Ovulation, fertile
The fertile period of a woman only last for ca. six days per cycle. Of vital importance for fertility is the fact that the ovum is pregnable for only 12-18 hours (what recent studies have shown). Robust spermatozoon can remain alive for ca. five days in the body of a woman (some says, that in exceptional cases it can also be six days), whereas it is of vital importance for the spermatozoon to reach the uterus as quick as possible, because the milieu of the vagina isn't healthy for them. If you add up the two periods, you get the total fertile period of a woman, which is approx. 3-6 days long.
Another point is mentionable: Woman is infertile only 18 hours after ovulation. In general a safety period of ca. 2 days is added so that it is said, that woman are infertile three days after ovulation. The reason is that ovulation is a process that takes place quite hidden inside the body, so that the exact point in time is difficult to determine.
A number of aids exist to help you determining the moment of ovulation: a) the
mucus method (Billings), b) the
cervical changes method and c) ovulation tests (LH tests). Additionally there are secundary symptoms that occur synchronized with ovulation: a) the Mittelschmerz (abdominal pain that happens around 0-1.5 days before ovulation), b) the ovulational bleeding and c) tender breasts. Secundary symptoms are not suitable to be used as the only indicator to determine ovulation. Besides you should try
PERIMON, if you don't know it already. It assists you in determining the ovulation date.
Whether you are trying to get pregnant or you are trying to avoid pregnancy, crucial is the moment of ovulation. Whereas not every cycle is a cycle with an ovulation. Statistically seen a woman 20 years of age has around ten ovulations per year, a woman 40 years of age has five. (With information from e.g.
Natürliche Familienplanung heute and gyn.de)
Gordon Axmann – Any liability for the information on this page or its correctness is excluded (last updated: 01/21/2008)
