If you're getting your period every month, you're definitely ahead of the game when it comes to your chances of getting pregnant. But, your flow can also offer insight into your fertility—abnormally heavy or
Although this is often considered a blessing, a light period can mean that your uterine lining isn't as thick as it needs to be for the best chance of getting pregnant. The uterine lining provides the resources your embryo needs to implant, so if the lining is too thin, the embryo will struggle to grow.
Although it's normal for menstrual cycles to vary from one person to another, having very short, very long, or unusually erratic cycles can be a sign of fertility concerns, says Jenna Turocy, MD, OB-GYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Columbia University Fertility Center.
The chances of pregnancy are lowest during a person's period and on the days on either side of the period. However, they may still become pregnant if they have ovulated early or late in their cycle, as sperm can survive in the body for several days.
Your most fertile day, and the day you are most likely to ovulate on, is the last day of egg-white cervical mucus. You can also track your ovulation hormone using at-home ovulation tests (sometimes called an ovulation predictor kit, or OPK).
According to the Human Reproduction Journal, you are least likely to get pregnant on day 4 of your cycle, which suggests a 2 percent possibility of pregnancy. This aligns with the idea that your period offers the lowest chance of pregnancy [7].
The main symptom of infertility is the inability to get pregnant. A menstrual cycle that's too long (35 days or more), too short (less than 21 days), irregular or absent can mean that you're not ovulating. There might be no other signs or symptoms.
If regular menstruation occurs, we can assume that ovulation takes place regularly as well. However, the assumption that heavier periods lead to higher fertility is not correct. In this context, it is much more important that periods are as regular and healthy as possible.
Continue counting each day of your cycle until your next cycle starts. On days 1-7, you're not considered to be fertile and can have unprotected sex, though you may have menstrual bleeding on those days. On days 8-19, you're considered to be fertile. Avoid unprotected sex or abstain from sex to avoid pregnancy.
Takeaway. Irregular ovulation can lead to irregular periods. Irregular ovulation doesn't mean you can't get pregnant, but it can make your ability to conceive a little harder. Seek professional and medical help to regulate your menstrual cycle and better determine when you ovulate each month.
Tests for infertility include laboratory tests, imaging tests, and certain procedures. Imaging tests and procedures look at the reproductive organs and how they work. Laboratory tests often involve testing samples of blood or semen.
Male fertility generally starts to reduce around age 40 to 45 years when sperm quality decreases. Increasing male age reduces the overall chances of pregnancy and increases time to pregnancy (the number of menstrual cycles it takes to become pregnant) and the risk of miscarriage and fetal death.
Your fertile window is the five days leading up to ovulation, plus the day of ovulation and the day after ovulation — so about seven days in total. It's important to note that if you have irregular periods and the length of your menstrual cycle varies from month to month, the calendar method won't be accurate for you.
Although a man's fertility can theoretically last until death, sperm production has been found to decline from around the age of 50. Although it is still possible to conceive a child, and many men do have children in their 50s or later, it may take longer for you and your partner to become pregnant.
Duration and amount of menstrual bleeding may also serve as fertility indicators, reflecting growth of the endometrial lining and the occurrence of ovulation. Shorter bleeds may indicate unsuitable endometrium for implantation, and longer bleeds may indicate anovulatory cycles (1).
What Causes Infertility? Problems with ovulation are the most common reasons for infertility in women. A woman's age, hormonal imbalances, weight, exposure to chemicals or radiation and cigarette smoking all have an impact on fertility.
During the average woman's menstrual cycle there are six days when intercourse can result in pregnancy; this “fertile window” comprises the five days before ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Just as the day of ovulation varies from cycle to cycle so does the timing of the six fertile days.
What we do know is that withdrawal works about 78% of the time overall. But the odds of pregnancy are always higher during the 5 days leading up to, and during, ovulation — these are called fertile days. If no semen gets on your vulva or in your vagina, pregnancy can't happen — whether or not you're ovulating.
In an average 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation typically occurs about 14 days before the start of the next menstrual period. However, each person's cycle length may be different, and the time between ovulation and the start of the next menstrual period may vary.
Samples collected between the hours of 5am and 7.30am were found to display a statistically higher sperm concentration, total sperm count and a greater percentage of normally shaped sperm, when compared with samples that were collected later in the day.
Sperm motility
Whereas sperm quality is at the best levels between ages 30-35, motility is best before age 25. And as with semen quality, motility declines dramatically after age 55.
It takes just one sperm to fertilize a woman's egg. Keep in mind, though, for each sperm that reaches the egg, there are millions that don't. On average, each time men ejaculate they release nearly 100 million sperm.