Fertile period or fertile window is the period around the ovulation. Your chances of conceiving is at its highest if you try to conceive during this period. Almost eighty percent couples will get pregnant within a year of having regular unprotected sex. Another fifteen per cent will conceive by two years of having started actively trying to conceive.
It is important that you are aware of your fertile period (also called fertile window) in order to maximise your chances of getting pregnant naturally.
How to understand your fertile days
To know your fertile days or peak fertility window, the first step will be to keep a menstrual diary. It will be useful to identify the variation in cycle lengths. If you know the expected date of your next period, then you deduct 12 days from it and add another four days.
These four days will be the fertile days when your ovulation is expected. Regular sex during this period will maximise your chances of conceiving each month.
Besides this, you can also look for signs of ovulation every month. These are the changes that take place in response to the hormone changes each month. You can chart your body temperature and check for the rise in temperature following ovulation. You may also notice increase in clear vaginal discharge.
Tracking ovulation
These days most women will use an app or an ovulation calculator. You can access ovulation calculators either online or on a smartphone. There are many versions of both android and iPhone apps. You will have to input some information such as your age, cycle lengths and dates of menstrual period. This may differ slightly from one app to another.
You can also use a urine ovulation prediction test to identify the fertile days or periods of peak fertility. You can choose either a digital and non-digital version. Both of these are just as sensitive in predicting fertile period or fertile window. You can buy these over the counter without prescription.
If you are still unsure of the fertile window or period of peak fertility, then you can arrange an appointment at London IVF clinic for follicle tracking. This gives an in-depth analysis on the development of follicle and ovulation.
Ovulation Tracking for Irregular Periods
If you have irregular periods, then you may be suffering from ovulatory dysfunction. This means that you are not ovulating every month, which in turn would be preventing you from getting pregnant. This can be easily treated with ovulation induction at a London Fertility Clinic. Ovulation induction can be achieved with pills such as clomiphene (Clomid ®) or Letrozole; or gonadotrophin injection such as Gonal F, Menopur, Fostimon or Merional.
Besides identifying fertile window or period of peak fertility, you should also focus on general aspects of health and lifestyle to maximise your chances of getting pregnant without having to go through IVF treatment.
At London IVF Clinic, we look for ways of maximising your fertility and hopefully avoid complex fertility treatments like IVF. Hence, preconception preparation is important. So, make sure that you are eating healthy diet, taking regular exercise, maintaining healthy weight or body mass index (BMI) and minimising stress. Overweight or obesity can lead to ovulation dysfunction and irregular periods. Smoking can affect the ovarian reserve. Hence, you should quit smoking or at least switch to e-cigarettes.
By just taking that little extra care, majority of couples should be successful in conceiving naturally. However, if you are less than thirty five years and have been unsuccessfully trying for one year, then you should arrange an appointment at a London fertility clinic. If you are over thirty five, then may want to see a fertility specialist after six months of having actively tried naturally.
