How long does ovulation last?
How long does ovulation last? How many days am I fertile? These are very common questions and the answer is not the same for all.
First of all, it is good to clarify what ovulation is, a very natural event that most women (unless there are major problems) experience, from adolescence to menopause.
Ovulation is the moment when the mature follicle releases the oocyte which is taken up by the tubes. If during its journey through the tubes to the uterus, the egg meets the sperm, it can be fertilized to initiate pregnancy.
Once freed from the follicle, the oocyte can be fertilized within the following 12-24 hours maximum, then it degenerates.
The woman is not only fertile for these 24 hours but also for several days before ovulation.
In fact, the week preceding the release of the oocyte is characterized by an important symptom: the presence of cervical mucus which allows the sperm to be conveyed and survived for several days (about 3-5 days) in the woman’s body after intercourse.
For this reason, what is defined as the fertile window or fertile period can be on average 6-7 days (the 5-6 days preceding ovulation, the day of ovulation and the day after).
It may happen that the woman releases more than one oocyte but in a maximum interval of 24 hours. There are no double or multiple ovulations days apart.
In an ideal 28 day cycle the ovarian follicles begin to reach maturity between day six and fourteen of the menstrual cycle. The main follicle matures between the 10th and 14th day and then bursting free the oocyte.
In those who don’t have regular cycles or cycles other than 28 days, the calculations are more complicated and sometimes unpredictable. What is known for sure is that menstruations always arrive 11-16 days after ovulation if there has been no conception. Therefore being able to identify ovulation also becomes important to understand when it is actually late to take a reliable pregnancy test .
Understand the symptoms and help yourself with ovulation tests and basal temperature
From the reasons written above it is clear that to understand when you are fertile (both if you are trying or if you want to avoid pregnancy) it is essential to understand the symptoms related to ovulation.
Ovulation tests that only read the LH hormone become positive with the peak of the hormone occurring a few hours before ovulation, but the woman has already been fertile for a few days. In fact, before the LH peak, estrogen increases, and this increase determines the production of fertile cervical mucus (which has the consistency similar to egg white).
Ovulation tests with dual hormone indicators such as Persona or Clearblue ovulation tests also identify the days when this increase in estrogen is recorded.
If the presence of cervical mucus can help us understand that we have entered the fertile period, the basal temperature confirms that we have ovulated. In fact, the mature follicle, after bursting to release the oocyte, is transformed into a corpus luteum which produces progesterone.
Progesterone has the effect of increasing body temperature. For this reason, the basal temperature (the one measured upon awakening in complete rest) undergoes an increase from the day following ovulation: if the basal temperature is measured for the entire menstrual cycle, a biphasic trend can be seen due to the increase in temperatures after ovulation. ovulation.
What prevents ovulation?
The lack of ovulation is usually linked to hormonal problems.
For example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition triggered by an imbalance of progesterone and estrogen.
High levels of prolactin ( hyperprolactinaemia ) in the blood can also prevent ovulation.
Furthermore, impaired thyroid function could make ovulation difficult.
Can you have menstrual-like discharge even if you don’t ovulate?
Yes, but usually these losses are different from menstruation: either they are less abundant and last less or they could last too long..
What are the chances of pregnancy depending on when you have intercourse?
When you have intercourse on fertile days, we always talk about probability and never about certainty. Conception depends on many factors : vitality of the sperm and oocyte, receptivity of the woman’s uterus, age (especially of the woman) and other factors which vary greatly from one couple to another.
In general it has been seen that the chances of conceiving five days before ovulation is 7%. At four days earlier the odds increase to between 8 and 17%. The percentage increases as you get closer to the day of ovulation. When ovulation occurs, there is a maximum of 33% chance of conception. The day after ovulation, the odds drop to between 0.8 and 11%, while the odds are between 3 and 9% the second day after ovulation (Wilcox et all.).
You hardly ever ovulate on day 14
Only a small percentage of women, even among those who have 28-day cycles, ovulate exactly 14 days after their period. This is why you should NEVER make calculations when trying to avoid pregnancy. For those who are looking for pregnancy instead of calculations, if you want to do them, you must always associate a valid method based on symptoms (mucus, temperature, test) in order to correctly identify the day of ovulation and the fertile days that precede it. This applies to both regular and irregular cycles, adolescent girls, and premenopausal women.
When to have intercourse if you are trying to get pregnant?
If you don’t want to use tests, graphs or anything else to understand your fertile days, it would be enough to have reports every 2-3 days (or at least 2-3 times a week).
If ovulation tests are used, it is good to have intercourse from the moment of positive tests until at least two days have passed since the last positive test. Abstinence longer than 5 days on infertile days should also be avoided.
If you monitor the mucus it is sufficient to have intercourse every other day from the moment the cervical mucus appears and up to three days after its disappearance. The observations on the mucus should never be made before 24 hours from the last intercourse, to avoid interference in the observation (given by the seminal fluid and by the loss of lubrication due to excitement).
How to improve fertility
There are some simple tips that you can take to increase your fertility and thus increase your chances of getting pregnant.
One above all is maintaining an optimal weight. A body mass index (BMI) between 19 and 24 is considered healthy. A value above (or below) this range requires consultation with a nutritionist or dietitian.
As overweight and obesity are enemies of fertility, among all the negative effects of cigarette smoke, it also has that of decreasing the fertility of women and men.
Annual gynecological visits, pap tests and monitoring of thyroid values are essential to keep your reproductive health under control.
For males, if pregnancy does not occur, it is very important to perform a spermiogram .
Summing up
How long does ovulation last? Ovulation itself lasts 24 hours (from the release of the oocyte to its degeneration) but there is, overall, a fertile window of 6-7 days in order to conceive a child. This window includes the week before ovulation, the day of ovulation and the day after.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle made up of proper nutrition, moderate physical activity, quitting smoking, stopping drinking alcohol, reducing coffee to one cup a day helps fertility. Never have less than 3 intercourses a week in the fertile window. In any case, intercourse every other day is more than sufficient in this phase.
If you notice very irregular or abnormal cycles, it is advisable to have a gynecological check-up and hormonal checks.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.