Pregnancy is a long-awaited and happy time for most women. Having come to a common decision to have a baby, many couples expect conception to happen very soon. However, sometimes it takes several months to wait, and often much longer. If both potential parents are healthy, then pregnancy most often does not occur due to improper planning of the time of conception. It is possible strictly at a certain moment. Is it possible to get pregnant after menstruation? Or does conception occur before they occur? To answer these questions, you need to understand how a new life begins to appear in the body of a woman.
Egg development
When can I get pregnant after menses? On the first day, if the egg is already ripe by this time. Even during their intrauterine life, each female fetus begins to form ovaries, containing several thousand eggs. They are located in small formations - follicles. The eggs during this period are unripe. The girl is born, grows and reaches puberty. From this moment begins the regular maturation of the eggs, which after fertilization with sperm will give rise to a new life. This process is regulated by the pituitary gland by increasing the concentration of certain hormones in a woman’s blood at the time of egg maturation.
The follicle located on the surface of the ovary begins to grow, acquires signs of a cystic formation up to 20 mm in size. Inside it, the egg matures under the influence of hormones. In this case, the growth of the follicle causes an increase in the concentration of the hormone estrogen in the blood of the expectant mother. Under its action, the growth of other ovarian follicles stops. Ovum maturation is accompanied by a change in the endometrium - the inner layer of the uterus. During the previous menstruation, it almost completely disappeared, and a favorable environment is needed for the development of the fetus from a fertilized egg. Therefore, the endometrium is updated.
Ovulation
How many days can I get pregnant after menstruation? It depends on the moment of ovulation. This is the process of the collapse of the follicle and the release of an egg that has matured in it. It is ovulation that is the defining moment in the process of pregnancy. The egg moves along the fallopian tube, heading towards the uterus. If during this period she meets a viable sperm, then fertilization occurs. At the same time, a yellow body appears at the site of the follicle that burst during the release of the egg. If conception occurs, it will produce the hormone progesterone, which ensures the normal course of pregnancy. Ovulation occurs most often 14 days before the onset of menstruation. If a woman has a stable cycle and lasts 28 days, the egg matures in its middle. This allows you to determine exactly the period when the conception of the child is most likely. If the menstrual cycle is less than or greater than 28 days, then the duration of its first phase changes. The next phase (time after the release of the egg and before the onset of menstruation) is also about 14 days (12-16).
Symptoms of the onset of ovulation
Some women, at the time of ovulation, feel pulling or cutting pains from the side where the ovary is located, on the surface of which the egg has matured. It is believed that this is due to damage to the mucous membrane of its surface. Such pains are usually short-term, only in a small number of women they last more than a day and cause significant inconvenience. If this situation recurs during the next cycle, it is better to consult a doctor. He will determine the cause of the ailment and prescribe appropriate treatment if necessary.
Methods for determining the moment of ovulation
What is the likelihood of becoming pregnant after menstruation? To find out this will help determine the time of ovulation. Since this procedure is the first step to the long-awaited conception, you can use several special methods. They allow you to pretty accurately find out when the egg will exit. There are two most popular ways.
1. Basal temperature
Determination of basal temperature - measuring it in the rectum. It is better to produce it with a conventional mercury thermometer, since an electronic device can give significant errors. Measurement is carried out in the morning, at the same time daily. It is best to carry it out immediately after sleep, while in bed.
In the first half of the menstrual cycle, the same temperature is observed every day - about 37 degrees. Then a day before the onset of ovulation, it decreases slightly, then there is a jump of 0.5 degrees. This means that the egg has been released. If the readings of the thermometer throughout the cycle do not change, most likely, ovulation did not happen.
It is worth remembering that such a method cannot be completely reliable. The basal temperature can be affected by the intake of alcohol by a woman, smoking immediately before measurement, or sexual intercourse shortly before the procedure. Stress or an infectious disease also distorts the indicators.
To most accurately predict the onset of ovulation and find out how to get pregnant quickly after menstruation, it is worth taking a temperature in the rectum for 3 months. In this case, you need to make a schedule. If there are any factors affecting the measurement result, such as a cold, they should also be noted. Based on the results of all measurements, it will be possible to guess on what day of the next cycle ovulation will occur.
2. Determining the day of ovulation using specially designed tests
Using this method, it is easy to find out how many days you can get pregnant after your period. These tests can be easily purchased not only in the pharmacy, but also in many stores selling a wide variety of goods. The action of these tests is based on determining the concentration in the urine of a hormone that synthesizes the corpus luteum. If after the measurement the test showed one lane, then there is still a lot of time before ovulation. If there are two bands, then ovulation is already close. The moment of its onset is determined by the color intensity of the appeared second band. As soon as its color coincides with the hue of the control, the moment the egg comes out. This method is quite accurate, however, you need to purchase more than one test. Measurements are recommended to begin to be carried out 6 days before the expected date of ovulation. So the girl is able to find out when you can become pregnant after menstruation.
Sperm structure
Sperm, in contrast to the eggs, are constantly updated in the body of a man. They are formed in the testicles constantly, and not cyclically. As a result of the ejaculation process, millions of sperm enter the external environment.
A sperm is a unicellular organism that carries a specific set of genes. In its structure, three components are distinguished.
- Head. The genetic material is concentrated in it - 23 chromosomes. The head also contains a special component that can dissolve the egg wall in order to invade the cell.
- Neck. This is the link between the sperm head and its tail.
- Tail. This part of the sperm plays an important role - provides its mobility. The tail contains mitochondria, which release energy and allow the sperm to move.
Sperm Viability
Sperm viability and, accordingly, the ability to fertilize the egg are determined by the coordinated functioning of the male genital organs of secretory function. Sperm must have a certain composition of organic substances that are dissolved in it, the necessary acidity and viscosity. If all indicators are normal, then the sperm can move quickly, remain in the fallopian tube for the necessary amount of time, and after fertilization lead to the appearance of a healthy fetus.
Fertilization process
Sperm, once in the vagina, begin their advance along an ascending path into the fallopian tubes. It is there that they can meet an egg moving towards them. There is an opinion that the sperm that fertilizes her first will fertilize her. Most often this is not the case. Sperm cells are viable within 24-72 hours after the fact of ejaculation. To fertilize an egg, you need to not only get to it (it takes a lot of time), but also penetrate into its inner layer. This occurs by splitting the egg wall with a special substance located in the head. So those sperm cells that get to it at the moment of splitting of the last layer of the wall are more likely to fertilize the egg.
After the sperm enters the egg, their genetic material combines, then its cells begin to rapidly divide. A zygote forms. Cell division occurs when a fertilized egg moves through the fallopian tube to the uterine cavity. There, the zygote is introduced into the endometrium, which, in the process of maturation of the egg, acquires a structure favorable for the development of the embryo. The hormonal changes that accompany this whole process prevent the onset of the next menstruation.
Factors Affecting the Occurrence of Conception
Various factors can affect the potential fertilization of an egg. Under their influence, conception can occur at the most unpredictable moment, when, according to all calculations, it should not occur. And, on the contrary, even the most accurate calculation of ovulation time may not give a positive result and may not lead to the onset of a long-awaited pregnancy. When planning a conception of a child, the following features must be taken into account.
- The normal sperm life span is from one to three days. However, sometimes it happens that they can persist for a week. In medical practice, even cases of fertilization of the egg were recorded a couple of weeks after the fact of sexual contact. You can also get pregnant immediately after your period. Of course, this is a rarity, but when planning a pregnancy, it is worth remembering the features of the human body.
- In the same menstrual cycle, in rare cases, two eggs can mature. They exit the ovary at different points. A woman can determine by calculation ovulation of one egg, but not assume that the second is already ripening. So there is a high probability of becoming pregnant after menstruation.
- The menstrual cycle, even in healthy young women, in whom it has long been established and passes every month on schedule, may in some cases shift. The cause of this can be stress, significant physical exertion, a past illness. In older women, malfunctions in the ovulation schedule can occur due to hormonal changes in the body. For example, after the end of menstruation, you can get pregnant quite often, although at this time the woman does not suggest the onset of ovulation.
Pregnancy and menstruation
It is believed that pregnancy cannot occur before, during, or immediately after menstruation. Most often this is true. However, the characteristics of the female body, external factors, as well as the viability of sperm can make conception possible even during this period. So how many days can you get pregnant after your period?
Least of all, pregnancy occurs in the first days from the beginning of menstruation. A particularly unfavorable environment for sperm life is created at this time. Even if due to a shift in the cycle, untimely ovulation occurred, they are unlikely to be able to fertilize the egg and die quickly.
The time before the onset of menstruation, at its completion, and also immediately after the end, cannot be considered completely impossible for conception. A malfunction in the ovulation schedule, the release of two eggs at once during the cycle, as well as sperm cells remaining for a long time, can lead to fertilization. As you can see, you can get pregnant immediately after your period. You need to be prepared for everything.
Pregnancy planning by calculating ovulation time
How many days can I get pregnant after menstruation? The calculation of the time of ovulation can greatly help those women who want to get pregnant as soon as possible. Determining the time of the release of the egg not only makes fertilization possible, but also allows the expectant mother to expect pregnancy. A woman takes a closer look at her health, trying not to allow any action that could damage the health of the future baby.
Can a girl get pregnant after menstruation? Let's try to figure it out. If a woman is healthy, has regular periods and is not under stress, it can be assumed that ovulation will occur on her 14th day with a cycle consisting of 28 days, and on the 16th with a 30-day cycle. Since sperm can last about three days, and the egg can last up to 48 hours, sexual contact is most likely to lead to conception about three days before and after ovulation. This time starts from the 11th day of the cycle and reaches the 16th day. So, you can get pregnant a week after your period.
When choosing a method of contraception, you should not completely rely on a calendar method based on determining the time of ovulation. After all, it is possible to become pregnant after menstruation, before they start and even at the end of menstruation. It is better to consult a gynecologist who will select more reliable contraceptives.