Some women dream of a child and carefully calculate the days favorable for conception, other ladies try in every possible way to avoid unwanted pregnancy, and do essentially the same thing. Both those and others are interested in whether it is possible to become pregnant not on the days of ovulation. In this article, we will take a closer look at this issue.
How does conception take place?
To conceive a child, you need at least two factors - a mature and suitable for fertilization egg and live and motile spermatozoa, which at the right time were in the right place.
A man's sperm retain their fertile properties on any day of the month, at any time of the year, for almost all of his life after puberty and until old age. A woman's sex cells are capable of fertilization only during the ovulation period, which lasts 1-2 days during a month.
The ovulation period usually occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle. In the first 14 days after the onset of menstruation, the follicle in the ovary matures. It is from it on the right day that a mature egg should come out into the ampullar part of the fallopian tube.
It is physically impossible to get pregnant in the first phase of the cycle, unless, of course, everything is in order with the menstrual cycle and a hormonal disruption has not occurred, as a result of which ovulation occurs prematurely.
On the day of ovulation, a woman is as fertile as possible, as well as within a day after ovulation, because the life of an egg is short - no more than a day. If at this time it does not meet with male gametes, the female reproductive cell dies, descends into the uterine cavity and leaves on the first day of the new cycle along with menstrual bleeding.
However, you should not assume that unprotected sex is dangerous from the point of view of the likelihood of getting pregnant only on the day of ovulation and days later. The fact is that male germ cells have greater viability than female oocytes. In favorable conditions of the female body, they can remain active and capable of fertilization for 3-4 days. Some sources indicate that certain individuals even survive for 5-6 days.
Thus, sex before ovulation with ejaculation in the genital tract of a woman may well cause pregnancy. Considering the average lifespan of male gametes, it is reasonable to assume that 3-4 days before ovulation and the same amount after it will be dangerous, adjusted for late ovulation, delayed by 1-2 days. In this case, the ovum released from the follicle will meet with the sperm, which "waited" for it for several days. Conception is highly probable.
There are also very rare cases in which conception occurs on days more distant from ovulation. This usually applies to the second half of the menstrual cycle. Rarely, but it happens that in one cycle, a woman ripens two eggs at once instead of the traditional one.
It is not necessary that ovulation will occur on the same day. Even if the first ovulation did not end with fertilization and the first oocyte dies, the second egg may well be fertilized, which will be released into another fallopian tube later. In this case, an abnormal menstruation may even occur - short and scanty, different from the usual, but already in the following periods, menstruation will not occur, and the doctor states to the surprised woman that she has already been pregnant for about two months.
Causes of pregnancy on non-ovulatory days
In order for a woman to better understand her body, she must know for sure: conception itself can occur exclusively on the day of ovulation and within 24 hours after it. But even if there was no sex at all on the day of ovulation, pregnancy, as we found out, is not excluded if sexual intercourse without contraception occurred before ovulation or will occur after it.
Pregnancy in this case can occur not only from sperm that enters the genital tract during ejaculation, but also from the pre-seminal fluid that is released from a man at the time of sexual arousal. Of course, the sperm content in it is much lower, but there are many such unplanned pregnancies in the practice of any obstetrician-gynecologist.
A woman may not be aware that the menstrual cycle calculated by her many times can change. The reasons for this are manifold: a change in the climatic zone, acclimatization, hormonal imbalance, taking medications and getting ARVI or influenza, severe stress and chronic fatigue.
Ovulation may be delayed or occur earlier than expected, as a result, a situation may arise in which the woman will be confident in the safety of the period, and conception will occur.
Recommendations for those planning a pregnancy
To be able to conceive a child, you need to accurately determine the period of ovulation. It is on these days that sexual intercourse should be most active. If a woman's cycle lasts 28 days, then ovulation, according to the calendar method, can be expected on the 14th day, if the cycle lasts 30 days, ovulation occurs on the 15-16th day, and so on.
Many women feel ovulation and know its symptoms - a couple of days before the fertile period, the nature of the secretions changes - they become more abundant and viscous to ensure ease of sexual intercourse. The acidity of the vagina is reduced so that the sperm have a better chance of surviving and getting to the egg.
The exact way to find out the day of ovulation is ultrasound. Ultrasound examination of the follicles will make it possible to predict the day of the oocyte leaving the dominant follicle with an accuracy of up to a day. Pharmacy ovulation tests can also help determine a fertile period.
To exclude an error, doctors recommend a planning couple to engage in unprotected sex from the 10th day of the menstrual cycle every other day. Daily intimate pleasures reduce the quality of sperm, the number of mobile and strong gametes in it becomes less. The mode of intimate life after 2 days up to 16-17 days of the cycle increases the chances of conception.
It should be noted that a great many factors influence the fertilization process, therefore the average probability of successful conception from the first time within one cycle does not exceed 7-10%.
A healthy lifestyle, vitamin intake by partners, psychological comfort and proper nutrition will help increase the chances. If it is impossible to conceive a baby within a year, a doctor's consultation is required and a search for reasons for a decrease in fertility or infertility is required.
Tips for those who protect themselves
The calendar method of contraception brings many women to the doctor's office. They want to get rid of the unplanned child. The consequences of abortion can be devastating both for a woman's health and for her state of mind, because understanding the depth and seriousness of a committed act sometimes comes much later and remains with a woman for life.
The calendar method in combination with interrupted sexual intercourse is a time bomb that will one day surely "explode".
Now women may well choose for themselves a different, more reliable method of contraception. To take oral contraceptives, it is important to consult a doctor, because the independent choice of hormonal drugs can subsequently lead to disruption of the functioning of the ovaries, and a woman can no longer become a mother when she wants to.
The method of barrier contraception - a condom - is considered quite reliable. It does not harm women's health, does not force her to constantly count the days of the menstrual cycle, since it is possible to have intercourse in a condom any day. It is only important to make sure that the contraceptive is not defective, that it is correctly put on and removed correctly.
There are women who prefer to use a condom only on “dangerous” days. You can protect yourself this way, but from the shift of the cycle, as already mentioned, no one is insured and the "safe", according to the woman, the period may well turn out to be fertile.
Intrauterine devices, caps, hormone injections that protect against pregnancy for a long time, creams and vaginal pills for emergency contraception (15 minutes before sexual intercourse or immediately after it, depending on the drug) - there are many options not to be afraid of ovulation days and not wait with horror whether the next period will come. The main thing is to consult with a gynecologist, who will help you choose the remedy that suits you in the best way.
But even for women who are protected, it is important to navigate their own menstrual cycle in order to notice possible pathological changes in time, because the displacement and abnormal course of the cycle is accompanied by a large list of female and general diseases, from which no one is immune.
The gynecologist will tell you whether it is possible to get pregnant after menstruation in the video below.
