Fertility Information
Learn basic fertility information and evaluation to help with conception.
Ovulation Guide
Birth control
When you and your partner are ready to be pregnant, you will stop using birth control. Many forms of birth control can be stopped when you are ready. These forms of contraception are considered reversible. They are totally under your control. For example, the use of condoms, birth control pills, birth control patches or vaginal rings may be stopped when you are ready.
Some forms of contraception will necessarily require the assistance of your women’s healthcare provider. Intrauterine devices (IUD) must be removed by a professional so that you may pursue pregnancy. Birth control as Depo Provera lasts for 3 months, so a waiting period to clear the hormone from your body may be required so that ovulation can occur.
Permanent methods of contraception are sometimes chosen by the individual. Examples include permanent female birth control (tubal sterilization, Essure devices, etc.) and permanent male birth control (vasectomy). Situations in life may change. Then, there may be a new dream to add to the family. If one of the couple has previously chosen a permanent contraception method, the couple should seek consultation of an infertility subspecialist in order to discuss their options. Some procedures may be surgically reversed, though there is no guarantee. Sometimes, in vitro fertilization is a better solution.
Your menstrual cycle
Most women of reproductive age experience monthly hormonal changes that prepares her for to become pregnant. Day #1 of the menstrual cycle is measured from the beginning of bleeding in which endometrial tissue and blood falls away from the uterine cavity. Average bleeding frequency is 28 days, though normal cycles vary between 21 to 35 days. Estrogen levels rise during the first half of the menstrual cycle until they peak close to day Then, hormonal changes occur to stimulate the release of a mature egg (ovulation) from an ovarian cyst. Progesterone levels rise during the last part of the menstrual cycle to thicken the lining in the uterus which is prepared to receive a fertilized egg. At the end of the cycle, if pregnancy has not occurred, the progesterone levels fall which allows the uterine lining and blood to fall away and start a new menstrual cycle.
Stork Advisor has a user-friendly ovulation calculator in the Stork Advisor® app and website to help women determine their time of potential ovulation.
Fertility
When the normal ovarian cyst (follicle) releases an egg at about Day #14, the egg may enter the woman’s fallopian tube. If she has had sex about 3 days before and up to the day of ovulation, the man’s sperm is in place to fertilize the egg in the fallopian tube. The woman’s egg lives up to another day, so sex on the day after ovulation can also result in pregnancy. So, there is a window of 5 days in which pregnancy may occur. The fertilized egg is the beginning of life and pregnancy! The fertilized egg usually continues into the uterus. The fertilized egg usually implants into the soft tissue lining of the uterus to grow for the next 9 months.
Ovulation will not occur during pregnancy or menopause. Women who are perimenopausal or breastfeeding may not ovulate on a regular basis. There are other medical and environmental conditions that can limit ovulation. Infertility is usually defined as a year of actively trying to become pregnant without conception.
How to determine ovulation
Increased basal body temperature
- Check your temperature when you wake up. This time is when your body temperature will be its lowest after rest. You don’t want to drink anything or get out of bed before the temperature is measured. Ovulation may have occurred when your temperature increases from one day to the next by about 0.5 ℉. After a couple months, you may determine a similar pattern that indicates your typical time of ovulation. Your chance to get pregnant is best approximately 2-3 days before the anticipated ovulation and for the next 24 hours. The temperature can be inaccurate if you are ill.
Watery cervical mucus
- Hormonal changes cause the woman’s cervical mucus to become more liquid. The thinner fluid allows the sperm more easily enter through the cervix and into the uterus and Fallopian tubes.
Ovulation kits
- These products are over-the-counter. They can be expensive but may help confirm your ovulation time.
Apps
- Stork Advisor has a user-friendly ovulation calculator in the Stork Advisor® app and website to help women determine their time of potential ovulation.