While ovulation itself only lasts for 12 to 24 hours, you're most likely to get pregnant in the days before and after ovulation, a window of around six days. Read on to learn more about what exactly happens during this phase of the menstrual cycle, as well as reasons why ovulation can be delayed.
Ovulation only lasts around 1 day. The body triggers the release of an egg from the ovaries. Once that egg starts its journey towards the uterus, it only stays viable for 1 day. However, sperm can live in the uterus and fallopian tubes, the tubes that connect the ovaries to the uterus, for up to 6 days.
As you get close to ovulation, your cervical mucus will become copious, clear and slippery—like egg whites. It stretches between your fingers. Once your discharge becomes scant and sticky again, ovulation is over.
Sperm can live up to 5 days inside your body, so if you have sex up to 5 days before your egg is released, you can get pregnant. After ovulation, though, your egg can only live for 12 to 24 hours. After this time is up, your time for getting pregnant has gone for now till the following month.
Getting pregnant after ovulation is possible, but is limited to the 12-24 hours after your egg has been released. Cervical mucus helps sperm live up to 5 days in a woman's body, and it takes around 6 hours for active sperm to reach the fallopian tubes.
Myth 5: Ovulation strips work for everyone
The onset of the LH surge precedes ovulation by 35–44 hr, and the peak serum level of LH precedes ovulation by 10–12 hours. It usually occurs between midnight and early morning. This marks the most fertile period of the menstrual cycle.
Usually, the sperm reaches the egg within 15 to 45 minutes of ejaculation. However, the process could be much longer than that if you haven't ovulated yet by the time you have sex, because sperm can live inside a reproductive tract and wait for an egg for up to five days.
“Ovulation pain may be an indicator that you ovulated that month, which is necessary for pregnancy to happen, but the pain itself shouldn't affect your fertility or chance of pregnancy,” White says.
Super fertility has been classified as a monthly fecundity (the ability to get pregnant) rate of 60% or greater. A regular menstrual cycle and high antral follicle count are signs of high fertility. Perimenopause, fibroids, and endometriosis can make conceiving and sustaining pregnancy more difficult.
Once ovulation occurs, your egg travels through your fallopian tube. It's in your fallopian tube that your egg meets sperm for fertilization. If conception occurs (sperm fertilizes your egg), the fertilized egg travels down to your uterus.
The conventional belief that women ovulate once a month is wrong, say Canadian researchers who have found that women can potentially ovulate two or even three times a month.
Some women do notice signs and symptoms that implantation has occurred. Signs may include light bleeding, cramping, nausea, bloating, sore breasts, headaches, mood swings, and possibly a change in basal body temperature. But — and here's the frustrating part — many of these signs are very similar to PMS.
If you want to get pregnant and you have regular periods, the best time to have sex is the day before you ovulate. You also have a good chance of conceiving in the five days leading up to as well as on the actual day of ovulation. Basically, the more often you have sex during this window, the better.
Experts say that the sperm can navigate the uterus and fallopian tubes to reach the egg as soon as 30 minutes after ejaculation.
The release of the egg from the follicle and ovary happens about 24 hours later (10–12 hours after LH peaks) (13, 17).
The swimming speed of human sperm in fluid is approximately 5 mm/min, so in theory, sperm could swim through the cervical canal in a matter of minutes or hours. In reality, some sperm have been found in the upper reaches of the uterine tubes within minutes of coitus.
The sperm must be able to invade the cervix via the cervical mucus by virtue of their own swimming ability. Nothing about the sexual act will help those sperm get into the cervix. They simply have to swim into the mucus on their own, and this requires a great deal of coordinated, cooperative activity on their part.
Aiming for the man to ejaculate as deeply as possible into the woman's vagina. This means that the smallest amount of semen escapes and is retained as close to the cervix (the neck of the uterus) as possible. The woman can try lying on her back with her lower back elevated on a small pillow for around 20-30 minutes.
4. Lay down and relax for a few minutes after sex. Standing up or going to the bathroom after sex may pull sperm away from their destination. So, lying on your back for 15 minutes or so after sex may help keep sperm moving in the right direction.
The sensation is different from person to person, but in most cases, they feel like mild cramps, usually dull and aching, or light twinges. Some people also describe feeling a prickling, tingling, or pulling sensation. The sensations may come and go or last for one to two days before disappearing.
Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5. Your age is just one factor that should go into your decision to get pregnant.
You might not be ovulating. Your male partner may be experiencing infertility. You may be experiencing age-related infertility. You may have blocked fallopian tubes.