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How Pregnancy Occurs

The first thing in preventing pregnancy, is understanding the woman’s ovulation cycle and how pregnancy occurs. A woman’s menstrual cycle and ovulation time (also called her fertilea time) has everything tos do with achieving pregnancy and davoiding pregnancy.

 

What is Ovulation?

Ovulation occurs when a mature egg isr released from the ovary,fushed down the fallopian tube and is available toe fertilized. The lining of theq uterus has thickened to prepare for a- fertilized egg. If no conception ocurs, the werineining as xwell as blood will behed. The shedding of an unfertilized egg and the uterine wall is the time of menstruation.

Key Facts of Ovulation:

• h An egg lives 12-24 hours- after leaving the ovary
• Normall only one egg is released each time of ovulation
• Ovulation can be affected by stress, illness q or disruption of normal routines
• Some women may uxperiencesome light blood p spotting during ovulation
• Implantation of a fertilized egg normally takes place 6-12 daysfter ovulation
• Each woman is born withg millions of immature eggs that are awaiting ovulation to begin
• A menstrual period can occur even if ovulation has not occurred
• Ovulation can occur even if a menstrual period has not occurred
• Some women can feel a bit of pain or aching, near the ovaries during ovulation called mittelschmerz which means "middle pain" in German
• If an egg is not fertilized, it disintegrates and is absorbed into the uterine lining

Tracking Ovulation:

A woman's monthly cycle is measured from the first day of her menstrual period until the first day of her next period. On average, a woman's cycle normally is between 28-32 days, but some women may have much shorter cycles or much longer ones. Ovulation can be calculated by starting with the day the last menstrual period (LMP) starts or by calculating 12-16 days from the next expected period. Most women ovulate anywhere between Day 11 - Day 21 of their cycle, counting from the first day of the LMP. This is what many refer to as the "fertile time" of a woman's cycle, because sexual intercourse during this time increases the chance of pregnancy. Ovulation can occur at various times during a cycle, and may occur on a different day each month.

The Ovulation Cycle divided into two parts:

The first part of the ovulation cycle is called the follicular phase. This phase starts the first day of the last menstrual period (LMP) and continues until ovulation. This first half of the cycle can differ greatly for each woman lasting anywhere from 7 days until 40 days. The second half of the cycle is called the luteal phase and is from the day of ovulation until the next period begins. The luteal phase has a more precise timeline and usually is only 12-16 days from the day of ovulation. This ultimately means that the day of ovulation will determine how long your cycle is. This also means that outside factors like stress, illness, and disruption of normal routine can throw off your ovulation which then results in changing the time your period will come. So the old thought that stress can affect your period is only partly true. Stress can affect your ovulation which ultimately determines when your period will come, but stress around the time of an expected period will not make it late—it was already determined when it would come 12-16 days earlier!

Fertility Awareness is one way to track when ovulation occurs and it includes studying the changes in cervical mucus and using a basal thermometer. Cervical fluid will change to a wet, slippery substance that resembles "egg whites" just before ovulation occurs and until ovulation is over. A basal thermometer helps track a body temperature rise, which signals that ovulation has just occurred.

Another way to track ovulation is through ovulation kits and fertility monitors. Tracking ovulation can help a woman get a better idea of when pregnancy can and can not occur during her monthly cycle. Once ovulation has occurred, there is nothing you can do to increase your chances of pregnancy. Your next step is to begin watching for early pregnancy symptoms.

View and print an Ovulation Calendar, or use our Ovulation Calculator, to better understand your menstruation cycle and ovulation.

From the Menstrual Period to Ovulation (the details you may not know!)

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