It is important to know complete facts about the fertile period

Knowing the fertile period and ovulation are things that need to be known when planning a pregnancy. When you know your fertile period, you can predict when is the right time to have sex. What exactly is meant by the fertile period in men and women? Check out the full explanation below!

The fertile period in women

The fertile period is a period of time that you can use to get pregnant quickly. The most common thing, a woman's fertile period begins when the menstrual cycle has finished.

During this fertile time there is also a fertile window which depends on the length of the menstrual cycle, so that every woman has a different time.

Quoted from Your Fertility, the fertile window is the day when an egg is released from the ovary or commonly referred to as ovulation.

Therefore, you need to know how to calculate your fertile period. On average, women with a normal menstrual cycle of 28 days experience fertility between day 10 and day 17 after the first day of their last menstrual period.

If you need to make a fertile period calendar, one way to make it easier is with the help of a fertility calculator for more precise calculations.

The importance of having sex in the fertile period

If you are on a pregnancy program, you may think about having sex every day and at ovulation. In fact, it doesn't have to be like that.

Sperm can live in a woman's reproductive tract for up to three days after sex. The most important thing is knowing when your fertile period is.

The most fertile period for women is five days before and during ovulation (release of an egg). Therefore, it is advisable to have sex two days before ovulation in order to get pregnant quickly.

Signs that a woman is in her fertile period

Quoted from the American Pregnancy Association, the signs of a woman's fertile period vary. In fact, there is also the possibility of not experiencing any signs or features

To find out when you are fertile, pay attention to the following signs or characteristics that are common:

1. The fertility test kit shows a positive result

One of the signs or characteristics of your fertile period is that the test kit you use to calculate your fertile period shows a positive result.

So this is the right time to have sex with your partner to get a baby.

However, pay attention if you have a condition polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). You may still get positive results even if you don't ovulate.

You could say this tool may not be effective for everyone who uses it.

2. Cervical mucus like egg white

Another sign or trait that may appear when you are fertile is the quality of the cervical mucus.

Cervical mucus is fluid that comes out of the cervix near the time of ovulation.

Usually, vaginal discharge that comes out of this fertile period has a texture and color similar to egg white. This means that this vaginal discharge will be bright and transparent, then wet, slippery, and also stretchy.

This cervical mucus will help the sperm to more easily swim into the uterus and meet the egg, making fertilization easier.

In addition, cervical mucus also makes penetration during intercourse easier and less painful.

The following are features of the mucus texture at the mouth of the uterus that are common in many women in fertile days:

• Approaching ovulation: mucus more sticky, more excreted, cloudy, like whitish
• During ovulation: wet, slippery, elastic, and transparent mucus, such as egg white. This usually lasts 3 or 4 days, which is when you are most likely to get pregnant.
• After ovulation: mucus drier and less discharge.

3. Increased sex drive

Of course you realize that at certain times, increased sex drive. Yes, a higher than normal sex drive may be a sign or feature of fertility.

While it may not be an accurate trait, this greater sexual desire is a natural sign of your body.

This means that your body actually knows when is the right time to have sex.

Basically, a woman's sex drive will increase before ovulation. Not only that, women will also look more attractive at that time.

4. Changes in basal body temperature

Changes in basal body temperature can also be signs or characteristics that you can notice when you enter your fertile period.

Basal body temperature is the body temperature when resting or sleeping. The mean basal body temperature ranges from 35.5 - 36.6 ° C.

Generally, body temperature is determined based on the activities undertaken, the food consumed, hormones in the body, sleep habits, and much more.

When ovulating, the level of the hormone progesterone in the body increases. High levels of the hormone progesterone cause your body temperature to increase.

If your body temperature rises to about 0.4-0.8 ° C from your normal temperature, you may have ovulated in the last 12 to 24 hours.

At that time, your body temperature makes your uterus ready to release an egg that is ripe and ready for fertilization. So, after the fertile period has passed, the body temperature will be lower.

These signs or features of your fertile period may not be very effective if you work at night or have erratic sleeping hours.

5. Changes in the position of the cervix

Your cervix or cervix will experience changes as you go throughmenstrual cycle. This change is one of the signs or characteristics of the fertile period you are experiencing.

Why? Just before ovulation, your cervix will change its position to be higher. This makes it difficult for you to reach it.

In fact, when touched, the cervix becomes softer and will open a little more.

Conversely, when not in the fertile period, the cervix or cervix is ​​located lower and harder to the touch. In addition, the cervix will be more closed.

If you are not used to checking the cervix, you can have your cervix checked by a gynecologist. You may be able to ask the doctor how to check the condition of the cervix independently at home.

6. Breast pain

Breast pain can also be another sign or sign that you are fertile. This condition is usually caused by hormonal changes that occur during ovulation.

As with other characteristics that can be a marker of fertility, this condition cannot clearly indicate when you will ovulate.

7. Ovulation pain

Have you ever heard of ovulation pain or mittelschmerz? This pain is usually characterized by a very strong pain like a stab in the lower part of your stomach.

Usually these signs or features of the fertile period appear without cause and suddenly.

If the pain occurs in the middle of a cycle, it is called mittelschmerz or ovulation pain.

This is one of the last signs or traits that may be identified when entering fertile time.

Ovulation pain can be experienced every month, but not in all women. Then, it may make you unable to have sexual intercourse when you are most fertile.

In addition, this condition can be a sign of endometriosis. Therefore, you should tell your doctor immediately if you experience it.

What is ovulation?

It could be said that a woman's fertile period is closely related to ovulation. However, what distinguishes is that the fertile period has occurred 5 to 7 days before ovulation begins.

Launching from American Pregnancy, ovulation is a process when a mature egg is released from the ovary or ovary, then pushed into the fallopian tube. At this point, the egg is ready to be fertilized.

Each month there will be a mature egg in one of your ovaries. When mature, the egg is released by the ovary and then enters the fallopian tube and waits for sperm.

The time of fertility or ovulation is a natural process that will occur in every healthy woman, without any reproductive health problems.

This process is regulated by a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. In the ovulation process, there are several stages, namely:

1. Periovulaatory (follicular stage)

The follicular phase is when the first day of the last menstrual period and continues until the ovulation phase.

The follicular stage works when the lining of the egg cells begins to become coated with mucus and prepares to move out into the uterus.

At that time, the uterus is ready to receive eggs, so the uterine walls thicken.

2. Ovulation

At the ovulation stage in the fertile period, there is a special enzyme in the body that is responsible for forming holes.

This makes it easier for the egg to move through the fallopian tube, which is the tube that connects the ovaries to the uterus.

Then, the mature egg will enter the tube and pass until it reaches the uterus.

In this stage, fertilization usually occurs. Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube and lasts about 24 to 48 hours. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days before the next menstrual cycle takes place.

As ovulation approaches, cervical mucus production will increase. This cervical mucus also plays a role in helping sperm swim to the female reproductive system.

3.Postovulatory (luteal stage)

If the egg has been successfully fertilized by sperm, the egg will be implanted directly into the uterine walls with the help of luteizining hormone (LH).

The luteal phase has a precise timeline and usually lasts 12 to 16 days from the day of ovulation.

However, if fertilization does not occur at all when the egg is in the fallopian tube, the egg and the thickened uterine wall will shed. That's when menstruation will occur.

Normally, a woman's menstrual cycle lasts about 28 to 32 days. The start of the cycle can be counted from the first day of menstruation. Meanwhile, the ovulation stage itself occurs on days 10 to 19 of the menstrual cycle.

The fertile period in men

Among the common people, most people only think that fertility is a woman's business. Even though men also have a fertile period that will determine the success or failure of the pregnancy program.

In the journal Chronobiology International, it is stated that the condition of semen in the morning, precisely before 7.30 am, is the best sperm quality compared to other times.

The ejaculated sperm can stay in the uterine wall of a woman for about two to three days. The more sperm that comes out, the possibility of surviving on the uterine wall is also greater.

The quality of sperm in a man's body is not always the same from time to time. But broadly speaking, the best quality can be obtained during the fertile period, which is between 25-40 years.

Therefore, male fertility generally decreases at the age of 40-45 years when sperm quality decreases.

There are several things that affect a man's fertile period, namely:

• Smoke.
• Excess weight.
• A lot of thoughts, so it becomes stressful.
• Actively consuming alcohol.
• Too often being in a hot room.
• Sitting too long.
• Physical activity is exhausting, so it puts pressure on the testicles and penis.
• Medicines that create hormonal imbalances, sperm ducts that don't work properly, and even tumors.
• Often exposed to several hazardous chemicals, such as benzene, pesticides and herbicides.

Signs that a man is in his fertile period

In contrast to women, men do not have specific signs or features during the fertile cycle.

This is because sperm is continuously forming, stored in the testes, and ready for use at any time.

However, there are conditions that can be considered such as how male semen is in the morning. In a study it was stated that the best sperm quality was at that time.

Therefore, what must be considered by men is to maintain the best possible lifestyle so that the quality of sperm does not decrease.

If within a certain period of time you and your partner haven't changed, then what you can do is try a fertility test.

Problems surrounding the fertile period

There are several reasons that make women experience problems during ovulation or the fertile period, namely:

1. Weight problems

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine explains that women who are underweight tend to have irregular menstrual cycles.

Likewise, women with excess body weight can cause hormonal imbalances in the body.

2. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women. PCOS is an enlarged ovary accompanied by small fluid-filled cysts.

This condition can cause hormonal imbalance and interfere with fertility. Other symptoms of PCOS are insulin resistance, obesity, abnormal hair growth, and acne.

3. Hypothalamic dysfunction

This condition occurs when the hormone stimulates ovulation and fertility disorders. The causes of hypothalamic dysfunction are excessive physical or emotional stress, very low or high body weight.

Not only that, too much exercise can also stimulate hypothalamic dysfunction.

4. Premature ovarian insufficiency

This occurs when egg production stops prematurely due to a decrease in the hormone estrogen.

These fertility problems can be caused by autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders, or environmental toxins. Usually, this occurs in women before the age of 40.

5. Excess prolactin or hyperprolactinemia

This condition is influenced by the use of drugs or pituitary gland disorders.

Glands that act as producers of certain hormones and act as controllers of various aspects of the human body.

This also makes the amount of female prolactin excessive so that it affects the fertile time that should be.

This excess prolactin can lower the hormone estrogen. Even so, this case is very rare and is considered a rare case.

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