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How do I know if I am fertile enough to get pregnant?
How do I know if I am fertile enough to get pregnant?
Fertility refers to a woman’s ability to become pregnant after intercourse and a man’s ability to make a woman pregnant. It is estimated that around 1 in 7 couples may have some difficulty in conceiving and about 84% of couples will conceive naturally within a year if they have regular unprotected sex (every 2-3 days).
There are significant differences between male and female fertility and one of the key differences is that males are fertile all the time since the body produces sperm on a daily basis whereas females are only fertile for a few days per cycle. Another difference between male and female fertility is that males do not develop any sperm until puberty whereas females are born with all the eggs (about 2million eggs) they will ever have which reduces with age (about 25,000 by age 37). Lastly, men are also known to be fertile from puberty to death and even at an old age of about 70 years can impregnate women whereas women are only fertile from puberty until menopause. Due to these differences, it is important to understand the reproductive anatomy in order to get the timing right to help increase your chances of conception.
Fertility signs in females (women)
There are natural ways of monitoring and tracking your fertility and these can help you increase your chances of getting pregnant. By monitoring and tracking when you are ovulating, you are able to identify your most fertile days which will help you maximise your chances of becoming pregnant. Below are two signs that will help you determine if you are fertile enough to get pregnant;
- Cervical Mucus or fluid – This is fluid that is secreted by the cervix and shed through the vagina to help provide lubrication, protect the vagina against infection, and also help keep the tissues in the vagina healthy. The cervical fluid also plays an important role in conception by supporting the sperm swim through the cervix. Most women would have noticed this but found it “gross” and unsure what its purpose is. The appearance of the cervix fluid changes during each cycle with most women noticing that the vaginal area is fairly dry right after menstruation. This changes some days later with a thick, cloudy, and sticky mucus appearing. Towards ovulation, this mucus becomes clear, wet, and slippery; resembling egg whites, and can be stretched easily between the fingers. This cervical fluid stays this way for several days, and ovulation occurs near the end of this time. For couples trying to conceive, it is important to have sexual intercourse during this “fertile window”. Right after ovulation, the mucus usually become thick, cloudy, and sticky again or may even go away entirely and the vaginal area will become dryer. Female fertility supplements can help support ovulation which will help increase your chances of getting pregnant.
- Basal Body Temperature – Another way of checking for fertility signs in females is by tracking and monitoring the body temperature. This is based on the fact that after ovulation, most women have a slight increase in their normal body temperature. The temperature rise occurs within a day or so after ovulation and this is because of the hormone; progesterone. The rise in body temperature signifies that ovulation has already occurred. The intention is to track and monitor your body temperature for months to identify patterns of lows and highs in the low range before ovulation and another set of patterns of lows and highs in the high range after ovulation. The value of doing this is not to focus so much on the day-to-day changes but the pattern within your cycle. It is critical to note that the rise in the basal body temperature indicates that ovulation has already occurred and therefore, sexual intercourse should be timed such that it occurs just around ovulation. The disadvantage of this method is that the rise in body temperate may sometimes be influenced by other factors such as illness, lack of sleep and stress and not necessarily related to ovulation.
Conclusion
These two signs of fertility in women are well known and well documented. To cover all the bases, these methods should be used together in addition to taking fertility supplements for women. When monitoring and tracking are properly done, you will be able to determine when you are ovulating to help you increase your chances of conception.
Click to read about the How to improve low sperm count
References
Perkins, S. and Meyers-Thompson, J., 2007. Infertility for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Warhus, S., 2011. Fertility demystified. New York: McGraw Hill Professional.
Weschler, T., n.d. Taking charge of your fertility.