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2023 Author: Benjamin Dyson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 01:37
The fertile period is the set of days during which it is easier to get pregnant. Thus, these days can either be used by women who are looking to get pregnant, to increase their chances, or avoided, by those who do not want to get pregnant.
Although it is almost impossible to get pregnant outside of your fertile period, there is a minimal chance that this will happen, especially if intercourse takes place before ovulation. After ovulation, pregnancy is much more difficult, as the egg has already been released and has passed the fallopian tubes, and cannot be fertilized.
The days with the highest risk of becoming pregnant in the entire cycle are the 3 days before ovulation, including the day of ovulation, since it is during this period that the mature egg is released from the ovaries and can be fertilized.
When it is possible to get pregnant outside the fertile period
In many cases, the fertile period is considered to be between 3 days before and 3 days after ovulation and, therefore, if a woman has intercourse on these days she has a greater chance of becoming pregnant.
However, if there is intercourse within 5 days before ovulation, fertilization can also occur, since the sperm, under ideal conditions, can survive for up to 5 days. However, there are several factors that need to happen for pregnancy to start and hence it is considered that there is a low risk of becoming pregnant.
Also, many women do not always ovulate on the same day, so fertile days may vary between cycles. So, the best tip for those who don't want to get pregnant is to use other forms of prevention in the 5 days before ovulation and in the 3 days after.
For those who want to get pregnant, this is the best period to try to start pregnancy, having more frequent sexual intercourse. Check out other tips to increase your chances of getting pregnant.
How to know when ovulation happens
Ovulation usually happens 14 days before menstruation, which, in a woman with a regular 28-day cycle, also corresponds to the 14th day of the cycle after menstruation. However, in women with a longer or shorter regular cycle, the ideal is to calculate the day of ovulation 14 days before the expected date of menstruation.
Furthermore, there are also some symptoms that can arise with ovulation, but that can be difficult to identify, such as:
- Slight increase in body temperature;
- Presence of a small transparent and viscous discharge;
- Libido increase.
Women who have an irregular cycle find it more difficult to know in advance their fertile period and, therefore, if they are not trying to get pregnant, they should use other ways to prevent pregnancy, such as the contraceptive pill or condom. Women who take the pill do not ovulate and are therefore not at risk of becoming pregnant. Check out other methods that help prevent an unwanted pregnancy.
If you have a regular cycle, use our online calculator to find out when your fertile period should be:
If you don't have a regular cycle, see how to calculate the fertile period in case of an irregular cycle.
