Menstrual Cycle - Timing Matters

Most people take fertility for granted. Couples imagine that getting pregnant is simple and often put a lot of effort into trying to avoid that very eventuality. Becoming pregnant is not really that easy, even for couples who do not have fertility problems.

Fertility has been studied and researched in great depth and a fact not many are aware of, is that humans are one of the least fertile creatures on the planet. Because conception is possible only during a fairly short period within the menstrual cycle, the chances of successfully conceiving is only around 25% each month even among fertile couples. And there are so many other factors also involved in successfully conceiving - age, health, medical conditions, lifestyle and timing. Yes, that’s correct; the time has to be right.

So, how does timing matter?

A menstrual cycle is normally between 28 to 32 days and there are two parts to the cycle, pre-ovulation and post-ovulation. Day 1 is the first day of your menstruation. Day 7 is around when your egg is getting ready for fertilization. Based on a 28 day cycle, somewhere between days 11 to 21 are when the egg gets released and moves through the fallopian tubes and towards the uterus. The process where hormones cause the egg to get released from the ovary is known as ovulation. This is when the egg is ready to be fertilized. (It's important to realize that the pre-ovulation period differs in individual cases and can change from month to month, whereas the post-ovulation process is more or less the same for all women.) The gap from ovulation to the next period is normally around 14 days. This gap is used to track and narrow down a woman’s most fertile time in the month.

Once released, while the egg stays around for between 12 to 24 hours before disintegrating, the sperm can survive for up to 72 hours in healthy cervical mucous. It is during this time that the sperm meets up with the egg, penetrates it and the now, fertilized egg fuses with the uterus lining and starts growing.

Getting the time right.

It can be quite challenging to pinpoint exactly when ovulation is going to take place. There are a few ways to achieve this. The easiest but not always accurate method is to keep track of the woman's menstrual cycle by using one of the following:

• Calendar Tracking Method - The history of past menstrual cycles is taken as a guide to estimate the most fertile time in the woman’s cycle. This method requires you to track your menstrual cycle for 8 to 10 months and to work out your own "fertility window" which is the time when you are most likely to get pregnant.

• Basal Body Temperature Method - Your basal body temperature registers a change post-ovulation and remains elevated until your next menstrual period. Monitoring your temperature using a Basal Thermometer over a few cycles begins to show a pattern that allows you to anticipate when you are most likely to be ovulating. It is important that you take your temperature first thing in the morning, before your active day starts. Ill health, lack of sleep or alcohol or drug abuse can impact your temperature and disturb the charting of your basal temperature.

• Cervical Mucus Method - In this method the consistency of the cervical mucus is studied through the menstrual cycle. Normally, following a 5 day menstruation period, there are 3-4 dry days. The wetness of the mucus increases daily thereafter until it reaches its wettest condition when it becomes abundant, clear and stretchy. This condition is reached when you are ovulating. Remember that the use of spermicides and douches during this period impacts the consistency of the mucus thus nullifying the possibility of examining it.

These methods can achieve up to 90% accuracy if used correctly for women who have fairly regular cycles. They can be a bit of a challenge for those with irregular cycles though.

And then there are ovulation detection kits that are available at the local drug store that can be purchased over the counter without a prescription. These kits are easy to use and work by measuring the increase in a woman’s urinary LH (luteinizing hormone) that normally occurs between 24-36 hours before ovulation.

While there are no guarantees since there are so many factors involved in getting pregnant, fertility experts recommend that couples have intercourse at least every other day, immediately prior through to just after ovulation in order to increase their chances of successfully conceiving.

It is important to keep in mind however, that while timing does matter and one works to find out just when it is right to try to conceive, it is equally important not to take the spontaneity out of the relationship by stressing yourself and your partner out in the process.