Patient's question:
When is the safe period and when is the ovulation period? My menstruation is every 7th or 8th day. Does the menstrual period refer to the 3 days before menstruation or the time when the menstrual blood has already arrived?Doctor's answer:
Hello, the ovulation date for women is generally about 14 days before the next menstrual period. After the egg is released from the ovary, it can survive for 1-2 days in the fallopian tube, waiting for fertilization; male sperm can maintain fertilizing ability in the female reproductive tract for 2-3 days, so sexual intercourse during the days before and after ovulation increases the likelihood of conception. For safety, we refer to the 5 days before the ovulation date, the 4 days after it, and the ovulation date itself as a total of 10 days, known as the fertile window. Because sexual intercourse during the fertile window increases the likelihood of conception, it is also called the "unsafe period" or "high-risk period."The safe period is divided into the pre-ovulation safe period and the post-ovulation safe period. The period from the day after menstruation ends to the day before the start of the fertile window is the pre-ovulation safe period. The period from the day after the fertile window ends to the day before the next menstrual period is the post-ovulation safe period. The post-ovulation safe period is safer than the pre-ovulation safe period. This is because some women may experience early ovulation due to environmental changes or emotional fluctuations, which shortens the pre-ovulation safe period without their knowledge, making it less safe. It is rare for a woman to ovulate twice in one menstrual cycle, meaning that once ovulation occurs, there is usually no second ovulation until the next menstrual period. Therefore, the post-ovulation safe period is considered safer.