Patient's question:
Hello doctor!My husband and I want to have a baby, but we haven't been pregnant for several months (I was checked before and don't have any gynecological problems). My last period was on December 1st, with a duration of 7 days, and my cycle is about 28 days. Could it be that my ovulation day is around the 10th to 19th? If so, should we have sex on each of those days to get pregnant? Or did I calculate the ovulation day incorrectly? Please tell me, thank you.
Doctor's answer:
Hello, a normal fertile woman's ovary releases one mature egg each month. After the egg is released, it enters the fallopian tube and generally survives for 1 to 2 days. In contrast, sperm produced by men are continuous. Sperm typically remains active in the female reproductive tract for 2 to 3 days, and their fertilization capability lasts for up to 48 hours. If a woman has sexual intercourse within a certain time frame before or after ovulation, she may become pregnant. This period is called the "ovulation period."It is important to understand this period. On one hand, it increases the chances of conception for couples who have been unable to conceive due to missing the female ovulation period. On the other hand, it allows couples who do not wish to conceive temporarily to avoid pregnancy by having intercourse outside the "ovulation period" without other contraception methods.
Common methods for calculating the "ovulation period" include:
1. Cervical mucus observation method (must be done at a hospital).
2. Basal body temperature measurement method. This refers to the body temperature measured right after waking up from a long period of sleep (usually in the morning), before any physical activity or speaking. This is the basal body temperature. Under normal circumstances, the basal body temperature of a fertile woman is lower in the first half of the menstrual cycle, even lower during ovulation, and can suddenly or gradually rise by 0.3–0.6°C within 24 hours to a few days after ovulation.
Therefore, it is best to start measuring basal body temperature on the first day of menstruation, measure it daily, and record the results on graph paper for observation and analysis.
3. Calculation based on the date of menstruation. This method assumes that each ovulation occurs approximately 14 days before the onset of menstruation. Thus, the "ovulation period" is considered to be 5 days before to 5 days after ovulation.