How many weeks do you ovulate after your period

When planning a baby, a couple needs to make sure that they are having regular intercourse and that it is at the correct time in a woman's menstrual cycle. Awareness of your fertility window increases your chances of conception.

The so called fertility window is the days in the menstrual cycle when conception is possible. This is from the day the egg is released (ovulation) and the five days prior.

The reason for this is that sperm can survive for up to five days and the egg for only 12-24 hours.  We recommend tracking your cycles and aiming for intercourse at least every second day during this time.

If you have irregular cycles, we recommend you aim for intercourse every second to third day.

How to track your cycle

Working out your fertility window can be helped by tracking your menstrual cycle. You can simply mark your periods on a calendar or try some of the many apps available online (none of which are proven or endorsed by Fertility PLUS).

The average menstrual cycle is 28-35 days. Ovulation usually occurs 14 days prior to your period starting. We recommend you track two to three cycles and work out the average length of your cycle. From this you can work out the average time you are likely to ovulate.

• If your cycle is 28 days, ovulation should occur on day 14. Therefore aim to have regular intercourse from 10 days after your period has started.
• If your period is 35 days, then ovulation should occur at 21 days and intercourse should be from 17 days after your period started.

Ovulation

There are bodily signs that change over the month that can help you to identify if you have ovulated.

Signs of ovulation

• Change in cervical mucus: Just before ovulation your cervical mucus changes to become clear and slippery, this is to allow the sperm to pass through the cervix. After ovulation the mucus becomes thicker and changes to a white/yellow colour, and hinders sperm transport.
• Changes in bodily hormones: Measuring a woman's luteinising hormone (LH) can help indicate ovulation, as the LH increases one to two days prior to ovulation. LH can be measured in the urine and is the basis of commercial ovulation kits. These are generally used for five to six days prior to your expected ovulation day. Commercial ovulation kits should be used with caution as there is limited evidence of the effectiveness in improving fertility outcomes.
• Changes in body temperature: Measuring your 'basal temperature' has been used to help identify if ovulation has occurred. Fertility PLUS does not recommend this technique as it is often inaccurate and can increase your stress levels. It is a retrospective test, so once your temperature has increased, you have already ovulated, potentially missing your fertility opportunity.

You might have heard that you can't get pregnant right after your period. But in reality, people sometimes can conceive by having penis-in-vagina (PIV) sex immediately following menstruation. Read on to learn what experts say about your chances of getting pregnant right after your period.

Your Menstrual Cycle and Conception

"There are two phases to the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase occurs before ovulation, and the luteal phase occurs after ovulation," says Lauren Sundheimer, M.D., MS, FACOG, an OB-GYN practicing in Orange County, California. Dr. Sundheimer explains that people who have 28-day cycles typically ovulate approximately 14 days after the first day of their period.

Though ovulation tends to occur 14 days prior to the next period, cycle length varies for from person to person and even cycle to cycle. This variation can make predicting ovulation especially tricky if you have irregular cycles since you don't know when your next period will arrive.

The egg that's released during ovulation survives for only 24 hours. Sperm, on the other hand, can survive three to five days in the uterus and fallopian tubes under the right circumstances, says Barbara Stegmann, M.D., a triple board-certified OB-GYN and women's health clinical lead at Organon, a global health care company. So having PIV sex during ovulation or the days beforehand can result in pregnancy since the egg can meet with existing sperm in the reproductive tract.

But "if the egg is not fertilized by a sperm during this time, it does not survive," says Michele Hakakha, M.D., a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist based in Los Angeles and co-author of Expecting 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Pregnancy. Then, about 12 to 16 days later, your uterine lining sheds, resulting in your period.

Can You Get Pregnant Right After Your Period?

For most people, pregnancy isn't likely to happen right after your period—but it is possible. As early as the third day of your menstrual cycle, your levels of the reproductive hormones progesterone and estrogen, which taper off at the start of your period, begin to climb and help your uterine lining rebuild.

Here are a few scenarios that can lead to conception immediately after menstruation.

You have a short menstrual cycle

Although an egg doesn't typically release during the immediate post-period phase, called pre-ovulation, your chances of conceiving aren't zero. Sperm can live up to five days in fertile cervical mucus. That means they can stick around for a few days until your body does release an egg during ovulation. If you have a short menstrual cycle, you may be fertile soon after your period ends.

For example, if you ovulate on day 11, it is technically possible to get pregnant from sex as early as day six of that cycle, which may be right after your period ended.

"One study showed that people who had sex only one time during this phase still got pregnant," says Steven R. Bayer, M.D., a Boston-based reproductive endocrinologist. In fact, a 2018 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology examined PIV intercourse patterns in people trying to conceive with the help of ovulation tests. Researchers found an increased pregnancy likelihood in the days leading up to ovulation—18.5% for day one and 23.6% for day two.

You miscounted cycle days

You can also get pregnant if you miscounted cycle days and mistakenly had unprotected PIV sex near ovulation. To determine day one of your menstrual cycle, start counting on the first day of red blood rather than at the end of your menstrual period, says Dr. Sundheimer.

"The duration of bleeding for a period also varies, so when you're counting time to ovulation, it's better to count from the first day of a period rather than days since bleeding stops." Doing so can prevent you from having sex too close to ovulation, which can lead to pregnancy.

Your period lasts a long time

It's not uncommon to have spotting in the day or so before your period starts and for a few days after that. Because of this bleeding, you might falsely believe you're still on your period and can't get pregnant. In reality, though, ovulation can be closer than you think.

Managing Fertility After Your Period

You don't want to worry about getting pregnant before you're ready. That's why it's essential to know your cycle and your body and use protection whenever there's a chance you could get pregnant. Having a birth control plan (and possibly a backup plan) in place is especially important when you're actively trying to avoid pregnancy.

If you had unprotected PIV sex during your period and are concerned that you may be expecting, look out for early pregnancy symptoms like mild lower abdominal cramping, breast tenderness, and moodiness. Other common pregnancy symptoms will manifest closer to six or seven weeks of gestation, including nausea, vomiting, and fatigue.