{"id":106466,"date":"2024-02-08T11:53:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T09:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/?p=106466"},"modified":"2024-02-08T17:01:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T15:01:28","slug":"can-you-get-pregnant-after-ovulation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ivi-fertility.com\/blog\/can-you-get-pregnant-after-ovulation\/","title":{"rendered":"Can you get pregnant after ovulation?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Yes, you can get pregnant after ovulation, but only for a short time. <\/strong>You are more likely to get pregnant if you have sex before ovulation. This might be contrary to the picture you had in your mind of a passive egg \u2018waiting\u2019 to be fertilised by a sperm. More often it\u2019s the other way around. How does this work? This article explains the rhythm of ovulation and how you can calculate your fertile window each month<\/strong> by monitoring your ovulation patterns.<\/p>\n To help you, we\u2019ve set out details of the various ways that you can predict ovulation, from keeping a simple menstrual diary, to keeping a temperature chart, investing in a more high-tech fertility monitor, or keeping track of changes in your cervical mucus.<\/p>\n To better understand how ovulation works<\/a>, let’s first take a closer look at the menstrual cycle. This is the time from the start of one period to the start of the next. It lasts 28 days on average. But anything from 21 to 35 days is still within the range of normal<\/strong>. The cycle is divided into four phases:<\/p>\n The fertile window is that part of your menstrual cycle during which you could become pregnant. It lasts not just for the 24 hours or so that the egg survives after ovulation, but also for around five days before ovulation<\/strong>, because this is the length of time that sperm can survive in the body. So, it\u2019s that simple: a window of around six days, starting five days before ovulation.<\/p>\n A number of studies have calculated the odds on becoming pregnant on key days of this window<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Although 28 days is the average cycle, with ovulation on day 14, most women are not average.<\/strong> Also, even though the menstrual phases are predictable, they don\u2019t happen at exactly the same time every month.<\/p>\n It\u2019s really important to be able to calculate ovulation<\/a>, rather than knowing it\u2019s happened after the event. There are different ways of approaching this all-important prediction.<\/p>\n The simplest of all methods, a diary using good old-fashioned pen and paper, or a downloadable app, keeps track of the day your period starts on each cycle and from data accumulated over a few months you can determine the length of your cycle. This is important because generally speaking, ovulation occurs not 14 days after the start of your period, but 14 days before the next period<\/strong>. The following chart illustrates:<\/p>\n Once you know the likely ovulation day, you can assume your window of highest fertility is the three days before, during and after ovulation<\/strong>, but that you are also fertile for the five days before ovulation through to the day after.<\/p>\n As ovulation day approaches, your normal cervical mucus changes to a more slippery, thin and clear consistency<\/strong> which may appear something like egg white. This signals the approach of ovulation and the ideal time to have sex.<\/p>\n Basal body temperature is the body\u2019s resting temperature and is best tracked by checking each morning before getting up. During ovulation, you have a small but measurable rise in body temperature<\/strong>. By recording these changes over several months, you can predict future ovulation dates.<\/p>\n Predictor kits work by measuring levels of LH, which triggers ovulation, in the urine. You would need to take the test for several days running to detect an increased level of LH<\/strong>. When this happens, it\u2019s your signal that you will ovulate during the next 12 to 36 hours.<\/p>\n A fertility monitor brings together some of these measures, by tracking your temperature, heart rate and periods, as well as levels of oestrogen and LH, to give you a prediction of your ovulation date, and therefore your most fertile period.<\/p>\n For most women with a regular menstrual cycle, predicting your fertile window should be fairly straightforward once you understand the signals that your body is giving you<\/strong>. If in spite of this you feel there is something wrong, for example if your cycle is erratic and therefore unpredictable<\/a>, you may like to browse our website for assisted fertility treatments that may be applicable for you. Or if you would like to discuss any fertility concerns, just go ahead and contact us at IVI.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yes, you can get pregnant after ovulation, but only for a short time. You are more likely to get pregnant if you have sex before ovulation. This might be contrary to the picture you had in your mind of a passive egg \u2018waiting\u2019 to be fertilised by a sperm. More often it\u2019s the other way… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":106467,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[219,167],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow does ovulation work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The fertile window to get pregnant<\/h3>\n
How many days after ovulation can you get pregnant?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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How can I predict my ovulation days?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Keeping a menstrual diary<\/h3>\n
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The cervical mucus method<\/h3>\n
Tracking your basal temperature<\/h3>\n
Ovulation predictor kits<\/h3>\n
Fertility monitor<\/h3>\n
Contact us at IVI<\/strong><\/h2>\n