Your Fertile Days
Did you know that you actually only have a few fertile days each cycle? Despite what you were told when you were younger, females are not fertile all the time. It can be really frustrating to discover you don't just automatically fall pregnant, especially if you've spent alot of time avoiding pregnancy up until now.
The reality is, though, that you have certain days each cycle when your body is ready to conceive. This is actually very good for you because your body also gives clear signals when these fertile days arrive.
You're most likely to conceive in the middle of a “normal” cycle. I say “normal” because that's what the textbooks say – a “normal” cycle is 28 days and you ovulate around day 14.
However, this may not be true for you! Your best chance at getting pregnant maybe nowhere near day 14!
(NOTE: Want the Top Easy Steps to Boosting Your Fertility? Use these 5 simple, evidence-based steps to get pregnant and carry your healthy baby to term. Get them here.)
Usually you ovulate about 14 days before the end of your cycle. This time period from ovulation to the end of your cycle is called your luteal phase. It remains pretty consistent in most women and is usually around 12-14 days.
If you're charting and find that you consistently have a luteal phase shorter than 12-14 days you're dealing with a luteal phase defect that should be corrected. You could be conceiving successfully but unable to sustain a pregnancy. There are natural ways to increase your luteal phase length.
Making Things Add Up
Now think with me here. If your typical cycle is 40 days long, and your luteal phase is usually 14 days long, what day are you ovulating? I'll save you the math – you ovulate around day 26 of your cycle.
But what if you assumed your fertile days were on day 13 or 14? Unless your man has some super swimmers, this is way, way too early for you to get pregnant (and lets be honest, even if your man is the most fertile guy on the earth, your chances of conception from sex 12 days before you ovulate are zero :p)
So it's important to realize that fertile days are based on your own body, and your own cycle – it's not based on “day 14.” This is one of the greatest myths taught in “reproductive health” classes. You're only ever presented with a textbook cycle and your cycle may differ greatly.
I suspect young women are not taught details about their fertility or how to recognize their own bodies because authority figures fear what young women might do with this information. I won't carry on with that line of thought because this isn't the place – but it's important for you to realize that your cycle may be different than that fear-based, obligatory textbook cycle was.
Start charting and get a feel for your cycle. Your most fertile days are the few just before ovulation and the day of ovulation. Your body shows clear signs for you to identify the days best for you to get pregnant!
If your body isn't showing clear signs don't worry – I'll show you how to improve those (and I'll show you some non-invasive tools modern science has brought to your bathroom and bedside table that can help you out)
(NOTE: Want the Top Easy Steps to Boosting Your Fertility? Use these 5 simple, evidence-based steps to get pregnant and carry your healthy baby to term. Get them here.)