How do I know when I am fertile?
Question
Good evening,
I have been searching your site and haven’t come across the answer that I’m looking for.
My husband and I wed in November and have not been using protection/pills since our wedding. We haven’t exactly been trying to become pregnant but have sex regularly. I am 25 years old and my husband is 30. He is a smoker & I am a non-smoker.
We started really trying four months ago and have had no luck, though we have sex at least 3x a week. I haven’t tried any of the tracking temperature methods or anything like that.
Can you give me some advice around the best time to try, the most fertile times, and a better way for me to be tracking conception?
I would appreciate it so much.
Thanks,
Cheryl
Answer
Last Updated: February 13, 2014
Dear Cheryl,
The fertile phase of the menstrual cycle can easily be identified with some instructions. Women ovulate each menstrual cycle under the influence of the hormone estrogen. Once the ovum or egg is released it lives only 12-24 hours. At the same time the crypts in the cervix of the uterus produce a clear egg white mucus discharge which will support the sperm to live 3-5 days in the female body. This cervical mucus is a great indicator of the fertile phase of the women’s cycle. I would invite you to locate an instructor in Natural Family Planning who could teach you how to tack your signs of fertility. A complete physical examination might be in order as well. Many couples find that once they identify the fertile phase, the desired pregnancy occurs quickly. Should a pregnancy not occur, you would have the support of your instructor as to the best plan of action to pursue.
Best of luck,
Winnie Neill
The fertile phase of the menstrual cycle can easily be identified with some instructions. Women ovulate each menstrual cycle under the influence of the hormone estrogen. Once the ovum or egg is released it lives only 12-24 hours. At the same time the crypts in the cervix of the uterus produce a clear egg white mucus discharge which will support the sperm to live 3-5 days in the female body. This cervical mucus is a great indicator of the fertile phase of the women’s cycle. I would invite you to locate an instructor in Natural Family Planning who could teach you how to tack your signs of fertility. A complete physical examination might be in order as well. Many couples find that once they identify the fertile phase, the desired pregnancy occurs quickly. Should a pregnancy not occur, you would have the support of your instructor as to the best plan of action to pursue.
Best of luck,
Winnie Neill
Answered By:
Winnie Neill, CFCP
Winnie Neill, a Professional Member of CANFP, is a certified FertilityCare Practitioner, and taught NFP 23 years in the Sacramento region. She served on the Sacramento Diocese NFP Advisory Board, the American Academy of NFP Board and the CANFP Executive Board. She and her husband Bob have been married 63 years
