How the ovulation cycle works

Baby girls are born with ovaries filled with hundreds of thousands of eggs. The ova remain dormant until puberty, at which point the pituitary gland produces hormones that stimulate the ovaries to produce the female sex hormones, including estrogen. The secretion of these hormones causes a girl to sexually mature and begin ovulating, which typically occurs around every 28 days or so.

Ovulation is regulated by a complex system of hormonal and chemical secretions from the ovaries, the hypothalamus in the brain, and the pituitary gland, which controls most hormonal secretions. Women can ovulate anywhere between every 22 to 30 days, although it’s typically around every 28 days. Ovulation occurs mid cycle, so for most women it’s around the fourteenth day, or two weeks before the start of menstruation. Women with longer cycle you will ovulate later; with a short cycle it will happen earlier.

During ovulation, the ovaries release eggs into the fallopian tubes, which are no wider than a sewing needle. The fallopian tubes are lined with tiny hairs that push the egg toward the uterus.
If the egg is fertilized by a sperm, it moves to the uterus, becomes implanted in the uterine lining, and grows for the next nine months. If the egg is not fertilized while in the fallopian tube, it dries up and exits the body about two weeks later, along with blood and tissue from the inner lining of the uterus, in a process called menstruation.

An egg is able to be fertilized for only about 12 to 24 hours. That means the most fertile time of your menstrual cycle is approximately two to three days before and after ovulation. Sperm can live in the body for three to five days, which gives a window of about five to seven days to get pregnant.

There are several ways to determine the optimal time to get pregnant. It’s possible to identify ovulation by changes in the body such as fertile cervical mucus which occurs during ovulation. Cervical mucus is thicker and more slippery than normal vaginal discharges, which helps keep the sperm alive as it travels to the egg.

Right before ovulation, a women’s level of Luteinizing hormone (LH) increases. So when the hormone is at its highest, it means the woman is about to ovulate. You can buy LH test strips at the pharmacy to check hormone levels in urine.

The traditional way is to take your temperature with a basal thermometer, which is designed to show the slightest of body temperature changes, as soon as you wake up. In the majority of women, body temperature rises slightly right after ovulation occurs each month and does not go back to normal until the woman’s period begins. This time of elevated temperature is the optimal time to become pregnant. Some women write down their temperature on a calendar in order to see the pattern that emerges.

However, many women use an ovulation calculator to help identify their peak fertilization time. To use the calculator, input the exact date your last period started and the average number of days between cycles. The calculator then calculates the fertility window, the ovulation date, and the estimated pregnancy due date.

Other calculators ask for your average luteal phase, which is the number of days from ovulation to the end of your menstrual cycle. If you do not know yours, use the average of 14 days for most women. But you can be more accurate by charting the signs of ovulation through the methods previously mentioned to get an average of your luteal phase and use that info for the calculator.

Just a reminder: ovulating is not the same as being fertile—the ability to produce offspring. If after an extended length of time you fail to get pregnant, you may want to consult with a physician to see if there are any physical factors or conditions affecting you or your partner’s fertility. That’s why tt is always advisable to work closely with your doctor once you decide to get pregnant. Have a thorough physical to make sure you are in optimum health and aren’t suffering from any condition that could compromise your health or the fetus’s, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Also, talk to your doctor about nutrition. It is also a good idea to prepare for pregnancy by getting eight hours of sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. Your doctor may suggest taking certain vitamins and adjust your diet to improve your chances for conception, such as reducing or cutting out processed meats, refined sugars, and dairy products for a few weeks.

Weight can also affect fertility so instituting an exercise plan that helps you drop a few pounds can also help conception and improve your overall health.

Pregnancy calendars come in many different styles and are available as desk and wall calendars or in online versions. Most online calendars email subscribers with weekly updates such as diagrams to show what stage of development your baby is at. The electronic pregnancy calendars also send reminders about things like registering for a childbirth classes and they can be shared with family and friends.

The advantage of a wall or desk calendar is that it acts as a kind of scrapbook keepsake on which you can track your pregnancy and note special dates, such as the first time you fell your baby kick. As with the online calendars, most printed pregnancy calendars include information about development and other information related to pregnancy. They also provide space for journal entries so you can write down your thoughts or experiences. Many women end up utilizing both an online service and a printed calendar so they get the best features of both.

Ultrasounds
In order for the pregnancy calendar to give you the timeliest information, you need to know your due date. The best way to determine due date is through an ultrasound, which are conducted throughout the pregnancy for different purposes. In the early stages, it’s used to determine if there is a single fetus or if there are twins—or more. Ultrasounds can also detect birth deformities and abnormalities.

In the last couple months of pregnancy, ultrasounds are used to see how well the baby is developing, to check the blood in the umbilical cord functioning properly, and to make sure the placenta is positioned correctly.

What to Expect in Each Trimester
Just as every baby is unique, no two pregnancies are the same so nobody can ever tell you exactly what you will experience. But generally speaking, there are some things you can anticipate. The most obvious is, you will gain weight. According to the Institute of Medicine:

? If your pre-pregnancy weight was in the healthy range for your height (a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9), you should gain between 25 and 35 pounds.

? If you were underweight (a BMI below 18.5), you should gain 28 to 40 pounds.

? If you were overweight (a BMI of 25 to 29.9), you should gain 15 to 25 pounds.

? If you were obese (a BMI of 30 or higher), you should gain between 11 and 20 pounds.

A woman’s body goes through a lot of other changes besides weight gain during the first trimester, which is the first three months of pregnancy. Hormonal changes affect almost every organ system, which can result in a host of symptoms, including tender, swollen breasts; nausea or vomiting; cravings or avoidance of certain foods; mood swings; constipation; headaches; and fatigue.

During the second trimester, weeks 13 to 28, many of the symptoms experienced in the first trimester, especially morning sickness and fatigue, will go away. The baby bump turns into full blown pregnant belly and it is during this trimester when the baby first begins to move.

As the baby grows some women will experience body aches, especially in the back, groin, or thigh. You may also see the beginning of stretch marks on the stomach, thighs and even breasts, which have ballooned in size. Occasionally, patches of darker skin will appear over the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip, a condition called Chloasma, but commonly known as the mask of pregnancy. The discoloration, which fades after birth, may be diminished by eating foods high in folic acid.

The final trimester, weeks 29 to 40, can be the most physically difficult as the baby grows to full term. Because of the pressure the growing baby is putting on your internal organs, breathing can be more difficult and you’ll find yourself going to the bathroom constantly even though your bladder hardly had anything in it. Some women get swollen ankles or fingers and hemorrhoids can be a problem.

By the end of 37 weeks, a baby is considered full term because their organs are ready to function on their own. As the due date approaches, the baby may turn into a head-down position for birth. Most newborns weigh between six and nine pounds and are 19 to 21 inches long.

Preparing for Delivery

Many pregnant women worry about whether the physical or emotional symptoms they are experiencing are normal. Attending childbirth classes gives women a place to voice their concerns as well as preparing them for delivery through various tips and techniques. Another way to ease anxiety is to create a birth plan, which is a list of instructions you prepare in advance of labor to help you through the delivery process.

A typical birth plan, which is given to your practitioner, includes information such as who you would like in attendance (partner, friends, family, midwife, etc), atmosphere (music, dim lighting), labor props (birthing stool, squatting bar), pain management preferences (acupressure, breathing techniques, medication), whether you want cord blood banked, and any other items that are important to you. It is important to note that a birth plan is a wish list, not a contract. While most practitioners try their best to honor the mom-to-be’s requests, some may not be possible depending on the circumstances of the birth. So don’t fret over the small stuff and concentrate on the big picture—introducing your newborn baby to the world.