Table of contents:
- The fertile period in women
- The importance of having sex in the fertile period
- Signs that a woman is in her fertile period
- 1. The fertility test kit shows a positive result
- 2. Cervical mucus like egg white
- 3. Increased sex drive
- 4. Changes in basal body temperature
- 5. Changes in the position of the cervix
- 6. Breast pain
- 7. Ovulation pain
- What is ovulation?
- 1. Periovulatory (follicular stage)
- 2. Ovulation
- 3.Postovulatory (luteal stage)
- Problems surrounding the fertile period
- 1. Weight problems
- 2. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
- 3. Hypothalamic dysfunction
- 4. Premature ovarian insufficiency
- 5. Excess prolactin or hyperprolactinemia
Knowing the fertile period and ovulation are things that need to be known when planning a pregnancy. When you know your fertile period, then 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!
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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 or menstruation 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, if you have a condition polycystic ovarian syndrome(PCOS), the results from fertility testing kits tend to be less effective.
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 and is also commonly referred to as vaginal discharge.
Usually, the characteristic of fertile vaginal discharge is that it has a texture and color similar to egg white.
This means that this vaginal fluid is clear and transparent, then wet, slippery, and also stretchy when held.
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 characteristics of fertile vaginal discharge:
- Approaching ovulation: mucus more sticky, more excreted, cloudy, like whitish
- During ovulation: wet, slippery, elastic, and transparent mucus, such as egg white.
- After ovulation: mucus drier and less discharge.
3. Increased sex drive
Of course you realize that at certain times, sexual arousal that used to be quite increased.
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 that 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.
Similar to 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 calledmittelschmerz 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.
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 the process when a mature egg is released from the ovary or ovary.
Then the discharge is 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. Periovulatory (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 by the body in the uterine walls with the help of the LH hormone.
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 thickened uterine wall will shed.
This process causes menstruation to 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.
Problems surrounding the fertile period
There are several reasons that make women experience problems during ovulation or fertility, 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 there are hormones that stimulate the disruption of the fertile period as well as ovulation.
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.
The glands 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.