How Will I Know if I am Fertile, Postpartum
Question
I am on my 6th week after I gave birth. I had sex last night. I still have a little bit of blood discharge. Am I going to get pregnant? How will I know if I am fertile or not?
Jona
Answer
Last Updated: December 13, 2014
Dear Jona,
That is a great question! You actually CAN identify the return to fertility, by learning to observe and interpret the signs your body produces. When fertile, a woman produces cervical mucus, which can be observed by adopting a simple routine of daily observations each time she goes to the bathroom. An NFP teacher can teach you the details, and on our website we have a list of the teachers throughout California.
If a woman is totally breastfeeding, not supplementing with bottles or solids, she will not return to fertility for at least eight weeks, and some may even go a year or longer before fertility returns. If she is not breastfeeding, or supplementing the feeding at the breast with bottles, then fertility can return much quicker, even within a couple weeks.
If a woman does not know NFP, this is a mysterious time, for as you note, she has no idea if fertility has returned or not. About half the time, fertility (ovulation) returns before her first period, and the other half oft he time the first ovulation is preceded by a period. But a woman can easily learn to read her own body and identify on a daily basis if she is fertile or infertile, thus providing her with the tools to avoid or achieve a pregnancy, and anticipate when her first period will come.
NFP takes the mystery out of fertility!
Sheila St. John
That is a great question! You actually CAN identify the return to fertility, by learning to observe and interpret the signs your body produces. When fertile, a woman produces cervical mucus, which can be observed by adopting a simple routine of daily observations each time she goes to the bathroom. An NFP teacher can teach you the details, and on our website we have a list of the teachers throughout California.
If a woman is totally breastfeeding, not supplementing with bottles or solids, she will not return to fertility for at least eight weeks, and some may even go a year or longer before fertility returns. If she is not breastfeeding, or supplementing the feeding at the breast with bottles, then fertility can return much quicker, even within a couple weeks.
If a woman does not know NFP, this is a mysterious time, for as you note, she has no idea if fertility has returned or not. About half the time, fertility (ovulation) returns before her first period, and the other half oft he time the first ovulation is preceded by a period. But a woman can easily learn to read her own body and identify on a daily basis if she is fertile or infertile, thus providing her with the tools to avoid or achieve a pregnancy, and anticipate when her first period will come.
NFP takes the mystery out of fertility!
Sheila St. John
Answered By:
Sheila St. John
Sheila St. John is the Executive Director of the California Association of Natural Family Planning, coordinating the non-profit’s education and advocacy efforts throughout the state. Initially attracted to NFP as a healthy, effective method for planning families, drug, device and surgery free, her passion for NFP has grown over the last 42 years as she has journeyed with the over 900 couples she has personally instructed in its use, and been privileged to witness its role in overcoming infertility, women’s health, and the transformation that occurs in lives of men, women, and families, when we embrace God’s design for love and life.
