an indication of anovulation, and a reason to talk to your healthcare provider.
To know if youâre ovulating , you might try:
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Tracking your cycle length and regularity in Clue
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Using ovulation urine tests, bought at your pharmacy
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Tracking your physical signs of fertility for a few cycles, including your basal body temperature and cervical fluid
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Have your healthcare provider check your hormonal profile
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What Happens During Ovulation
Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovaries. A woman is born with all her eggs.
Once she starts her periods, 1 egg develops and is released during each menstrual cycle. After ovulation, the egg lives for 24 hours.
Pregnancy happens if a mans sperm meet and fertilise the egg. Sperm can survive in the fallopian tubes for up to 7 days after sex.
Occasionally, more than 1 egg is released during ovulation. If more than 1 egg is fertilised it can lead to a multiple pregnancy, such as twins.
A woman cant get pregnant if ovulation doesnt occur. Some methods of hormonal contraception such as the combined pill, the contraceptive patch and the contraceptive injection work by stopping ovulation.
Symptom #: Changes In Cervical Mucus
Just before ovulation, youll have more cervical mucus, and it will be thin and slippery . After ovulation, it becomes thicker and less noticeable. If you want to get pregnant, the days mucus is thin and slippery are your best bet. The challenge: Not everyone has a lot of cervical mucus, Kudesia says, so this method is less likely to be useful if youre in that group.
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Changes In Basal Body Temperature
Basal body temperature is the temperature of the body at rest. For the most accurate reading, a person should take it as soon as they wake up.
During ovulation, this temperature may slightly increase as the body secretes progesterone, a hormone that helps thicken the uterine lining in preparation for the implantation of an embryo.
Before ovulation, a persons oral temperature is around 9698ºF . This may rise to 9799°F after ovulation. Because the increase is so slight, around 0.4 to 0.8°F, a person needs a special tool, a basal body thermometer, to detect it.
People are at their most fertile 23 days before their BBT is at its highest point and 1224 hours after ovulation.
Because BBT only rises after ovulation, people may prefer other ways of checking their fertility, such as tests that measure levels of luteinizing hormone in urine.
Also, it is important to note that other factors can raise a persons BBT, including:
- consuming alcohol
- having a fever
Do You Ovulate Before Or After Your Period
Ovulation does not occur in relation to the previous period, but rather to the next period. You will ovulate 14 days prior to the start of your next menstrual cycle. This means, then, that if you have a 28-day cycle, you will ovulate roughly 14 days after your period, and 14 days prior to the start of your next period.
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Examples Of Calculating Safe Periods
Calculating a safe period can be confusing. Here are two examples of calculating the same.
- Take the example of a woman who has 24 days between 2 menstruating cycles. This means that her ovulation would be ten days after the first day of her last period. Based on this calculation, her safe period would be from day one to day six after her last period and from day thirteen to her next period.
- Lets take another example of a woman who has 32 days between 2 menstruation cycles. Her ovulation would be 18 days after her last period. Based on this calculation , her safe period would be from day one after the last period to day 14 and from day 21 to the next period.
- Safety: Women with regular menstruating cycles have an 85% safety ratio for not getting pregnant in 12 months. However, the success rate depends on how well you calculate the safe period and how religiously you follow it.
- Handy Technology: In todays world of technological advancement, there are numerous apps available that can help you chart your menstrual cycle, calculate your infertile days and store all this data for your quick reference!
- There are many tools like a menstrual cycle calculator that are available. These tools will give you a rough estimate of your ovulation period. As a result, you can calculate ovulation as well as the safe period with higher accuracy and greater ease.
What Causes Ovulation To Occur
The menstrual cycle commences the 1st day your period starts. During this time, hormones secreted by the pituitary gland stimulates ovarian follicle to increase in size.
As these follicles grows, they begin to secrete female hormone estrogen, which helps to
- Thicken the endometrium previously washed out as period
- Stimulate the pituitary gland to trigger LH surge
LH surge occurs 36 hours before ovarian egg is released during ovulation. If you are able to discover LH surge you can easily predict your ovulation date before next period.
Ovulating kits and fertility monitors can help women who find it too difficult to know when ovulation occurs.
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How Ovulation Affects Fertility
Tracking the fertile window and ovulation specifically can help a person figure out when they may become pregnant. The window refers to the days in a cycle when pregnancy is possible. Its duration can vary, depending on the length of the cycle.
A person can use an ovulation calculator to determine their fertile window.
People are more likely to conceive if they have sexual intercourse from 5 days before ovulation to 1 day afterward.
Generally, the closer to ovulation, the better the chances of conceiving. Once the ovary releases an egg, the egg dissolves within 24 hours if fertilization does not happen. Sperm can survive in the vagina for 35 days, which can influence when fertilization occurs.
For people tracking their fertility at home, urinary LH kits tend to be the most reliable method. Although fertility apps are growing in popularity, they are based on an algorithm and are not always accurate.
Some people avoid having intercourse during their fertile windows to prevent pregnancy, but this method is not reliable research suggests that pregnancy occurs in