Believe it or not, this is a very popular question. And just a reminder: there is no such thing as a dumb question. This statement is even more applicable in medicine than in a classroom. This description is how it normally happens. There are exceptions to every rule. If the below information doesn’t sound like you or you have more questions, then you need to see your doctor. It is often beneficial to have preconception counseling with your doctor before you try to have a baby. On to the answer…
A review of the basics:
To get pregnant you need a healthy sperm to meet a healthy egg. In a normal couple, the man produces millions of functional sperm with each ejaculate which live approximately 2-4 days while they search for an egg. If the sperm don’t find an egg, they die (don’t worry, he’ll make billions more). On the other hand, the woman produces one egg per month (twins can happen about 1-3% of the time, but we’re talking normal one-baby pregnancies here). When the egg leaves the ovary, it is called ovulation. The egg then travels into the fallopian tube where the sperm is hopefully hanging out and ready to join the egg. If the sperm and egg join, that is called fertilization. The new embryo (early baby) then travels down the fallopian tube to the uterus (womb) where it lives and grows until the baby is ready to be born.
How do I know when I am ovulating?
If you are having regular monthly periods, you are most likely ovulating every month. Like I said before, there are exceptions to every rule, but think positive. There are all sorts of fancy ovulation kits which “predict” ovulation by measuring your hormone levels and body temperature. These tend to work well, but if you use some simple math and a calendar you can do just as well.
Approximately 14 days after you ovulate, you start your period. Therefore, if you know when your period started this month, you can count backwards 14 days and tell the approximate day that you ovulated last month. This can help you predict approximately when you will ovulate this month. When I am helping patients figure this out, I have a good ole’ fashioned paper calendar in front of me and I mark the days with a pen. I suggest you do the same. For example…
Let’s say Suzy starts her period on July the 1st. She then starts her next period on July the 30th. If you count backwards 14 days from the 30th, this is the day Suzy ovulated, July 16th. Then figure out how many days after her period on July 1st this happened…15 days. By doing this we have figured out that Suzy’s body ovulates about 15 days after she starts each period. So Suzy can now predict about when she ovulates each month. In August, she should ovulate about the 14th (using my calendar I just counted 15 days after July 30th).
Now remember that sperm lives 2-4 days inside the woman. You just need to have sex every 2-3 days starting a couple days before you ovulate until a couple days after you ovulate. So for Suzy I would tell her to start having sex on August 10th or 11th until about the 17th or 18th. Remember, sex every 2-3 days is fine for most people to conceive.
Urine pregnancy tests are very accurate these days and if you become pregnant will be positive when you miss your next period. If so, congratulations! Remember to take your prenatal vitamins, because they can be helpful for the very early development of your baby before the test turns positive!
If not, don’t get discouraged, stay positive. Getting pregnant can take several months in the best of circumstances. If this is not successful after 6-12 months, or you are becoming frustrated, then call your doctor.
I hope this was helpful, and good luck!
by: Robbie Conatser, M.D.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Conatser, please call (843) 792-5300 or you can fill out the online appointment request form.